Former Japanese senior vice justice minister Mito Kakizawa was arrested Thursday over allegations of vote-buying in a Tokyo ward mayoral election in April.

The 52-year-old House of Representatives lawmaker is suspected of having paid several Koto Ward assembly members to support a mayoral candidate he backed. Prosecutors judged the payments were made to buy votes, sources close to the matter said.

Kakizawa, son of former Foreign Minister Koji Kakizawa, has denied the allegations, saying the money was provided as a customary mid-campaign contribution ahead of a ward assembly election also held in April.

The scandal involving the former Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker comes amid a political funds scandal involving the LDP's largest faction, dealing another blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government.

According to the sources, Kakizawa told his secretaries and others prior to the mayoral election to distribute 200,000 yen ($1,400) evenly among the assembly members with ties to the LDP.

Kakizawa is also suspected of giving money to staff of Yayoi Kimura, the candidate he backed for the mayoral race, with his secretary creating a list of around 10 people for the payment of about 900,000 yen in total, they said.

He resigned as senior vice justice minister in October after admitting that he had proposed using an online advertisement in Kimura's campaign, which is prohibited by the election law.

Tokyo prosecutors have already questioned Kakizawa on a voluntary basis and searched his offices.

==Kyodo