Overview
- Takeshi Shina and Junya Ogawa faced off in the Centrist Reform League leadership election on Feb. 13, with 49 lawmakers voting to chart a path for a party strained by post-election survival and internal reconciliation.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested three people, including S.I.Net-kai chairman Tomofumi Okamoto, on suspicion of illegal deposit contracts tied to helicopter and aircraft sales, with investigators estimating about ¥1 billion collected from roughly 270 people since 2022.
- Two U.S. Marines based at Iwakuni were referred to prosecutors on suspicion of repeated thefts and unlawful entry in Tokyo’s Kabukicho area, with alleged damages exceeding ¥10 million and both suspects admitting motive tied to personal expenses.
- An Abashiri city councilor who had already voted early attempted to initiate voting again on election day, prompting a formal rebuke as officials confirmed the double-voting safeguard worked and blocked a second ballot.
- Relatives and police distributed about 1,000 flyers in Fukuoka seeking tips in an unsolved 2001 double-murder case, highlighting a reward of up to ¥2.5 million for information leading to an arrest.