Takashi Tachibana Plans Hyogo Assembly Bid Next Spring as His Bail Application Is Rejected

While being held in custody for more than nine months

Takashi Tachibana (59), leader of the currently inactive NHK Party, is making a defiant show of spirit from behind bars.

He recently sent a handwritten letter to attorney Katsuya Fukunaga, whom he knows personally. The attorney revealed its contents on his YouTube channel on August 12.

In the letter, Tachibana stated enthusiastically:

“I have become even more determined to win the next election at all costs.”

He declared that he would run as an NHK Party-endorsed candidate in the Amagasaki electoral district in the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly election, which will be held as part of the April 2027 unified local elections. According to Tachibana’s assessment, the Amagasaki district has a large number of swing voters, and he believes he would have a good chance of winning if he could secure around 40,000 votes.

Moreover, he says he has a strong supporter base in Amagasaki City and that there is also the advantage of being able to easily secure a building to use as an election campaign office. Tachibana then continued:

“With Reiwa Shinsengumi gone, I believe there is a need for a political party that truly helps the vulnerable.”

“I have come to strongly believe that Takashi Tachibana must continue to be a politician for a Japan where honest people do not end up being made fools of.”

Tachibana was arrested and indicted last November on suspicion of defaming Hideaki Takeuchi, a former Hyogo prefectural assembly member. A date for his first trial has yet to be set, and he remains in custody at the Kobe Detention Center. His requests for bail have been rejected twice so far.

“It is highly unusual for someone to be held in custody for more than nine months on suspicion of defamation, and some have criticized it as a form of hostage justice. However, neither the police nor prosecutors have any intention whatsoever of releasing him before the first trial.”

That is according to a police source. While Takeuchi was still alive and being questioned by the Hyogo Prefectural Police, Tachibana spread the false claim on social media that:

“He was scheduled to be arrested soon.”

The Hyogo Prefectural Police were so furious that they made an unusually strong rebuttal, stating that the claim was completely unfounded and an obvious falsehood. The incident is still fresh in people’s memories.

Even after losing 10 kg, he has already regained the weight

Defendant Tachibana has already been sentenced to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years, for forcible obstruction of business against NHK and other offenses. The suspended sentence is set to expire next March. If he is found guilty in the current defamation trial and that conviction becomes final before then, there is a possibility that his suspended sentence could be revoked.

However, given that a date for his first trial has still not even been set,

“It is difficult to imagine the verdict becoming final by next March. There is a high likelihood that what is known as ‘bentō kiri’—having the suspended sentence expire before a new conviction becomes final—will occur.” (Legal professional)

Even so, there is no guarantee that Tachibana will be out of custody when the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly election takes place next April. If he is still in custody, he would have to run for office from behind bars. In a similar case, Atsuhiko Kurokawa of the political group Tsubasa no To ran in the Tokyo gubernatorial election in 2024 while under arrest and in custody on suspicion of election interference. A person familiar with Tachibana revealed:

“He lost about 10 kg when he was first detained, but apparently he has already regained the weight. These days, he reportedly reads books sent in by supporters and exercises by walking around his cell in circles. Daily necessities are regularly delivered to him by supporters, so he isn’t experiencing any particular inconvenience in his daily life. According to someone who met with him, ‘He hasn’t changed at all from before.’”

He also reads newspapers and weekly magazines, keeping close tabs on everything from politics and international affairs to celebrity gossip. Apparently, he has a great deal he wants to say, and he has entrusted the aforementioned attorney Fukunaga with the message:

“I want you to spread the contents of my letters to the public.”

Tachibana is reportedly preparing to appear in court under Japan’s victim participation system for the trial of a murder attempt in which he himself was attacked with a machete. It would be unprecedented for someone in detention to appear in court at the trial of the person who attacked him. Is the “Tachibana Theater” finally about to reopen?!

Things surrounding the defendant have suddenly begun to get noisy.