“I Will Continue as a Politician”: Defendant Takashi Tachibana to Run in Next Spring’s Hyogo Prefectural Assembly Election… Though His Bail Application Was Denied, He Is “Spouting Fiery Rhetoric from Behind Bars”

Although he has been in custody for more than nine months,

Takashi Tachibana (59), the suspended leader of the NHK Party, is making bold statements from behind bars.

He recently sent a handwritten letter to his close friend, attorney Katsuya Fukunaga. On August 12, the attorney revealed the contents of the letter on his YouTube channel.

In the letter, Tachibana wrote,

“My determination to win the next election has grown stronger than ever,”

He declared that he would run as the NHK Party’s endorsed candidate in the Amagasaki electoral district for the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly election—part of the unified local elections in April 2027. According to Tachibana’s assessment, the Amagasaki electoral district has a large number of swing voters, and if he can secure about 40,000 votes, he has a high chance of winning.

Furthermore, he noted that he has “powerful” supporters in Amagasaki City, which makes it easier to secure a building for his campaign office. Tachibana then continued:

“Now that the Reiwa Shinsengumi is gone, I believe we need a political party that truly helps the vulnerable.”

“I strongly felt that Takashi Tachibana must continue as a politician for the sake of a Japan where honest people are not taken advantage of.”

Defendant Tachibana was arrested and indicted last November on charges of defamation against former Hyogo Prefectural Assembly member Hideaki Takeuchi. The date for his first hearing has not been set, and he remains in custody at the Kobe Detention Center. His requests for bail have been denied twice so far.

“Detention for more than nine months on defamation charges is unusual, and some have criticized it as ‘hostage justice.’ However, neither the police nor the prosecution has the slightest intention of releasing him until the first hearing,”

said a police source. While former Prefectural Assembly Member Takeuchi was still alive and being questioned by the Hyogo Prefectural Police, Defendant Tachibana posted on social media that

“He was scheduled to be arrested soon,”

. It is still fresh in people’s memories how enraged the Hyogo Prefectural Police were, going so far as to issue an unusual rebuttal calling the claim “groundless and a clear falsehood.”

Despite Losing 10 kg, He Has Already Regained the Weight

Defendant Tachibana has been definitively sentenced to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years, for charges including obstruction of business by intimidation against NHK; his probation is set to expire next March. If a guilty verdict is finalized in this defamation trial by then, there is a possibility that his probation will be revoked.

However, given that the date for the first hearing has not yet been set,

“It’s hard to imagine a verdict becoming final by next March. It’s highly likely that the so-called ‘bento cut’ will apply,” said a legal source.

.

Even so, there is no guarantee that defendant Tachibana will be out of jail by the time of the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly election next April. In that case, he would be running for office from detention.In a similar case in 2024, Atsuhiko Kurokawa of the political group “Tsubasa no To” ran for the Tokyo gubernatorial election while under arrest and detention on suspicion of election interference. A source familiar with Defendant Tachibana reveals:

“He lost about 10 kg at the start of his detention, but it seems he’s already regained the weight. I hear he’s now reading books sent to him and pacing back and forth in his cell to exercise. Since daily necessities arrive regularly from his supporters, he isn’t lacking anything, and according to someone who visited him, he ‘hasn’t changed a bit from before.’”

He also reads newspapers and weekly magazines, thoroughly keeping up with everything from politics and international affairs to entertainment gossip. It seems he has a mountain of things he wants to say, and he told Attorney Fukunaga, mentioned earlier,

“I want you to make the contents of my letters known to the world,”

he entrusted this message to Attorney Fukunaga, mentioned earlier.

Defendant Tachibana is reportedly preparing to appear at the trial for the attempted murder case in which he himself was attacked with a machete, utilizing the victim participation system. It is unprecedented for a person in detention to appear at the trial of the person who attacked them. Is the “Tachibana Theater” finally set to resume!?

Things are suddenly getting hectic around the defendant.