【Whispers of Society】Part 1: What is the Essence of the Problem?
I am a grandpa who supports the Gen Z cheering squad and the future generation!
Well, regarding Hyogo Prefecture Governor Saito there is still an ongoing battle between the media, who desperately want to force Saito to resign, and Saito, who will not budge an inch, citing the fact that he was elected by the people.
The final report from the third-party investigation committee regarding the leak of confidential information was released on May 27th, and things are heating up again.
Rather than waiting for this series of third-party committee reports, the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly had all its members vote in favor of a no-confidence motion against the governor, forcing him out of office and giving Governor Saito the opportunity to ask for the trust of the prefectural citizens in an election before the report was even released. I believe it is the assembly's response that deserves to be criticized, but what do you think?
Ultimately, while the truth or falsehood of the whistleblowing allegations remained unknown, the accused parties themselves claimed they knew the truth, labeling it a defamatory smear document. Governor Saito, who insisted that the governor's side's actions of hunting for the culprit and imposing disciplinary action were appropriate, and the media, who argue that even if it is a smear document, searching for the whistleblower is illegal, are continuing their standoff.
That is the point of contention, but because the governor was forced out of office so quickly, and the image of it being a smear document aimed at overthrowing the government through information leakage was established, the essence of the problem (the importance of whistleblower protection) seems to have become blurred.
Let's evaluate this calmly.
Investigation Report by the Third-Party Investigation Committee on Document Issues, dated March 19, 2025 Analysis
First, here are the investigation results regarding the truth or falsehood of the whistleblower document sent to the media by the former Nishiharima Prefectural Bureau Chief who blew the whistle on Governor Saito, and the illegality of the prefectural side's actions in light of the Whistleblower Protection Act.
Let's look at the factual findings.
Allegation 1) Investigation results of the 21st Century Association
Regarding the point that the prefectural side's actions concerning personnel at the 21st Century Association shortened Mr. Iwakita's life, there is no evidence to support a causal relationship with his death, and it is unknown.
Allegation 2) Investigation results of the 2021 gubernatorial election
It cannot be said that they were appointed to key positions such as the New Prefectural Administration Promotion Office after Governor Saito took office, so it was not recognized that this document points to personnel appointments as rewards for merit for supporting Governor Saito in the 2021 gubernatorial election.
Allegation 3) Investigation results of voting requests for the next gubernatorial election
It was not possible to confirm the fact that Governor Saito and others visited chambers of commerce and industry throughout Hyogo Prefecture ahead of the Hyogo gubernatorial election scheduled for 2025, as pointed out in this document, and requested votes for Governor Saito in said election.
Allegation 4) Investigation results of gifts
There are no facts that can be evaluated as bribery, and the facts 1-4 exemplified in this document are all gifts or loans for use to Hyogo Prefecture, not gifts to Governor Saito personally. It is generally true that Governor Saito alone took home many agricultural products and food-related specialty items, but for each individual case, it cannot be said that it is clear that it exceeded the scope of social etiquette, and
it cannot be concluded that it was due to greed as pointed out in this document, and the facts that souvenirs were mandatory, that he made the destination pay for meals, or that the reason he likes business trips is for food and souvenirs could not be confirmed.
Allegation 5) Investigation results of political funding parties
No facts were found regarding the matters pointed out in the document's section on self-construction, and there was no basis for criticism that there were illegal acts or unfair provision of benefits in connection with requests to purchase party tickets.
Allegation 6) Investigation results of the professional baseball team championship parade
1. Relationship between the parade's sponsorship money and the subsidy in question
No testimony or the like was found suggesting that former Vice Governor Katayama notified each credit union that the budget for the subsidy in question would be increased when requesting contributions for sponsorship money. (Omitted) Therefore,
no relationship of "kickbacks" or "quid pro quo" was recognized between the sponsorship money for the parade and the subsidy in question. 2. Regarding the issue of the staff in charge of the parade It was not recognized that the
staff mentioned in this document were involved in "illegal acts." 3. Others: This document points out that there was favoritism toward companies other than credit unions regarding the sponsorship money for the parade, but no such facts were recognized.
Allegation 7) Investigation results of power harassment, inappropriate behavior, etc.
Out of the 7 allegations above, several facts were recognized as "O" (true) regarding power harassment involving severe reprimands.
However, speaking only from the truth or falsehood of the 7 allegations, I can understand Governor Saito's feelings of wanting to say it is "a pack of lies" and "defamation."
I do not know what kind of person Mr. Saito is, but the “weakness in tolerating criticism and lack of composure, stemming from a lack of communication” pointed out by the third-party investigation committee seems to be one of the reasons why the problem has not subsided even after so much time has passed.
If you ask me if Mr. Saito is a villain, I do not think so.
Taking over from former Governor Ido, who served for 20 years, Governor Saito is, I believe, a talented governor with excellent cognitive abilities who has a strong desire to reform the prefectural government and a strong desire to conduct politics for the sake of the citizens.
However, as noted in the fact that when he established the New Prefectural Government Promotion Office after taking office, he appointed young members mainly from his previous acquaintances and did not appoint a single department head from the main office, one can also read that he has a side that lacks a bit of the non-cognitive ability to consider the feelings of staff members who have worked hard from the past.
In a private company, corporate governance would control the runaway behavior of such a talented governor, but because of the strength of the power held by the head of a local government, it can be read that the discord with senior staff members was amplified.
Such a lack of communication also seems to have been a cause that induced the whistleblowing.
However, with this whistleblowing, another important point is the perspective of whistleblower protection if the whistleblowing is considered public interest reporting. Regarding that, there is a point about it being “illegal.”
The third-party investigation committee has certified that the act of creating and distributing the document in question falls under Category 3 reporting regarding its status as public interest reporting. has done so.
In that case, the fact that Governor Saito and Vice Governor Katayama, who were the parties involved, directed the investigation and were involved in the disciplinary action decision process is evaluated as “extremely unjust.”
Also, regarding the email investigation and the interviews with the former Nishi-Harima Prefectural Bureau Chief and others, it is evaluated as “illegal,” and the act of seizing the official computer is also evaluated as “illegal,” and the disciplinary action taken against the former Nishi-Harima Prefectural Bureau Chief is evaluated as “illegal and invalid.”
“Have you never driven at 45 km/h in a 40 km/h zone? That is illegal.” “Have you never ridden a bicycle on the right side of the road? That is illegal.”
There are also voices defending Governor Saito with the sophistry that “just because it is illegal, if there is no penalty certification, it is not an important illegal act that warrants immediate resignation,” and the conflict between the pro-Saito and anti-Saito factions continues.
What complicated this problem was that the former Nishi-Harima Prefectural Bureau Chief was using an official computer to record and save private information.
When the argument is shifted to whether it is permissible for a public servant to do such a thing during official working hours, the illegality of that is highlighted, and it has planted the impression as if the old media is hiding an illegal purpose (spreading rumors for the purpose of overthrowing the government).
And the fact that that personal information was spread on social media also became the cause of a storm of slander and defamation.
Who leaked the information from the official computer was investigated by the third-party investigation committee, and the final report was published on May 27.
Let's confirm that tomorrow.
Thank you for reading to the end.
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