Investigative sources say Tokyo police have searched places linked to a Diet member over allegations that he slandered and intimidated prominent figures on his YouTube channel.

GaaSyy, whose real name is Higashitani Yoshikazu, won an Upper House seat in July last year. He belongs to the NHK Party.

Sources say that on Wednesday, police searched several places related to a company based in Tokyo that manages GaaSyy's income from the video-sharing site.

A number of prominent figures filed complaints saying they were slandered or intimidated by the legislator in his videos. Tokyo police have been questioning relevant people.

Last month, the police contacted GaaSyy through his lawyer to ask him to answer questions on a voluntary basis.

GaaSyy has been staying in the United Arab Emirates and has not attended any Diet sessions.

NHK Party Leader Tachibana Takashi told reporters last month that GaaSyy has expressed his intention to return to Japan to respond to police questioning.