A court in Japan has given a suspended sentence to a former mayor of Tokyo's Koto Ward for vote-buying and other charges over a mayoral election.
The Tokyo District Court on Friday sentenced Kimura Yayoi to one year and six months in prison, suspended for five years.
The charges are related to the mayoral election for Koto Ward that Kimura won in April last year.
Kimura is suspected of offering one million yen, or about 6,400 dollars, to a former ward assembly member after winning the election. She is also accused of using paid online ads in collaboration with a former lawmaker. Online advertising is banned under the public offices election law.
In the ruling, the presiding judge noted that the act of offering a large amount of money is a crime that harms the fairness of elections.
The judge said Kimura had served two terms as a Lower House lawmaker, so she should have considered the legality of online advertising more carefully.
The judge also said the defendant resigned as ward mayor and expressed remorse.
If the ruling is finalized, Kimura will have her civil rights suspended and be barred from running for election for five years.