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.