Governor Saito’s Arrogant Behavior and New Issues Exposed by Staff Survey

Governor Motohiko Saito of Hyogo Prefecture (46) is now in a tight spot.

FRIDAY Digital carries related articles, such as ” Whistleblower’s ‘right and left’ … Hyogo prefectural government in ‘unprecedented turmoil’ due to spread of documents alleging ‘begging’ and ‘power harassment’ by prefectural governor, ” and ” [Prefectural assembly member’s shocking testimony] ‘Governor was a puppet’ of Hyogo Governor Saito,” and “[Prefectural assembly member’s shocking testimony] ‘Governor was a puppet’ of Hyogo Governor Saito,” and ” The ‘alleged black curtain’ that backed Governor Saito. In “Hyogo Prefectural Government in Unusually Great Confusion” and “Prefectural Assembly Member’s Shocking Testimony: Governor Saito Was a Puppet, “ we have reported in detail on the numerous allegations against Governor Saito and his close associates.

At the Article 100 Committee meeting to be held from today (August 23), ten staff members and alumni will be called as witnesses to confirm the facts of power harassment and other matters based on the written accusation of Mr. A (60 years old), a former senior staff member who chose to die on his own accord. In conjunction with this work, the contents of the questionnaire responses obtained from approximately 6,700 of the 9,700 prefectural employees and others who were targeted are being revealed.

One of the members of the 100-article committee revealed the following.

Of the 4,568 responses we were able to collect by August 5, 333 were written by staff members with their names on them. Of these, 231 answered that they would ‘cooperate with the investigation of testimony and interviews before this committee,’ in other words, that they would be available to appear before the committee. Although it was possible to respond without a name, this many staff members responded that they would cooperate. The testimonies are also very specific.”

The survey also revealed that a total of 38.3% (1,750 people) responded that they “knew or had seen or heard about the governor’s power harassment allegations through others. According to the aforementioned committee members, the number of employees who “actually saw, heard, or experienced power harassment” also totaled 59. Regarding the alleged receipt of gifts from private companies to the governor, 20.7% (946 persons) said they had seen or heard about it. About 40% of the staff members are aware of the governor’s power harassment, which is an unusual situation.

FRIDAY Digital’s interview with Governor Saito revealed the following specifics about his power harassment.

I was forced to keep pushing the elevator button for 30 minutes.
They were made to go to a private waiting room without any explanation.
We had to have a mirror in the waiting room.
They were angry when the media was not present at the event.
Kicked in the seat in the car
Throwing electronic devices at me
They were angry at me for banging on their desks.

In addition to the power harassment reported in the survey conducted by Maki Maruo in late April, and the power harassment Mr. A. described in his written accusation, the survey revealed numerous other allegations of power harassment.

The aforementioned committee member adds.

In particular, the following responses were very common: “I get angry if I don’t get a private room,” “I was hit on the desk,” and “I get angry if I am made to wait in the elevator. The reasons for all of these are unclear, and staff members have the impression that the governor’s actions are unreasonable and influenced by his own emotions. There are conspicuous statements to the effect that the management was aware of such a disposition of the governor and gave instructions to subordinate staff members.”

At a press conference on August 20, Governor Saito completely denied the allegations of power harassment , saying, “I have no such perception. We will respond to the investigation (by the Hyakujokuho Committee) and move forward with prefectural administration, “ he said, a phrase he has repeated many times since the series of problems first came to light.

Naturally, the governor is receiving a cold shoulder.

Maki Maruo, a prefectural assembly member who conducted a survey of his own staff prior to the survey, stated, “The results of the survey gave me the impression that power harassment may have been a daily occurrence.

The results of the survey gave me the impression that power harassment may have been a daily occurrence. The fact that not a small number of staff members volunteered to cooperate with the committee in writing, even though there was a possibility that they would be called to testify, shows their sense of crisis, their distrust of the governor, their feelings toward Mr. A, who took his life, and their strong will to improve the soundness of prefectural administration.

Some of the results of the survey will likely become a point of contention during the governor’s testimony scheduled for September 30, when investigations will proceed into the gifts, the victory parade, and allegations of whistleblowing, which were also mentioned in the accusation letter. The governor has other serious issues to be pursued,” said one of the committee members .

The personnel authorities’ attitude of ‘disregarding the confidentiality of communications’ by confiscating Mr. A’s computer and forcing employees who had a relationship with Mr. A to show their smartphones is also a problem that must be questioned. According to the staff members who attended the farewell party held for Mr. A before his death, some of them had no choice but to comply when the personnel authorities came to the venue and voluntarily asked them to disclose their private smartphones. The employees were subjected to aggressive and coercive behavior that disregarded their privacy rights. The employees must have felt that if they refused to cooperate, they might be disadvantaged in terms of personnel affairs. Who would want to work in such a workplace?

Allegation after allegation of power harassment has surfaced against Governor Saito. He has already been asked numerous questions about power harassment at press conferences, but he has dodged the questions. However, he will not be allowed to give only vague answers in his testimony to be held on August 30.

The significance of the highly specific questionnaires from the staff members is that much more important.