Twelve traffic violations…Fumiko Kinoshita, a former Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly member, speaks out in court about her “bitter objections

There were very few people who could drive me to help with my campaign, so I had to do it myself. The pressure of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election made it impossible for me to make a sound judgment.”

Fumiko Kinoshita, 55, a former member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, stood in the courtroom, her voice choked with tears at times during the questioning of the accused.

On January 25, the first trial of Kinoshita, who resigned from the Diet after being accused of violating the Road Traffic Law, was held at the Tokyo District Court. Kinoshita, wearing a black jacket and a long green skirt, bowed and entered the court. When asked by Judge Kiichi Hiraide about her occupation, she replied, “I am unemployed.

According to the indictment, Kinoshita drove his car seven times between May and July 2009 while his license was suspended. According to the indictment, Kinoshita drove his car seven times between May and July 2009, when his license was suspended, to go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly building and give speeches on the street. In addition, in the four years since 2005, he has committed 12 traffic violations, including driving while looking at his smartphone. He had his license suspended four times,” said a reporter in charge of judicial affairs for a national newspaper.

The accident that caused the most trouble occurred on July 2, 2009, just after 7:00 in the morning.

At an intersection in Takashimadaira, Tokyo, Kinoshita’s car was not moving fast enough, so the following car honked its horn. Suddenly, Kinoshita backed up his car and collided with the following car. The defendant allegedly fled the scene at a high rate of speed. The driver of the following car and his wife were slightly injured, and Kinoshita was sent to the prosecutor’s office on suspicion of violating the Automobile Accident Compensation Act.

After the accident, Kinoshita did not show up at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office and went into hiding. The Tokyo Citizens First Association, to which he belonged, decided to expel him. The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly voted to recommend his resignation twice, in July and September 2009. The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly voted twice in July and September 2009 to recommend his resignation, and three summonses were issued in the name of the vice chairperson, but Kinoshita only posted an apology on his official website and did not directly explain his actions.

I learned the rules of the road by breaking them.

On November 9, four months after the accident, Kinoshita finally made an appearance. On November 9, four months after the accident, Kinoshita finally made an appearance and apologized, saying, “I would like to express my apologies,” but denied resigning from the assembly, saying, “There are some people who would like me to continue. His resignation drew criticism from both inside and outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, and he submitted his resignation letter on November 22.

At his first trial, he made a series of remarks that could be seen as a “rebuttal” to the criticism, saying that he was not aware of the norms. The following is a summary of the exchanges between the prosecutor and the judge and Kinoshita in court.

Prosecutor: “Why did you have so many traffic violations?

Prosecutor: “Why did you commit so many traffic violations? I thought I was making amends by paying the fine.

Prosecutor: “What about driving while looking at your phone, which led to the suspension of your license?”

I was not aware that I was touching my phone. The police officer claimed to have witnessed it, so I had no choice but to admit it.

The prosecutor’s office demanded 10 months in prison, saying, “There is no room for extenuating circumstances, as he repeatedly committed (traffic) violations on a daily basis. The verdict is scheduled to be handed down on February 15.