Hyogo governor slapped with criminal complaint over information leak
A criminal complaint was filed Tuesday against Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito and two others over the leak of private information relating to a whistleblower in the prefecture.
Kobe Gakuin University professor Hiroshi Kamiwaki filed the complaint with the Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office, alleging violations of the confidentiality duty under the local public service law. The complaint also targeted former Vice Gov. Yasutaka Katayama and Chiaki Inomoto, former head of the prefecture's general affairs department.
According to the complaint, Inomoto showed three prefectural assembly members in April 2024 a printed copy of the private information, which had been stored on a computer for official use. The information was regarding a former senior prefectural government official who wrote and distributed a document alleging harassment by Saito, and who died in an apparent suicide July that year.
Saito instructed Inomoto to inform the assembly members of the private information, while Katayama approved the leak after hearing from Inomoto about Saito's order, according to the complaint.
A third-party investigative committee set up by the prefecture said in a report May 27 this year that Inomoto leaked the private information, likely at the instruction of Saito and Katayama.
The committee found that there is a "certain persuasiveness" to the assembly member side's belief that the leak was likely aimed at weakening the credibility of the harassment allegation by casting doubt on the whistleblower's character.
Saito has denied his involvement, saying he never ordered the leak. He said the prefecture will not seek criminal charges over the matter.
The governor is subject to a separate criminal complaint, which alleges that he paid a public relations company for campaigning activities in the Hyogo gubernatorial election last November. Prefectural police and Kobe prosecutors raided sites linked to the company in February this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Japan enacts law to gradually boost teachers' pay
Parliament enacted a bill Wednesday to raise in stages what is called adjustment allowances for public school teachers to 10% of base salaries from the current 4%. The revised special measures law on teachers' salaries was approved by a majority vote in a plenary meeting of the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of parliament, after its passage through the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, last month. Following the revision, the adjustment allowances, given instead of overtime pay, will be raised by 1 percentage point annually from next year until it reaches 10% in 2031. The revision also requires all prefectural and municipal boards of education to draw up and publish plans to manage teachers' workloads, in a bid to resolve the worsening problem of long working hours. During Lower House deliberations. the bill, originally submitted by the government, was amended as agreed among ruling and opposition parties, namely the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Democratic Party for the People. As part of the amendment, a target to cut teachers' average monthly overtime by around 30% to 30 hours was added as a supplementary provision. The bill also seeks government support for teachers to deal with parents who make unreasonable demands. During parliamentary debates, however, some lawmakers called for a more drastic change to the law, saying that the supplementary provision would not eliminate the cause of long working hours as teachers are not paid according to hours worked overtime. The CDP, which jointly submitted the amended bill in the Lower House, argued for a further review of the law in deliberations at the Upper House education committee, saying, "This revision provides a path to a new revision."
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Survey finds nearly 70% of people in Japan trust mass media
Nearly 70% of people in Japan trust mass media such as television, newspaper and radio to report news accurately, a survey by news distribution app operator SmartNews showed Tuesday. A combined 68.7% were very or moderately trustful of mass media, little changed from 68.2% in the previous 2023 poll, according to the latest survey. Meanwhile, 6.7% said they do not trust mass media at all. The postal survey was conducted by the company's in-house think tank between January and March this year, covering 4,460 people between the ages of 18 and 79. Valid responses were provided by 2,117 people. The survey also showed that 46.5% picked television as their most frequently used source of information on elections and politics. Internet news sites or apps were selected by 17.8%, exceeding traditional forms of newspapers and magazines, chosen by 16.0%. Social media was selected by 10.9%. "It appears that a majority of people do not necessarily link trust in mass media as a whole to criticism about mass media over Fuji Television Network's handling of an alleged sexual assault by a former TV star, as well as over some gubernatorial elections," said Doshisha University professor Kenichi Ikeda, who analyzed the survey results.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
CDPJ to Decide on No-Confidence Motion Next Week; Some Fear Such a Move Could Derail Tariff Talks
The Yomiuri Shimbun Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda explains the party's campaign pledges for the House of Councillors election in the Diet on Tuesday. Opinions are growing within the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan against submitting a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for the time being, with CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda saying the party will decide whether to do so next week. Behind such opinions is concern that submitting the motion amid the ongoing tariff negotiations with the United States could create a political vacuum, potentially shifting public criticism toward the CDPJ itself. Noda plans to make a final decision on the motion after considering his one-on-one debate with Ishiba in the Diet on Wednesday and the Japan-U.S. summit meeting to be held in connection with the Group of Seven summit scheduled for Sunday through Tuesday in Canada. On Tuesday, Noda told reporters in Tokyo that his party would 'make a comprehensive decision at the appropriate time' regarding the no-confidence motion. At a subsequent press conference, he said the party will decide whether to submit a no-confidence motion 'next week.' In the present circumstances of a minority government, a united opposition could pass a no-confidence motion, forcing the prime minister to choose between having his Cabinet resign en masse or dissolving the House of Representatives and thereby triggering a general election. The latter scenario raises the possibility of a 'double election,' with simultaneous lower house and House of Councillors elections in summer. While some within the CDPJ favor a no-confidence motion as a way to to clearly demonstrate a confrontational stance against the government and ruling parties, voices arguing against it are also growing. Former CDPJ leader Yukio Edano said, 'Dissolving [the lower house] now would be highly problematic from the perspective of national interests.' Should a dissolution create a political vacuum, it would inevitably stall crucial tariff negotiations that impact the domestic economy, potentially leading to a backlash against the CDPJ for spearheading the no-confidence motion. Furthermore, a double election would pose financial challenges for the CDPJ, with some candidly admitting that the party is in 'a tough financial situation.' For the no-confidence motion to pass, the support of other opposition parties, such as the Japan Innovation Party and the Democratic Party for the People, is necessary. However, their stances remain uncertain. A senior CDPJ executive expressed concern, saying, 'They might oppose or abstain, pulling the ladder our from under us.'
