run afoul of

うちわ問題で遂に松島みどり氏が辞任しました。

Justice minister undone by cheap paper fan

In the heat of summer, they are ubiquitous in Japan: cheap paper fans, advertising this or that company or product, handed out at outdoor events or busy train stations. On Monday, they brought down a politician.

One of two cabinet ministers who resigned Monday over election-law issues, Justice Minister Midori Matsushima was accused of distributing fans to constituents.

That a paper fan valued at 80 yen could run afoul of Japan’s election laws is testament to the strict prohibition on gifts to constituents. It’s a legacy of once-common vote-buying in Japan, says Koichi Nakano, political science professor at Sophia University in Tokyo.

The simple fans, known as “uchiwa,” are a sheet of paper, rounded at the corners and stretched across of web of bamboo or plastic. Traditional uchiwa have painted art, but today’s fans are as likely to have a company logo and announce a sale.

今回気になった表現は“run afoul of”です。調べてみると、「もめごとを起こす、〈法律・規則〉にふれる」(『ジーニアス英和辞典』大修館)とありました。以前にも掲載されていますが、runの代わりにfallを使うこともあるようです。今回は後者の意味になります。女性が目玉とされていた安倍内閣から早くも２人の女性が辞任してしまいました。今後どうなっていくのでしょうか。(Green)

http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/justice-minister-undone-by-cheap-paper-fan

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20121229/1356764116
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20131014/1381734926