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The Mainichi
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Editorial: Hyogo governor must quit over role in whistleblower personal info leak
A third-party panel investigating leaked personal information about a former local official who had accused Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito of alleged power harassment has concluded that the governor himself likely instructed the disclosure. If true, such behavior is utterly unacceptable. A governor involved in these acts would be fundamentally unfit for public office. When prefectural authorities were trying to track down the whistleblower, the former head of the Nishiharima District Administration Office, they searched his work computer and uncovered files containing his private information. According to the third-party committee's investigation report, in April 2024, the former head of the prefecture's general affairs department notified the governor about the contents of this private information and then shared it with three prefectural assembly members. The former general affairs chief, a close aide to the governor, initially denied even meeting with the assembly members but later reversed his stance during the investigation. He submitted a written explanation to the third-party panel in February this year, admitting to the leak. He also reportedly claimed that the disclosure was "a legitimate task," carried out under orders from Saito and others. The prefectural government had earlier filed a criminal complaint with prefectural police regarding this leak, alleging a violation of confidentiality obligations under the Local Public Service Act, despite not naming a suspect at the time. With these findings, serious suspicion now centers on the governor himself instructing illegal acts committed by his former aide. In statements to the third-party investigators, Gov. Saito denied giving instructions, claiming, "I understood that the former general affairs chief shared information with assembly members, based entirely on his own judgment." Even after the publication of the third-party panel's report, the governor told reporters, "My understanding hasn't changed: I did not instruct the leak." However, according to the report, multiple senior officials, including a former vice governor, testified that Gov. Saito had directly ordered them to share private information with assembly members. If the governor continues to deny these allegations, he must provide a credible explanation. Prefectural Assembly members shown the personal information reportedly believed its purpose was "to raise doubts about the character of the former (Nishiharima) office chief and discredit his whistleblower accusations." The governor himself told the media that the whistleblower's work computer contained ethically inappropriate documents, indicating a deliberate attempt to publicly disclose the victim's personal information to damage his credibility. The former office chief was disciplined in connection with his accusations, being penalized on grounds that his written allegations amounted to defamation. He subsequently died in July 2024 in an apparent suicide. It is plausible the disclosure of his private information pushed the Nishiharima office chief toward suicide. Furthermore, a then Hyogo Prefectural Assembly member investigating allegations involving the governor also faced defamation and later died. No further excuses must be permitted on this matter. Gov. Saito must take responsibility and resign immediately.
The Mainichi
28-05-2025
- The Mainichi
Japan elementary school teacher sacked for allegedly possessing 500 child porn videos
SAGA -- A 37-year-old teacher at an elementary school in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, was handed disciplinary dismissal May 27 for allegedly possessing about 500 child pornography videos, the prefectural education board announced the same day. The education board determined that the teacher's action constituted discreditable conduct stipulated in the Local Public Service Act. According to the board, the teacher had received videos from multiple individuals he met on social media since around January 2024. He also distributed videos to multiple people, although none were reportedly self-produced. The issue came to light when he reported to the school that he had been questioned by the police. He was quoted as saying, "I sincerely apologize to the children and guardians who were hurt by my inappropriate actions." This is apparently the first disciplinary action related to child porn in the prefecture in at least the past five years. (Japanese original by Takaharu Nishi, Saga Bureau)
The Mainichi
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Editorial: Hyogo Pref.'s criminal complaint impedes media reporting in public interest
In the latest development in Gov. Motohiko Saito's alleged power harassment and other acts, the Hyogo Prefectural Government filed a criminal complaint with the prefectural police accusing an unspecified person of leaking information in violation of confidentiality obligations under the Local Public Service Act. What cannot be overlooked is that the act of providing information to the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine was included in the subjects of the criminal complaint. The move could undermine media outlets' ability to check governments through reports based on whistleblowing. The Hyogo governor's alleged power abuse and other problems came to light through an anonymous document that was created by a former chief of the prefectural government's Nishiharima District Administration Office. Based on the prefectural government's audio recordings and documents, Shukan Bunshun reported in 2024 that then vice governor had grilled the former district chief, alleging that he was the whistleblower behind the anonymous missive. Searching for a whistleblower contravenes the Whistleblower Protection Act. Shukan Bunshun's reporting was of high public interest in providing society with a glimpse into improprieties of the prefectural government's conduct. This fact was brought to light because of the individual who, even at risk, supplied insider information. Protecting the confidentiality of the sources of information is a crucial principle of the press. The prefectural government's action is unacceptable as it attempted to identify and punish the informant who should be protected. The prefecture filed the criminal accusation in response to a report by a third-party committee that investigated the information leak. Their investigation was sparked by an incident in which Takashi Tachibana, head of the political group NHK Party, and others spread online private information of unknown authenticity that was left on the former bureau chief's work computer. The information had nothing to do with the whistleblowing and was degrading of the former bureau chief, who died in 2024. Regardless, the prefectural government added Shukan Bunshun's digital edition reporting to the targets of investigation by lumping it together as "online information." The implementation outline of the inquiry, including its purpose and targets, had initially been withheld, and the details were only made public on March 31 when the report was released. That's when the inclusion of the Shukan Bunshun coverage as a subject of the investigation was first disclosed. The prefectural government's decision to treat the exposure of privacy the same as information provision that serves the public interest is beyond comprehension. It was the governor himself who decided to set up the third-party panel. While he explained that the selection of investigation targets was at the discretion of the human affairs division, he cannot evade his responsibility as the head of the prefectural administration. The prefecture is urged to withdraw the criminal complaint that could silence its conscientious employees.
