Saito’s Silence and the PR President’s Comeback
Kaede Orita (left), who worked harder than anyone in the election campaign, and Governor Motozumi Saito of Hyogo Prefecture (from Orita’s note).Paid 715,000 yen.
The confusion surrounding the Hyogo Prefectural Governor’s election (with voting on November 17) seems to have entered a new phase.
On December 2, Professor Hiroyuki Kamiyama of Kobe Gakuin University and lawyer Nobuo Gohara filed a criminal complaint against Governor Motozumi Saito and PR company president Kaede Orita, alleging violations of the Public Offices Election Law (buying and being bought) in connection with the governor’s election.
The issue stemmed from a column Orita posted on note and lawyer Gohara argued:
“There is no doubt that a comprehensive SNS public relations strategy was requested. As payment for that, 715,000 yen was paid under the guise of five items.”
On the other hand,
Governor Saito commented:
“I recognize that I did not violate the Public Offices Election Law. I have asked my lawyer to handle the matter.”
Saito’s side believes the 715,000 yen paid to the PR company was for poster-related expenses.
However, it is unclear how serious the authorities are about the investigation.
Worked harder than anyone to energize and raise excitement.
“The focus will be on the degree of Orita’s involvement, but the investigation will likely take at least a year. Even if charges are brought, the trial will almost certainly be prolonged. If not indicted, it may be brought before the Prosecutorial Review Board for reconsideration. In any case, the Hyogo Prefectural administration will be forced into stagnation. The authorities must be in a difficult position,”
said a legal professional. The key person who knows everything, Orita, continues to remain silent.
On November 25, Takashi Tachibana of the “Party to Protect the People from NHK” discussed Orita’s recent situation in an online discussion with Takafumi Horie:
“She doesn’t realize she’s done anything wrong, and she’s not reflecting on it, which is why she hasn’t deleted her note. She’s been receiving inexplicable attacks and doesn’t know how to respond. (Tachibana) made a YouTube video saying ‘It’s no problem at all,’ and someone reached out saying she was happy about it.”
However, the truth of this remains unclear.
“Tachibana has asserted on X that ‘Gohara’s actions constitute false accusation,’ and he seems to be preparing to file a complaint against Gohara” (National newspaper reporter).
Once the investigation begins, Orita will likely have no choice but to comply with voluntary questioning. A person who closely observed her work on a wide-show in Osaka had this to say:
“People who saw her past SNS posts treated her as a sparkly girl, and the Saito governor’s side even said her work was exaggerated. But from what I saw, she worked hard in the election campaign, energizing the team with a smile. She was also in charge of organizing street speech events. She interacted normally with Governor Saito and his colleagues. Compared to other PR companies, she was definitely better.”
And then continued:
“Looking at her note and previous statements, it’s clear she didn’t have a good understanding of the Public Offices Election Law. But after being criticized so harshly, I wonder if she’s satisfied with it. She’s the type who leads by example and pulls her subordinates along with her. Her subordinates probably won’t stay silent.”
Some media outlets are already attempting to contact Orita and her subordinates. Will the authorities be the ones to open the “Pandora’s box,” or will it be someone else?
