Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito to Seek Re-election After No-Confidence Vote

Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito announced on September 26th that he will run again in the upcoming gubernatorial election, despite being effectively ousted from his position due to a no-confidence motion passed against him.

"I will not dissolve the prefectural assembly and instead will lose my post on September 30th," Saito stated at a news conference. "I've decided to run in the next gubernatorial election to return to the post."

Saito, 46, has faced accusations of power harassment, corruption, and potential violations of the whistleblower protection law. The prefectural assembly unanimously passed a no-confidence motion against him on September 19th. This legally binding motion, under the Local Autonomy Law, gave Saito until September 29th to choose between resigning, dissolving the assembly, or being effectively removed from power.

At the news conference, Saito apologized for the turmoil caused within the prefectural government and explained his decision to seek re-election. "I have a strong desire to continue pushing forward with reforms," he said. "I believe we need to keep investing in the younger generation, and that's why I've chosen not to resign but to make a fresh start after losing my position."

Saito came under scrutiny following the death of a former Hyogo prefectural employee. In March, the official, who previously headed the prefectural government's branch office in charge of the western Nishi-Harima region, anonymously distributed a document to prefectural assembly members and media organizations, listing seven allegations against Saito and his aides. These included accusations of abusing prefectural employees and accepting gifts from companies.

Saito obtained the document in late March and ordered his close aides to investigate. The prefectural government identified the official as the whistleblower and concluded that the core part of the document was "untrue." In May, the prefecture suspended the former chief for three months. He was found dead in an apparent suicide in July.

The prefectural assembly subsequently established a special investigative committee to look into the allegations against Saito. The governor appeared before the committee, but criticism intensified over his failure to protect the whistleblower and the ongoing turmoil within the prefectural government.

On the first day of the September assembly session, a no-confidence motion was jointly submitted and passed by all 86 members.

Saito, a graduate of the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Economics, joined the internal affairs ministry after graduation. In 2018, he served as head of the Osaka prefectural government's finance section before being elected Hyogo governor in July 2021. He was backed in the election by the Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party).