Ayaka Otsu Finds Love While Facing an Extraordinary Life and Battling “Monsters”
On the other hand, the bankruptcy trustee is seeking the refund of 41.5 million yen used for party promotions and 20 million yen in donations that were transferred from the party to Ayaka Otsu’s support association.
“Since we can’t use party subsidies to repay debts, we need to expand the party’s influence, gather donations, and increase party membership fees. Given the current situation with the party’s image suffering from all the disputes, we determined that promotion was necessary. We obtained estimates from three companies, and as you can verify, the amount is reasonable for an annual promotion contract. The promotion was carried out based on discussions within the party and decisions made by the board of executives. I hope the trustee will understand this after further communication.
Mr. Tachibana’s threats of harassment through street protests made finding an office very difficult. We were repeatedly rejected, with concerns about potential business disruption. Finding partners was also extremely challenging. For a while, we couldn’t even open a party bank account, so I had to rely on my father to advance political funds.”
The 20 million yen was for election strategy expenses.
“Initially, we were considering fielding candidates in elections such as the Shizuoka Prefecture gubernatorial race. I was personally preparing to run in the by-election for Tokyo’s 15th district and the Tokyo gubernatorial election. With the timing of the House of Representatives dissolution uncertain and the upcoming Senate election next year, it is standard practice for any party to send funds to support candidates for quick and flexible election strategies. Although we did not end up fielding candidates in those elections, as a national political party, we are committed to fighting effectively in the upcoming House of Representatives and Senate elections.”
In the Tokyo gubernatorial election held in July, Mr. Tachibana carried out a campaign tactic of hijacking bulletin boards. During this, posters with the message “Bankrupt Ayaka Otsu! Please return the money” alongside Otsu’s photo which were displayed at 300 locations in Tokyo. Otsu is outraged, saying “It is clear defamation and slander, and we will resolutely address it.”
“Mr. Tachibana is desperate to portray me as the villain. If it becomes known that he borrowed money, spent it all, and was continuously operating on a shoestring with no prospect of repayment, his supporters and creditors will wake up to the reality. However, the cancellation of unnecessary real estate leases by the party is progressing, and we expect to get back the deposits. The campaign deposit that Mr. Tachibana misappropriated from the Politician Girls Party is also expected to be returned. Results are gradually emerging. The 350 million yen that flowed from the party to Mr. Tachibana will also attract legal scrutiny. I want to turn these struggles into a strength and use my experience to create policies to rescue those troubled by online defamation and slap lawsuits.”
Ms. Otsu, who boldly confronts her unusual life, will undoubtedly see her momentum accelerate further with her strong supporter, her partner.
