Governor Saito Faces New Allegations, Lawyer’s Press Conference Adds to Uncertainty

The Hyogo Prefecture gubernatorial election, which was supposed to have been concluded with the re-election of Saito Motohiko, still seems far from settled with ongoing commotion.

The issue arose when Kaede Orita, the representative of the PR company merchu based in the prefecture, revealed that she had been solely responsible for managing Saito’s campaign SNS strategy. Saito, who faced accusations of violating the Public Offices Election Law, had his lawyer, Tsukasa Okumi, hold a press conference on November 27. Okumi denied part of Orita’s posts, claiming that the facts had been exaggerated. However, during the press conference, there were several moments where he struggled to answer questions, which left the allegations unresolved

“The recognition is that the facts have been exaggerated.”

He denied the allegations. However, there were several moments during the press conference when he struggled to answer questions, and he was unable to fully dispel the doubts.

The issue began with Orida’s posts on his own social media. On Instagram, he wrote:

“(Saito) came to listen to my proposals as a public relations professional.”

Then, the day after the election, she posted:

“This time, even from the inside, there were so many dramas and stories. I’d love to see a documentary film made based on the facts.”

 She seemed quite pleased with herself.

She flaunted a Hermes Birkin bag worth several hundred thousand yen.

It seems that Mr. Orita has a strong desire for self-promotion, as he also posted a photo showing off a Hermes Birkin bag worth several hundred thousand yen.

On November 20th, he wrote on his note.

He wrote, “As the supervisor, I was responsible for developing the operational strategy, launching the accounts, creating profiles, planning content, designing writing formats, selecting information, establishing proofreading and revision workflows, strengthening fact-checking systems, and ensuring privacy, all while working with a trustworthy and skilled team.”

He revealed the inside details.

“An election is a comprehensive martial art of public relations.”

“I also want to highlight that it was a company in Hyogo Prefecture, not a major agency in Tokyo, that handled it.”

He proudly continued.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ guidelines for online elections state that if a contractor takes the lead in planning and drafting the content for a campaign website and is paid for it.

“It is highly likely to be considered bribery.”

It is clearly stated that it is highly likely to be considered bribery. In other words, through Orida’s self-promotion, allegations of a violation of the Public Offices Election Law have surfaced against Governor Saito.

Governor Saito himself had.

 

“I have not done anything that violates the Public Offices Election Law,”

He insisted on this point, stating, “I have not done anything that violates the Public Offices Election Law.” He admitted to a payment of 700,000 yen to Mr. Orida’s company, merchu, but maintained that it was for the nominal purpose of poster and other design costs. Here is the breakdown.

•  Main visual planning and production (100,000 yen)  
•  Flyer design (150,000 yen)  
•  Poster and design production (50,000 yen)  
•  Campaign promise slide production (300,000 yen)  
•  Election publicity design production (50,000 yen)

The total amount, including a 10% consumption tax, was paid on November 4th for the five items listed above.

At first glance, the costs for poster-related items seem reasonable. However, it is clear that Orida was involved not only in poster production but also in the overall election campaign of Governor Saito, and photos of Orida supporting Governor Saito during street speeches have spread online.

In any case, it is illegal.

The representative of the “Political Fund Ombudsman,” Hiroyuki Kamiiwaki, pointed out in an interview with Shimbun Akahata:

“The planning of SNS strategies is originally the job of the campaign team. Any strategic initiative with autonomy is considered part of election campaigning.”

He also stated:

“If the Saito side paid or promised compensation to the company in question, it would constitute the bribery of campaign workers, which is prohibited by the Public Offices Election Law. On the other hand, if there was no payment, it would be an illegal donation from a company to an individual politician, prohibited by the Political Funds Control Law. Either way, it is illegal.”

He concluded.

At this point, a criminal complaint by a third party is inevitable. The issue now lies in the subsequent response, according to a former police officer:

“Given the scale of this scandal, the authorities will likely accept the complaint. The Saito camp will surely resist, and in the meantime, the governance of Hyogo Prefecture will stagnate. If Governor Saito were to be dismissed, another gubernatorial election would have to be held. The cost of the recent election was about 2.16 billion yen. The burden on the residents is considerable, and it remains to be seen whether this is reasonable. The authorities will carefully consider aspects beyond just right and wrong.”

It is considered an unspoken understanding in the political world that campaign agencies and PR firms are involved in elections:

“Both the ruling and opposition parties have large agencies and consulting firms plan their election strategies. However, I was completely shocked by the actions of this female president. Governor Saito’s mistake was not realizing who this woman was,” said a Nagatacho insider.

A male election planner also expressed his frustration:

“If that kind of thing gets made public, our business is over!”

He fumed.

Once again, will the residents of Hyogo Prefecture be caught in the turmoil?