Fig. 1-2-2-4 shows the number of persons newly received by public prosecutors offices for violations of the Public Offices Election Act (Act No. 100 of 1950) over the last 10 years (see Appendix 1-4).

Table 1-2-2-4  Number of persons newly received for violation of the Public Offices Election Act (1997-2006)

  The annual number of Public Offices Election Act violations depends on whether or not there are any elections and on which type of elections are held. The number was remarkably high in 1999 and 2003, as unified local elections were held in 1999 and unified local elections and general elections for the House of Representatives were held in 2003.
  Of persons referred for violations of election-related acts in 2006, “bribery and inducement by interests” was the most common with 436 persons (81.2%), followed by “violation of restriction on donation” with 45 persons (8.4%), and “fraudulent registration, false declaration, etc., fraudulent voting, counterfeiting/increase and decrease of votes, and violation of the duty to record choices in voting on behalf of another person” with 22 persons (4.1%) in that order (Source: Criminal Statistics by National Police Agency).