He resigned to work on his father's campaign in the 1999 gubernatorial election in Tokyo.

[citation needed] In 2008, he was involved in a drunk driving incident and left the metropolitan assembly.

[3] He joined Your Party in 2009 and stood as a candidate for the 15th district in the 2009 general election.

[citation needed] On 31 October 2023, Kakizawa resigned from his post as State Minister of Justice after admitting to being involved in illegal campaigning.

[4] On 28 December 2023, he was arrested for violating the Public Offices Election Act and faced charges of vote-buying worth 2.8 million yen (19,000 USD) during mayoral elections in the Kōtō ward of Tokyo in April.