The “allegation that the Emperor’s absence was forced on former Kishiwada City Mayor Kohei Nagano, who is in the middle of a controversy, was forced to attend an event next to the Emperor.

Suspicious documents were circulated.

The turmoil in Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture, caused by the “woman problem” of former mayor Kohei Nagano (46), continues to this day, and is reportedly affecting a national event that has been a long-held dream for the prefectural government’s fisheries business.

The “National Conference for the Development of an Abundantly Rich Sea” is the largest maritime welcoming event in Japan, and will be attended by the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Next year, the event will be held in Osaka for the first time, and Kishiwada City is the site of the event . The following is the content of the “suspicious document” obtained by Friday Digital.

Did you know that Osaka Prefecture has requested that the mayor of Kishiwada City decline to attend the “National Conference for the Development of the Sea of Plenty” to be held in 2014? On December 17, 2024, the Director of the Environment, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department of the Osaka Prefectural Government made a request to Kishiwada City.

The Osaka Prefectural Government should not have requested that Kishiwada City withdraw the mayor’s attendance. （There are also rumors that this was not the sole decision of the department head, but was orchestrated by Osaka Restoration Association member Masaomi Maeda and Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura. (omitted) In any case, we feel that there is a serious confusion between public and private matters. I think it would be disrespectful to His Majesty the Emperor to exclude the local leaders from the meeting on such grounds.

It is said that “Osaka Prefecture has asked former Kishiwada Mayor Nagano, who has caused a stir with allegations of adultery and sexual misconduct, to withdraw from the event.

The National Conference for the Development of an Abundant Sea is jointly organized by Osaka Prefecture, Kishiwada City, Izumisano City, and the Osaka Prefecture Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations (hereinafter referred to as “Fisheries Federation”). If the city officials were to accuse Kishiwada City of coercion in withdrawing from the event, it would not be something that could be tolerated.

Was there “pressure” from Osaka Prefecture? Friday Digital conducted an in-depth interview in Kishiwada. A city government official in Kishiwada opened his mouth with the following comment.

I heard that on a certain date in December, the head of the fishermen’s union requested a meeting with Governor Yoshimura to discuss Mayor Nagano’s attendance. In fact, the director of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department of the Osaka Prefectural Government approached the mayor to make an appointment. The mayor has accepted Osaka Prefecture’s request that he withdraw from the meeting, and talks are proceeding in the direction of having a staff member attend on his behalf.

An official of the Osaka Prefectural Fisheries Federation explained the background of the “suspicious letter.

The Osaka Prefectural Fisheries Federation has been working for more than 20 years to invite the National Conference for the Development of an Abundant Sea to be held in Osaka. And just as they were finally able to hold the event, a scandal broke out involving the mayor of Kishiwada City. The executives of the fishermen’s federation were not amused and were furious, saying, ‘It is morally unthinkable to have such a person in front of His Majesty the Emperor.

Former Mayor Nagano could not hide his anger at the “mixing of public and private”.

We interviewed former Mayor Nagano to find out what he had to say about the matter.

–Is it true that Osaka Prefecture asked you to withdraw from the National Conference for the Development of an Abundant Sea?

It is true. The director of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department of the Osaka Prefectural Government came to the mayor’s office for a one-on-one discussion. He asked me not only to attend the conference itself, but also all the meetings of the executive committee. Right from the preliminary stages, he said, ‘I want a substitute.'”

–What was the reason for the request?

No reason was given, just ‘please be absent. They just asked me to “voluntarily” not attend the meeting. I just said, ‘Yes, I understand. I simply said, ‘Yes, I understand. The prefectural governor is the chairman of the executive committee, and Osaka Prefecture told him to do so. I cannot for the life of me believe that the Osaka Prefecture’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Division asked me to withdraw on its own.

–How do you view his decision to withdraw?

My honest impression is that they are probably expressing their personal feelings toward me. There must be people who would not be amused if I attended. I don’t think there is any reason other than personal feelings. To tell an elected mayor not to attend is a grandiose mix of public and private.”

When we again contacted the Osaka Prefectural Government’s Environment, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department, they stated , “It is true that the department head and the mayor had a meeting and asked the mayor to withdraw,” and gave the following explanation as to the reason for their decision.

He explained, “At the time, there were various newspaper reports against the mayor, and there were concerns from various quarters. In light of these concerns, I explained in the form of a question as to whether it would be appropriate for the mayor to participate in the meeting at this time. We asked for his participation in order to facilitate the smooth functioning of the committee meeting, based on our overall judgment.

He strongly denied the involvement of the prefectural governor or prefectural assembly members as described in the “suspicious document.

The Osaka prefectural government’s Environment, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Department made the decision on its own. That is why the director of the department approached me. If the governor were to refer to it in his capacity as governor, it might be considered authoritative, but we do not believe that the prefectural government is showing superiority over Kishiwada City, and we are proceeding in an appropriate manner.

Since Mayor Nagano lost his post after two no-confidence motions, Kishiwada is set to hold a mayoral election on April 6. The series of disturbances in Kishiwada shows no sign of abating.