Hyogo Governor Saito’s Unprecedented Response Amidst Confusion Over Former Director’s Death

“I protest with my death.”

Such a message was reportedly left in a “will” found on a smartphone discovered at A’s family home in Himeji City.

On the night of July 7, A (60), the former director of the Nishi-Harima Prefectural Bureau who had been exposing harassment allegations against former Hyogo Governor Yoshifumi Saito (46), took his own life. After A’s death, a flood of complaint calls about the governor’s statements and the prefecture’s response ensued, leading to disruptions in official duties. The number of protests and criticisms directed at the prefecture has reportedly reached 1,000.

The incident began on March 12 when a document titled “Seven Suspicious Issues in Prefectural Administration,” created by A, began circulating. The prefecture’s personnel department and others launched an investigation and questioned A on March 25, but Governor Saito denounced A as “a pack of lies” and “unfit as a public servant” during a press conference on March 27.

A was scheduled to retire in a few days but was prevented from doing so by removing him from his position as director of the Nishi-Harima Bureau and imposing a three-month suspension as a disciplinary action. In response, A created a rebuttal document against the governor’s statements and sent it to some prefectural legislators and media outlets, maintaining a confrontational stance.

A prefectural official who knows A reveals.

“A was prepared with specific counterarguments and rebuttals to each of the governor’s statements. He acted with the sole intention of ensuring that the public and staff knew the facts. He had also been receiving consultations from junior staff members, which led to the issuance of the exposé document this time. There was a precedent where the prefecture did not disclose the death of a manager responsible for the victory parades of the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes. Amidst this, independent prefectural legislator Maki Maruo (59) made public the results of a survey conducted among staff, but there were concerns among staff about a hunt for who said what, leading A to worry about causing trouble for other staff members.”

In fact, when FRIDAY Digital requested an interview with A in May, the following message was received through an acquaintance:

“Currently, there is strong pressure from the prefectural authorities on the staff. Honestly, it is mentally exhausting to think that accepting an interview would cause trouble for the staff. I apologize, but could we wait and see for a while?”

The criticism from prefectural employees, including A, was not only directed at the governor’s harassment and numerous allegations. The significant operational issues that arose after Governor Saito took office were also problematic. A local newspaper reporter said:

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the remote work policy to reduce the employee attendance rate to 40% was implemented, which was praised as ‘innovative,’ and the governor was very pleased. Following this, the governor announced a policy to demolish two of the three prefectural office buildings from the 2026 fiscal year and turn the sites into grassy areas. Despite the main office being already overcrowded with employees, he plans to reduce the number of office buildings. It is believed that this intention is to continue efforts to keep employee attendance rates low. Consequently, affiliated organizations are also expected to be forced into similar remote work arrangements.”

Many municipalities and affiliated organizations can only act after receiving approval from prefectural employees. The aforementioned local newspaper reporter continues:

“From the perspective of personal information protection, the contact information of remote work employees cannot be disclosed to anyone. The governor stated, ‘This issue can be resolved by providing official mobile phones.’ However, it is impossible for the prefectural administration to function properly under these conditions. It is clear that the efficiency of operations will plummet, and the quality of prefectural governance will deteriorate. Concerned employees protested and brought the issue up in the general assembly, but Governor Saito, without any remorse, declared, ‘We have no choice but to go down this path. There will be no dialogue.'”

 

 

In some parts of the prefecture, efforts have already been made to reduce the employee attendance rate to 40% through measures such as remote work. However, a municipal official from Nishi-Harima said, “Due to the lack of smooth communication with the main office, we are already experiencing operational difficulties. Similar concerns are being voiced in nearby cities as well,” he said, frowning.

The Saito administration cannot function. A also had concerns about the dysfunctionality of the prefectural office, which led to his decision to expose the issues.

At a press conference held after A’s death, Governor Saito was harshly questioned by the media but denied resignation, stating, “It is my responsibility to move the prefectural administration forward.”

Governor Saito, who was elected with the joint support of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, faced a de facto resignation demand from Shinsuke Suematsu (68), the president of the LDP prefectural federation and member of the House of Councillors, who said, “I would like the governor to make a significant and correct decision.”

Toru Hashimoto (55), founder of the Japan Innovation Party, also offered a sharp critique when he appeared on the information program “Shunkan LIVE Toretate!” (Kansai TV).

“Governor Saito publicly called his subordinate’s claims ‘a pack of lies’ through the media. But it wasn’t a pack of lies. Regardless of the cause-and-effect relationship, the fact that an employee died because of this is enough for me to believe that the leader of the organization must resign. It’s not about rebuilding the prefectural administration; it’s about clarifying the facts, and once they are clear, I believe he should resign.”

Governor Saito is truly besieged on all sides. However, some officials in the prefectural administration, who cannot hide their anger, argue, “The confusion in the prefectural administration is not solely Governor Saito’s problem.”

 

In the second part of the article, “[Prefectural assembly member’s shocking testimony] ‘Governor Saito was a puppet,’ ” we will report in detail on the “root cause” of the confusion in the Hyogo prefectural government.