The Power Harassment Scandal Involving Governor Motohiko Saito and the Growing Chaos in Hyogo Prefecture

Who the hell do you think you are running for office?

The election campaign was nothing short of bizarre.

On November 17, a runoff election for governor of Hyogo Prefecture was held following the resignation of former Governor Motohiko Saito (47).

FRIDAY reporters closely followed Mr. Saito from the day before the election. At his street speech in Nishinomiya City, the audience that could not fit in the venue filled the street across the street and even the crosswalk connecting the station with a commercial facility. A housewife in her fifties, who was in the audience, excitedly exclaimed, “I’m not going to let them get away with this.

The mass media blamed Mr. Saito for the meeting of the Article 100 Committee and the no-confidence motion, didn’t they? It looked like bullying. We need Mr. Saito to continue as governor because he has increased the prefecture’s savings and provided generous support for infertility treatment.”

There were also high school girls in their school uniforms. I’m in my second year of high school, so I don’t have the right to vote, but I came here because I wanted to see Mr. Saito,” the high school girl continued.

I’m a high school girl, so I don’t have the right to vote, but I wanted to see Mr. Saito. Everyone has their own opinion, but I don’t think Mr. Saito is a bad person. The mass media does not report the truth, but we have SNS. The suicide of the staff member was not Mr. Saito’s fault. If I had the right to vote, I would vote for Mr. Saito.”

…… “Which way did you run for office!” to Mr. Saito during his speech. and some groups walked around with placards that read, “Motohiko Saito’s supporters have been arrested too many times. In fact, there were many riots and arrests during the election period.

Around 5:30 p.m. on the same day, about 3,000 people rushed to his speech in Sannomiya, Kobe City, which was considered the ″grand finale. It was an unimaginable scene from the time when he lost his job and simply bowed repeatedly in front of the station. When Mr. Saito finished his speech, he was met with thunderous applause. Saito’s speech was met with a thunderous “Saito call” from the audience. He left the venue with a thunderous “Saito call” on his back. It was like watching Mr. Trump during the U.S. presidential election. Everyone was in a fever.

There’s a next one coming up: …….”

How is Mr. Saito taking this enthusiasm?　FRIDAY reporters approached Mr. Saito in Nishinomiya City and Kobe City to ask for his comments after his speech, but he remained silent. When we encountered Mr. Saito praying for victory at a shrine in Kobe City between speeches, we also asked for a comment, but he said, “I have to go to …… next,” and scuttled off to his campaign car.

And the unexpected counterattack was a success. According to a survey by the Osaka-based media, Saito was 12 points ahead of former Amagasaki Mayor Kazumi Inamura (52), who was considered certain to lose the election, but he was reelected with a resounding victory, garnering 1.11 million votes, up more than 250,000 votes from the previous gubernatorial election.

After 10 days had passed since he lost his post, discourses such as “The accusation letter by the deceased former prefectural governor was a coup against Governor Saito” and “Mr. Saito did not engage in power harassment” spread rapidly on social networking services. The LDP prefectural assembly, which had banned support for Mr. Saito in the wake of the furious pushback, finally accepted the support. The fact that the LDP members were divided in their support for Saito also benefited him,” said a media reporter in Osaka.

With the trust of the huge prefectural public, Saito returned to the governor’s seat at the Hyogo Prefectural Government as of January 19, but this does not mean that the allegations have disappeared. One prefectural official told FRIDAY, “A questionnaire to the staff members yielded responses that directly witnessed Saito’s power harassment, but these responses were ignored. I am worried that Saito will return as governor without knowing whether he will change his attitude,” he divulged.

The investigation by the Article 100 Committee is ongoing, and Saito is being awaited by prefectural assembly members, who unanimously voted against him in a no-confidence motion.

A source in the assembly said, “The prefectural assembly has once again voted no confidence in Saito.

The 1.11 million votes carry that much weight. Governor Saito will be asked to appear before the Article 100 Committee, but it is unlikely at this point that any new evidence of power harassment or coaxing will come to light. However, the prefectural assembly has an anti-Saito faction in the majority. The governor will have a hard time even passing a single policy. He could dissolve the assembly, but he will not pull out his “treasure sword” for fear of being criticized as a purge.

With Saito’s return, which has both the prefectural assembly and its staff feeling uneasy, the Hyogo prefectural government is likely to become even more chaotic.

From the December 6, 2024 issue of FRIDAY