Are you trying to steal my show? The “stubborn face” of Mayor Akira Ogawa of Maebashi City and his “surprisingly thorough arrangements” with the staffers in the whirlpool.

Too much self-aggrandizement and upward mobility.

I will take it all in stride. ……

The fact that Maebashi Mayor Akira Ogawa (42) had been having “secret meetings” with his subordinate, a married city official, more than 10 times at a love hotel has come to light. Although he has continued to insist since the revelation that the secret meetings were not between a man and a woman, the issue has developed to the point that on the afternoon of October 3, all ten city council factions submitted a “petition for the mayor’s resignation” demanding that he make a decision on his resignation immediately. Mayor Ogawa received the letter with a stern expression and cryptic words, but since then, no words have been heard from the mayor himself to clarify his decision on whether or not to proceed.

The criticism is not limited to the substantive “demands for his resignation” from the various factions of the City Council. The city has been inundated with calls to the mayor with complaints and comments. “Resign!” As of February 2, the number of such calls exceeded 5,000. The burden on city employees is increasing, and the aftermath of this issue is spreading to such an extent that it is affecting their work.

Some have said they are amazed at the mental strength of Mayor Ogawa, who has remained committed to his mayoralty in the face of mounting protests from many quarters,” said a local newspaper reporter.

A reporter for a local newspaper in charge of the city government said, “Certainly, looking at the situation, there is a lot of criticism of the mayor. Certainly, looking at the situation, Mayor Ogawa’s love affair with his position of power, despite the criticism, stands out. However, an acquaintance of 10 years disagrees. According to him, “From what I’ve seen of her up to now, I don’t think it’s strange at all.

Normally, when she admits the fact that she stayed at a love hotel with a subordinate staff member, she is out. She thinks she can get away with it by explaining that it was ‘not between a man and a woman. To put it nicely, she must have a strong mentality, but that is not all. I feel that his desire for self-expression and upward mobility is also unusually strong.

I learned from senior council members from the mayor’s time as a prefectural assembly member that in September 2011, immediately after she was first elected to the prefectural assembly, she raised the issue of then Governor Masaaki Osawa’s “taking mistresses into the governor’s office building” as a question. A weekly magazine report revealed that the governor was using the governor’s official residence as a love hotel. Veteran legislators found it difficult to ask questions, so the burden was turned to her. Since she was only 28 years old at the time, those around her were considerate and urged her to consider other topics, but she strongly objected, saying, “Are you trying to steal my show? but she strongly objected, saying, “Are you trying to take away my show?

Did she want to sell her name or just show off? …… In the questioning, the governor was sharp and pointed, saying, “We have received a request from the New Japan Women’s Association Gunma headquarters and others demanding that the truth be revealed,” and “What is the governor’s response? What does the governor think about it?

He had an “acquaintance’s lawyer” meet with the staff member in the middle of the whirlpool. ……

It can be said that what Mayor Ogawa said at that time has now come back to him as a boomerang. In addition, this magazine obtained the following new testimony about Mayor Ogawa.

In June ’24, Mayor Ogawa, who had just been elected mayor in February of that year, attended a lecture by an obstetrician/gynecologist as part of Maebashi’s gender equality project. Along with infertility and uterine cancer, contraception and the pill were among the topics discussed, and when the lecturer asked the participants if they were using the pill, Mayor Ogawa raised his hand. When the lecturer asked the participants if they were on the pill, Mayor Ogawa raised his hand as well. There was no deep meaning behind it, but I remember feeling that he was an assertive person,” said one of the attendees.

On October 2, Mayor Ogawa held a second briefing for city council members. This meeting was also led by Mayor Ogawa. A city council member said, “One person attended the meeting at the request of Mayor Ogawa.

Surprisingly, the lawyer who attended the meeting was the attorney for the couple of executives who are in the middle of the controversy. When he contacted Mayor Ogawa in response to the uproar, the mayor told him, ‘I’m worried because I can’t get in touch with them and I don’t know how they’re doing. He met with the executive staff couple and told them something to the effect that he had received the request …… through that process.

This surprised me. It was as if the mayor acted as an intermediary for the lawyer. Normally, the two sides would have been on opposite sides. By having a lawyer who is acquainted with the couple represent them, the employees were not able to make their own decisions or say what they wanted to say. It appears as if they were enclosed in such a position. It has also been reported that a senior staff member submitted a letter of resignation, but it was not accepted.

In his second press conference, Mayor Ogawa explained that the demotion of this executive employee was “an action based on the city’s voluntary demotion system. On the other hand, he also said that he stated, “10-0, it is my responsibility. What on earth is the truth–not only his departure, but also his accountability to the citizens is being questioned more and more.