The Law Punishing a Person who Gains Profits by the Good Offices was enacted in2000and put into force in March2001.Under the law,a member or chairperson of the National Diet or local assemblies shall be punished for receiving pecuniary benefits as a reward for asking for actions by public officials through their good offices by using their influence based on their power,when requested,with respect to a sales contract,etc.to be concluded by the state or a local government or an administrative action against a particular person.Publicly-paid secretaries of a Diet member shall also be subject to the provisions of this law.Subsequently,the law was amended to add private secretaries of National Diet members(persons who are employed by a National Diet member in order to assist their political activities)to the list of those subject to punishment under the law(the amended law was put into force in August2002).Two persons were prosecuted in2002and no person was prose cuted in2003for violation of this law(Source:Annual Report of Statistics on Prosecution).