Latest news with #KobeGakuinUniversity
12 hours ago
- Politics
Hyogo Governor Slapped with Criminal Complaint over Info Leak
News from Japan Society Jun 10, 2025 11:00 (JST) Kobe, June 10 (Jiji Press)--A criminal complaint was filed Tuesday against Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito and two others over the leak of private information of a whistleblower in the western Japan 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 Governor 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 of 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. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
3 days ago
- Politics
Japanese Professor Given Ukrainian Award for Humanitarian Efforts
News from Japan World Jun 7, 2025 17:12 (JST) Tokyo, June 7 (Jiji Press)--Kobe Gakuin University professor Yoshihiko Okabe was given the Golden Heart award by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday for making great contributions for humanitarian aid in Ukraine under Russia's invasion. Okabe, an expert on Ukraine issues, and others received the award in an event in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, according to the presidential office. The professor has published several books on Ukraine. He also gives lectures about the country. Last year, Ukraine's Honorary Consulate in Kobe was set up at the university in the western Japan city for cultural and academic exchanges with the country, and Okabe became Ukraine's honorary consul in the city. The other awardees included Veronique Bertholle, deputy mayor of Strasbourg, France, and Marc Cools, president of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Court orders pay in info-disclosure lawsuit over Abenomasks
Plaintiff Hiroshi Kamiwaki, middle, holds a sign claiming victory in a lawsuit against the government at the Osaka District Court on June 5. (Minami Endo) OSAKA—The Osaka District Court on June 5 overturned the majority of the government's decisions on refusing to disclose information concerning its 40-billion-yen ($280 million) 'Abenomask' project. The ruling ordered the government to pay 110,000 yen ($767) in compensation to a constitutional scholar who has been denied information on how the millions of anti-COVID-19 masks were obtained. The government had argued that it discarded procurement information about the mask-distribution project, which was initiated in April 2020 when Shinzo Abe was prime minister. However, the court ruled, 'It is hard to believe that there were no documents even taking into account the busy schedule at the time.' The Abe government delivered cloth masks to every household to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The masks, which became known as Abenomasks, were criticized as too small, defective or dirty, and the project was ridiculed. But then the cost of the project emerged, as well as the waste. The government procured about 300 million cloth masks. However, about 83 million of them ended up stored as inventory. Hiroshi Kamiwaki, a constitutional law professor at Kobe Gakuin University, had demanded information disclosure about the project several times since April 2020. He argued the government 'has an obligation to explain the process to the public because of the huge amount of taxpayer money spent on the contract.' Specifically, he sought details on how the masks were procured as well as the contracting process with the vendors. Although the government provided documents on contract figures and quotations, it said that emails and interview records showing negotiations with the contractors were 'nonexistent.' Kamiwaki filed the lawsuit in February 2021, but the government continued to insist that the emails 'were destroyed each time.' The plaintiff's side then obtained emails from the contractors that indicated they had meetings with government employees about the masks. When the government re-examined the case, it 'found' more than 100 e-mails on the computers of two employees. However, the government refused to disclose these emails, and the two employees testified in court that their communication with the contractors was mostly 'verbal.' Therefore, the issue in the lawsuit became whether the employees' emails were subject to information disclosure laws and whether the government's claims that there were no records of such meetings were credible. The plaintiff argued the emails were related to the government's decision-making process, and that the administrative document management rules do not allow for 'destruction each time.' The plaintiff's side also argued it would be impossible for the government not to keep written records of the contracting process with the vendors. The government countered that the emails were documents with a 'retention period of less than one year' that could be disposed of without any problem. Thus, the government said, the emails were not subject to information disclosure laws. The government also argued it is obligated to produce documents only 'when it affects policymaking or project implementation policies.' The absence of meetings' records is not unnatural, it said, and requested that the compensation request be dismissed. After the ruling, the health ministry said, 'We would like to take appropriate action after fully examining the content of the court decision and consulting with the relevant ministries and agencies.'
The Mainichi
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Japan minister 'disqualified' for job over rice gift gaffe, but no legal breach: expert
TOKYO -- Consumers feeling the pain of rising rice prices in Japan are voicing anger at agriculture minister Taku Eto over recent remarks that included the comment, "My supporters give me plenty of rice, so I have enough to sell." One expert said that if Eto does not understand the pain of most people, it disqualifies him from his role as minister. Eto, who was speaking publicly in the southwestern Japan city of Saga on May 18, apologized and retracted the comment the next evening, saying he had "greatly exaggerated." Yet, the question has arisen as to whether politicians could face legal action if they receive rice from supporters. Eto made the comments during a lecture at the "Saga political and economic seminar," which followed the ruling coalition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s Saga Prefecture chapter convention. After mentioning that brown rice is "more nutritious than polished rice," he said, "I have never bought rice myself," and continued, "It's also a lot of work to receive rice. Sometimes there are even stones mixed in it." The next day, Eto explained that he had wanted to encourage people to "buy brown rice, polish it, and enjoy eating it," because reserve stocks are sometimes sold as brown rice. However, Eto also noted that his wife told him, "It's not as if we cover all our needs with what's given to us," and he did not deny receiving rice from supporters. The Political Funds Control Act requires political organizations to record and disclose the receipt and expenditure of political funds in their reports. The question is whether rice could constitute "political funds." Hiroshi Kamiwaki, a professor at Kobe Gakuin University and an expert on the Political Funds Control Act, stated that rice was most likely received privately, and he believes it would not constitute political funds. If a politician were to receive large quantities of rice from a specific individual or company, it could be viewed as a bribe depending on the content of their duties as agriculture minister or the timing of the gift. Still, Kamiwaki noted, "If rice was given by a rice dealer, it could raise suspicion, but I think it would be regarded as (an issue of) whether it's a matter of political ethics." Kamiwaki also criticized Eto's words and actions as careless in light of "ministerial norms" which forbid acts that invite the people's distrust through close business ties: "There's no penalty, but this involves political responsibility, and he should not have received rice from supporters." Touching upon the issue of rising consumer prices of late, Kamiwaki concluded, "Eto's statement is honest in a sense, but he does not understand the lives of the common people. If he does not understand the pain of the majority of the people, it disqualifies him as a minister."
Japan Times
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Chinese professor returns to Japan after going missing in China
A Chinese professor of Kobe Gakuin University in Hyogo Prefecture returned to Japan in January after going missing during his temporary stay in China, university officials said Friday. It is not known whether Hu Shiyun, who went missing after entering China in summer 2023, had been detained by Chinese authorities. According to the university, Hu's family was unable to contact the professor after he returned temporarily to the country, but he came back to Japan on Jan. 24. He has not told the university side anything about why he went missing, but there is no problem with his health. The university has not decided whether he will give lectures in the term starting in April. Born in Jiangsu Province in eastern China, Hu started working at the university in 2015, teaching classical Chinese literature. Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration has prioritized national security, strengthening surveillance activities on foreigners and Chinese citizens linked to foreign countries. In July 2023, the government enacted a revised anti-espionage law to enlarge the definition of espionage, expanding concerns over arbitrary interpretations and application of the law due to its vague provisions.
