[Toda City Council] Attended a Compliance Training for Council Members | Lessons on Political Ethics, Harassment, and SNS Communication | Toda City, Saitama Prefecture

A training session on "Compliance for Council Members" was held at the Toda City Council. I will introduce what I learned regarding the rules that council members must follow, including political ethics, harassment prevention, and social media usage.

Hello. I am Souko Miyauchi, a Toda City Council member.

October 14, 2025, I attended the Toda City Council Special Committee on Urban Development and Traffic Measures in the morning, and participated in the Toda City Council Member Training Session in the afternoon.

The theme for this session was,

"Compliance (Legal Adherence and Ethics) for Council Members"

as the subject.

We welcomed attorney Masayuki Ota as our lecturer, and I gained many insights regarding political ethics essential for council activities, how to interact with city staff, handling citizen inquiries, and disseminating information via social media.

What is the "compliance" required of council members?

City council members are entrusted by the citizens through elections and act as their representatives.

Therefore, while delivering the voices of citizens to the administration is an important mission, at the same time,

is also an indispensable responsibility as a council member.

In the training, we learned about the importance of "compliance" based on various cases that council members face in their daily activities.

Regarding political ethics and harassment

In the training, we covered topics such as,

• unjust demands

• influence peddling

• power harassment

• customer harassment

• citizen correspondence

There were specific explanations regarding cases that could actually occur, among other things.

Council members carry out their work while interacting with many people, including citizens and administrative staff.

That is precisely why it is required to remain calm and act with respect for others in any situation.

Are you familiar with the term "vote harassment"?

One of the themes that left an impression on me during this training was

"vote harassment"

.

For example,

Acts like these, where unreasonable demands or pressure are applied based on the fact that someone voted or their intention to vote, are called "vote harassment."

While it is important for council members to take the voices of citizens seriously, on the other hand, all decisions must be made based on laws, public interest, and fairness.

Therefore, there is a responsibility to make decisions while considering the interests of the entire city, not just individual interests.

Responsible behavior is also required for information dissemination on social media.

In the training, I also learned about disseminating information on social media.

Currently, many council members use social media to share their activities.

I myself post about municipal administration and local activities daily, but

I felt this once again.

The content of the posts,

• Defamation

• Human rights violations

• Misleading expressions

Are these being avoided?

Is the fact-checking sufficient?

Are the expressions used hurtful to others?

I learned that it is important to always maintain an objective perspective and be cautious when communicating.

To be a council member worthy of citizens' trust

In my activities as a council member, I receive various consultations and opinions every day.

While it is essential to address each one sincerely,

at the same time,

is also an important responsibility as a council member.

Through this training, I reaffirmed the importance of compliance and political ethics, and it was a good opportunity to reflect on my own actions and communications.

Applying these lessons to future council activities

To continue meeting the trust placed in me by the citizens, a stance of continuous daily learning is indispensable.

I will firmly apply what I have learned to my future council activities, focusing on:

• Fairness

• Transparency

• Sincere response

While valuing these principles, I intend to continue being a council member who earns the trust of all citizens.

Moving forward, I will continue to carefully listen to the voices of the citizens and strive for responsible legislative activities.

Hashtags

#TodaCity #TodaCitySaitama #TodaCityCouncil #MemberTraining #Compliance #PoliticalEthics #VoteHarassment #VoteHara #HarassmentPrevention #LocalAssembly #LegislativeActivities #InformationDissemination #SoukoMiyauchi