Newly elected Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Yoshihiko Watanabe said Sept. 12 that he is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings and has ¥140 million in debt.

Watanabe, 53, said he did not report his financial troubles to DPJ headquarters before running in the Aug. 30 House of Representatives election because he feared "it could have negatively affected my listing as a candidate in the proportional representation section."

He sought court-led bankruptcy in March after assuming the debts on behalf of his late father and an acquaintance, Watanabe said at a news conference in Osaka.