Special Committee Concluded Governor Is Largely Problematic

The special investigative committee of Hyogo Prefectural Assembly unanimously adopted a report on whistleblowing by an official of Hyogo Prefectural Government, who charged against Governor of Hyogo, Mitohiko Saito, of his misconducts in his worktime. Saito expressed his intention that he would not accept what the report said about his behavior. Hostility between the assembly and the governor continues.

The special committee was established to investigate Saito’s harassment in June 2024, based on Article 100 of Local Autonomy Law which gives local assembly power of legally forcible investigation. After investigation for nine months, the special committee concluded that measures taken by Saito on this issue had been largely problematic, indicating possibility of violation against Whistleblower Protection Act.

An officer of Hyogo government disseminated an anonymous document which accused of Saito’s coercive attitude on his staffs or reception of gift from a private company. Saito started searching for who made that document. With suspicion of violating Whistleblower Protection Act, Hyogo assembly embarked on investigation, establishing the special committee.

The final report of the special committee found certain facts which had actually been made by Saito, dismissing appeal of Saito that the document included false accusation and untrue. It also recognized some activities of Saito as categorized to be power harassment on his staff.

The report examined the search for the person who had made that document, with a notion that the document could be a report for public interest. Saito punished the officer, after the government identified him, blaming that the document was wrong in core elements. The officer was suspended his job for three month and found dead two months later. It was likely that he killed himself.

The final report criticized of revelation of private information of the officer, which was made by a director of the government as oppression on a whistleblower. It recommended the government to disclose the result of investigation by the third-party committee and taking appropriate measure to assure protection of whistleblowers.

Saito appeared to be ignoring the final report of the special investigative committee. “It is one of the opinions. I think the measures I took on the document was appropriate,” said Saito in his press conference the day after the final report was published. Saito insisted that he would continue his job as the governor of Kobe.

The scandal in Hyogo prefecture has some problems in local democracy. Receiving non-confidence resolution from the assembly, Saito resigned as the governor and ran for the election to fulfill the vacancy made by himself. In the election held in November 2024, an internet extremist ran to appeal voting not for himself but Saito. That strange style of election campaign was dubbed as “two horsepower election” of Saito.

One of the members of the special committee resigned soon after Saito was reelected, exposed to accusation in internet. He was found dead, supposed to have suicided, in January. People keep on disappearing around the governor.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amendment of Local Autonomy Law

The House of Representatives started discussion on revision of the Local Autonomy Law, which would vest the national government a power to instruct local government in an emergency. It may change the relationship between the national and local government, which has been recognized as equal. The opposition parties oppose the amendment, arguing that it would give the national government an excessive power.   With the Meiji Restoration, the national government abolished the feudal system, introducing modern governance. However, its autonomy was not sufficient. The governor of each prefecture was appointed by the national government. The local governments subordinated to the national government. It was as late as 2000 when  the Comprehensive Decentralization Law  was enacted and the relationship between the national and local government was defined as equal.   The national government found inconvenience in the relationship between the national and local government, when ...
Read more

Request for Final Nuclear Disposal Site

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry requested Genkai Town, Saga, to accept “literature survey” for building a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste. Genkai is going to answer within this month. If it accepts, it will be the third place to accept that survey, following two places in Hokkaido. Main reason to accept the survey is supposed to be subsidy from the national government.   Japan has no final disposal site. Among all 54 reactors in 17 nuclear power generation plant, 12 reactors of 6 plants are operating. The rest of them are not in operation, some of which are determined to be decommissioned. Used nuclear fuels are stocked in each plant, 　 or have sent to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori. There are two plans to stock nuclear wastes in the intermediate facility for disposal, one is already built and another is still in negotiation.   Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Act in 2000 determines to bury nuclear waste in the underground. Literature survey, ...
Read more

Not A Royal Wedding

The bride called her husband an indispensable existence and their marriage was necessary choice to protect their mind. The groom insisted on his life as only once and his right to be with his loved one. Her father wanted his daughter’s marriage to be celebrated by the people. The people were not sure whether the family was happy as a whole. Is this the traditional Japanese social system that makes no one happy? Mako Komuro, as known as Princess Mako during her life in one of the royal family Akishino, held on Tuesday a press conference with her husband Kei Komuro, right after submitting marriage report to local government. It was something different from ordinary Q&A session, because Mako was afraid of her mental uneasiness brought by some questions not based on truth. So, the event was actually one-sided speech to the reporters. Mako emphasized that the Kei’s decision of studying abroad five years ago had not been his original idea, but a result of her request to establish an over...
Read more