Katsuyuki Kawai

Katsuyuki Kawai (河井 克行, Kawai Katsuyuki; born March 11, 1963) is a Japanese former politician of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Hiroshima, Hiroshima and graduate of Keio University, he ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 1993 after serving in the assembly of Hiroshima Prefecture. After losing his seat in 2000, he was re-elected in 2003 and continued to serve multiple terms. In 2006, he was appointed as Director, National Defence Division of the LDP, and in 2021, he was selected as Chairperson of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. In 2015, Kawai was appointed as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister during the Third Abe Cabinet’s first and second reshuffles. He was re-elected to the House of Representatives for a seventh term in 2017 and subsequently appointed as Special Advisor to LDP President Shinzo Abe for Foreign Affairs. In 2019, in the Fourth Abe Cabinet’s second reshuffle. He became Minister of Justice from 11 September 2019 to 31 October 2019. He stepped down as the Minister of Justice after reports of overpaying workers of Anri Kawai's political campaign beyond the legal limit.

On June 16, 2020, he and his wife, Anri Kawai, left the Liberal Democratic Party among allegations of buying votes to aid Anri Kawai's campaign for the House of Councilors. They were later arrested by public prosecutors on June 19, 2020, on charges for vote-buying and distributing around 25 million yen to 100 prefectural and city assembly members in Hiroshima in violation of the Public Office Elections Law.

In April 2021, Kawai resigned his position as Representative. On June 18, 2021, Kawai was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of 1.3 million yen ($12,000) for vote buying.

In a subsequent development, Japan's Supreme Public Prosecutors Office admitted to conducting improper investigations in the case. According to a report by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, a Tokyo prosecutor may have suggested to a former Hiroshima city assembly member that they could avoid indictment or receive a lighter penalty, despite not making an explicit promise. Additionally, another prosecutor was suspected of influencing the former assembly member's court testimony to align with the content of interrogation reports.