Photo/Illutration Takashi Tachibana is sent to prosecutors in Kobe on Nov. 10. (Takayo Oyama)

KOBE—Takashi Tachibana, the disgraced leader of a political group, was indicted on Nov. 28 on charges of defaming a former prefectural assemblyman who killed himself amid an onslaught of abuse.

Tachibana, 58, is accused of damaging the reputation of Hideaki Takeuchi by spreading false information before and after his death on Jan. 18, according to prosecutors.

Takeuchi served on a special committee of the Hyogo prefectural assembly investigating a whistleblower’s accusations of harassment and misconduct against Governor Motohiko Saito and other individuals.

Takeuchi’s widow said he became subjected to libel and insults, including receiving mail that labeled him as the “mastermind” behind the attack on the governor.

He resigned from the assembly in November last year.

According to the indictment, Tachibana, who heads the “party to protect the people from NHK,” disparaged Takeuchi on Dec. 13-14 during campaign speeches for the mayoral election in Izumi-Otsu, Osaka Prefecture, in which Tachibana was a candidate.

In one speech, he said it appeared that Takeuchi was being interrogated by police.

The indictment also covers social media posts on Jan. 19-20 in which Tachibana wrote, among other things, that Takeuchi was scheduled to be arrested after voluntary police questioning.

Hyogo prefectural police denied Tachibana’s claims.

They opened an investigation into Tachibana following a criminal complaint filed by Takeuchi’s widow, and he was arrested on suspicion of defamation on Nov. 9.

Takeuchi’s widow rejected an offer from Tachibana’s side to settle the matter out of court, according to her lawyer.

To prove defamation against a deceased person, prosecutors must show that the “facts” presented by the suspect were false, and that the perpetrator knew the information was false when it was disseminated.

The threshold for prosecution is higher than for ordinary defamation charges, making this indictment unusual, according to sources.

Yukito Ishimaru, Tachibana’s defense lawyer, said on his YouTube channel on Nov. 14 that his client intends to admit his guilt and apologize.

However, he did not disclose the defense strategy regarding posthumous defamation.

Tachibana was arrested due partly to the risk of evidence destruction, such as through possible collusion with the sources of the misinformation, according to an investigative source.

He remained in custody after the arrest because exchanges between Tachibana and those sources are expected to be key evidence in both the investigation and the trial.

Tachibana, who briefly served as an Upper House member in 2019, has run in numerous elections.

He was a candidate in the Hyogo gubernatorial race in 2024, but instead of seeking his own victory, Tachibana campaigned for Saito.

He also used the campaign period to attack the whistleblower, who also died in an apparent suicide, and prefectural assembly members investigating the governor’s scandal, including Takeuchi.

When asked about Tachibana’s indictment during a news conference on Nov. 28, Saito said, “I will refrain from commenting on individual cases.”

Tachibana’s previous brush with the law could compound his current legal problems.

In 2022, the Tokyo District Court handed Tachibana a prison sentence of two years and six months, suspended for four years.

He was convicted of intimidation against a local assembly member who had left his political group and of forcible obstruction of business of NHK, or Japan Broadcasting Corp.

The ruling was finalized the following year.

If Tachibana is convicted of defamation and sentenced to prison, the two years and six months from his prior conviction would be added to the punishment.

(This article was written by Kai Nemoto and Eri Niiya.)

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