Governor Saito Under Fire, Refuses Criminal Action in Info Leak Scandal — Is His Iron Will Finally Cracking?

The information leak was carried out under Governor Saitō’s instructions

Although national news coverage has decreased, the YouTube community remains abuzz with videos about Hyōgo Governor Motohiko Saitō (47) and the leader of the “NHK Party,” Takashi Tachibana (57), and there are no signs that the confusion in Hyōgo Prefecture is settling down. However, there has now been a new development—

On May 27, regarding the issue surrounding the complaint document against Governor Saitō, the prefecture’s third-party investigative committee, which had been looking into the leak of personal information about a former Civil Affairs Bureau chief, announced its findings. The committee concluded that the former General Affairs Department head leaked the information to a prefectural assembly member and stated that there was a high possibility the leak was carried out under the direction of Governor Saitō and others. In response, the prefectural government issued a three-month suspension from duty as a disciplinary action against the former General Affairs Department head. Meanwhile, Governor Saitō stated:

“My understanding is that I did not give any instructions related to the leak whatsoever,”

thus once again denying the claims made by the third-party committee. Regarding any disciplinary action against himself, he said:

“I’d like to consider measures, including a pay cut,”

indicating his intent to bring the matter to a close.

To briefly review the sequence of events: it all began in March of last year, when the former Civil Affairs Bureau chief sent documents accusing Governor Saitō of power harassment and other misconduct to the media.

This was later recognized as whistleblowing in the public interest, but the governor immediately began a search for the whistleblower and imposed disciplinary action on the former bureau chief.

This drew criticism and was picked up by the media, which intensified coverage. As a result, a no-confidence motion was unanimously passed by the prefectural assembly, and Governor Saitō was removed from office. A special investigative committee (Article 100 committee) had been set up to look into the matter, but the submission of the no-confidence motion before the investigation was complete became a major issue.

Although Governor Saitō lost his position, he was re-elected in the election held in November of last year and returned to office.

In that gubernatorial election, Takashi Tachibana, leader of the “Party to Protect the People from NHK” (now the NHK Party), also ran. However, he claimed he had no intention of being elected and ran in order to reveal the truth. In reality, his true purpose was to support Governor Saitō—a so-called double horsepower campaign.

Motohiko Saito People’s Republic of Japan

During the election campaign, Mr. Tachibana aggressively spread information—some of it unverifiable or potentially false—in a way that clearly favored Mr. Saitō. This strategy contributed to Mr. Saitō’s successful re-election.

One of the pieces of questionable information that Mr. Tachibana spread was the private information of the former Civil Affairs Bureau chief, which has now become the center of the current controversy.

After the election, the special investigative committee (Article 100 Committee) concluded that the governor’s power harassment, as outlined in the whistleblower document, “contained elements of fact.” The third-party investigative committee also ruled that the document sent externally constituted whistleblowing in the public interest, and that the search for the whistleblower was illegal. It determined that the disciplinary action against the former bureau chief was inappropriate. However, the governor has entirely refused to accept these findings.

In his weekly press conferences, even when reporters from TV and newspapers point out illegal conduct, Governor Saitō simply repeats the same phrase like a broken tape recorder: “I take this seriously.”

This situation has continued for over three months.

Due to the severity of the situation, national lawmakers have started addressing it in the Diet (parliament). In addition, the Consumer Affairs Agency—which oversees the Whistleblower Protection Act—sent an email to Governor Saitō pointing out that his stance “differs from the official government interpretation.” Nonetheless, when questioned by reporters during his regular press briefing, he replied:

“I understand the email as general legal advice.”

Despite the national government essentially saying, “You are wrong,” he simply interpreted it as a suggestion. One can’t help but question his sense of judgment. And even in response to that, he repeated, “I take it seriously.” His expression rarely changes. One prefectural assembly member commented:

“His mental fortitude might go beyond steel—it’s like a superalloy.”

Governor Saitō’s insistence—”This is what the law says, but I have a different opinion”—has left many astonished. As the head of a local government who refuses to acknowledge national laws, he’s even been mocked on social media as running “The People’s Republic of Motohiko Saitō” in Hyōgo Prefecture.

Amid this abnormal situation, over 40% of the new hires for this fiscal year at the Hyōgo Prefectural Government have declined their offers. Moreover, the number of resigning employees is also increasing (according to Jiji.com, published April 9).

This punishment is far too lenient

It’s clear that Governor Motohiko Saitō is cornered and that resigning would be the reasonable course of action, yet he shows no intention of stepping down. In that case, a second no-confidence motion seems to be the only option—but there’s no sign of such a move from the prefectural assembly. According to a local TV reporter:

“The public mandate may be distorted, but he was re-elected with 1.1 million votes, so it’s not easy to push forward another no-confidence resolution. And if a second one passes, the assembly would be dissolved, triggering an election that could cost over 2 billion yen. That financial burden is likely what’s holding things back.”

Although many experts on YouTube are addressing the Hyōgo Prefecture issue, political commentators have largely avoided the topic. So we asked political analyst Harumi Arima for his thoughts:

“No matter what conclusions are drawn, Governor Saitō keeps repeating, ‘That is not my understanding.’ Even when others tell him, ‘Public opinion says otherwise,’ it just goes around in circles.

I believe that people in leadership positions are there to work for the happiness of citizens, not to protect their own status. But as things stand, there are no penalties, so this may all end without consequence. I don’t think Governor Saitō will resign.

That’s what I thought until recently. But now, the former General Affairs Department head has been suspended for three months. Although Governor Saitō has not admitted any involvement, he did mention taking responsibility for the confusion by proposing a pay cut—submitting an ordinance to increase the current 30% cut to 50% for July through September.

‘Someone died as a result of this information leak, and yet this punishment is far too lenient’—this sentiment is beginning to stir public outcry. Citizens are starting to organize and demand accountability. At this point, the only remaining path is for residents to take legal action, and I think that possibility is becoming more likely.”

True to those words, the situation is beginning to shift.

“Because Governor Saitō and the former General Affairs Department head have conflicting accounts about the information leak, the secretary-generals of the LDP, Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), and Komeito in the prefectural assembly met and concluded that it’s necessary to pursue a criminal complaint against the former department head for violating the Local Public Service Act. They have submitted a formal request to the prefectural government. Governor Saitō, however, stated in a press conference on the 4th that he has no intention of filing criminal charges. Still, it’s hard to believe this will be the end of it.” (Local newspaper reporter)

So—what lies ahead for Governor Motohiko Saitō?