The governor of Hyogo Prefecture, Motohiko Saito, is facing a difficult situation: “Even after his reelection, the turmoil will continue.

The president of a PR firm claimed that he was ‘in charge of all public relations activities.

Why are the allegations against this man so persistent–? Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito, 47, who was re-elected after winning 1.11 million votes in a runoff election, is in danger of shipwreck as soon as he sets sail.

The president of a PR firm, who claims to have been “in charge of all public relations activities” during the last Hyogo gubernatorial election, has uploaded a note: “How did you fight the election together? He revealed nakedly how they fought the election together. A number of people have pointed out that if the company was paid for its PR activities, it would be in violation of the Public Offices Election Law. It has also been revealed that the company may have undertaken projects ordered by the prefecture and that the president attended meetings of prefectural experts,” said a reporter for a national newspaper.

TV Asahi’s former legal director and lawyer, Kosuke Nishiwaki, said, “No matter how the company defends itself, there is a strong possibility that it is in violation of the law.

“If compensation was paid for PR activities, it was a campaign bribe, and even if it was free of charge, the company’s past dealings with the prefecture could be considered an illegal ‘donation’ that would violate the Public Election Law and the Political Funds Control Law,” Nishiwaki said. In particular, in the case of a bribe, there could be serious penalties such as invalidation of the election or loss of office.

More on that later.”

While the media was busy with these allegations, Governor Saito was in Nagatacho to attend a meeting of the National Governors’ Conference. On his way to the conference hall, the reporter asked him directly how he would explain the alleged violation of the Public Election Law, to which he bowed and said, “That will come later. He bowed and entered the assembly hall.

Governor Saito is once again under intense scrutiny. What is the current state of prefectural government?

There are about 300 employees who responded to a survey conducted in response to the governor’s power harassment scandal, using their real names. Even with no names, many employees are scared that ‘if the content is detailed enough, individuals will be identified. I have heard that some employees are considering resigning because they are afraid of retaliation, and that new graduates who were scheduled to enter the government next spring have turned down offers of employment.

On November 25, the day of the governor’s meeting, the Article 100 Committee was also in session. Although Governor Saito was absent from the meeting, he responded to FRIDAY’s interview through the Secretarial Division, saying, “I will respond sincerely the next time there is a request to appear before the committee.

Since the power harassment scandal, prefectural officials have been busy responding to calls with complaints. The prefectural government has been dysfunctional for nearly six months, with the Article 100 Committee and elections also taking place. The prefectural government has been dysfunctional for nearly half a year, which is a nuisance to the citizens. If the Article 100 Committee drags on and the current allegations have to be pursued, the prefectural administration will be in chaos for a long time to come.

The new allegations have led to a situation that is quite the opposite of the copy proposed by the president of the PR firm, “Never Stop Hyogo’s Vibrancy! The situation is completely opposite of what the president of the PR firm proposed.

From the December 13-20, 2024 issue of FRIDAY