Arrest of Tachibana: NHK Party Leader’s Verbal Violence Deemed To Be Crime

Editorial

14:00 JST, November 11, 2025

Society will fall into ruin if acts that defame by spreading unverified information are allowed.

Society must share the understanding that verbal violence that harms people constitutes a crime.

In connection with a whistleblowing issue at the Hyogo prefectural government, police arrested Takashi Tachibana, leader of the political organization NHK Party on suspicion of defamation for damaging the reputation of a deceased former prefectural assembly member by spreading fake rumors.

Tachibana is suspected of damaging the former assembly member’s reputation by saying during a street speech last December that the former assembly member was under police investigation, and by posting on social media in January after the former assembly member’s death that “the former assembly member was scheduled to be arrested.”

The former assembly member had been a member of the prefectural assembly’s committee investigating allegations against the governor, set up based on Article 100 of the Local Government Law. He resigned as an assembly member in November last year and died in January. His death is believed to have been a suicide.

Establishing a case on suspicion of defamation against a deceased person is unusual. Information originating from Tachibana was spread widely on social media. The prefectural police must have judged that cornering the former assembly member and even desecrating his death as being “his own fault” constituted an extremely heinous act.

Users who casually spread false information on social media must also realize they cannot escape responsibility.

Tachibana caused an uproar by effectively selling the right to post election posters on election bulletin boards for the Tokyo gubernatorial race to third parties, resulting in advertisements for adult entertainment establishments being posted.

In the Hyogo gubernatorial election in November last year, he waged a strategy he called “two-horsepower campaigning” whereby he ran in the election with the aim of supporting Motohiko Saito’s reelection.

It can only be said that Tachibana exploited legal loopholes to toy with the electoral process. While the alleged charge for his arrest is about spreading false information, his actions — defaming those with differing opinions and inciting voters during elections — constitute nothing less than the undermining of democracy.

On social media, false information also spread during last month’s Miyagi gubernatorial election campaign. In order for actions like Tachibana’s to not be repeated, the central and local governments as well as social media operators must implement countermeasures.

In the Hyogo gubernatorial election in which Tachibana waged his two-horsepower campaign, the prefecture’s residents split into supporters and opponents of Saito, creating an emotional divide.

Regarding the whistleblower issue in connection with Saito, a prefectural third-party committee ruled his response illegal. However, Saito has refused to admit wrongdoing and remains in office. The turmoil in prefectural politics continues.

Papers pertaining to Tachibana have been sent to prosecutors on suspicion of such charges as defamation and intimidation against a prefectural assembly member, while papers pertaining to Saito have also been sent to prosecutors on suspicion of election violations. The prosecutors are urged to thoroughly investigate both cases, clarifying the facts and determining the degree of malicious intent. This should also lead to an end to the division and chaos.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 11, 2025)