Hyogo Governor Admits Power Harassment, Denies Wrongdoing in Whistleblower's Suicide

Hyogo Governor Admits Power Harassment but Denies Wrongdoing in Whistleblower Case

Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito has admitted to committing power harassment in response to a damning report about his behavior. However, he maintains that he did nothing wrong in his handling of a whistleblower within the prefectural government.

The report, compiled by a third-party investigation committee, concluded that Saito had engaged in ten instances of power harassment and violated the whistleblower protection law. Saito held a news conference on March 26th to address the report's findings.

While accepting the report's conclusions, Saito expressed regret for any discomfort or burden his actions may have caused prefectural government employees. However, he reiterated his previous claim that his handling of the whistleblower situation was appropriate.

The whistleblower, who headed the prefectural government's branch office in charge of the Nishi-Harima region, had anonymously sent a document to media outlets in March 2024. The document accused the governor and other officials of harassment and corruption.

The investigation committee's report found that the distribution of the document constituted "external whistleblowing" under the whistleblower protection law. Additionally, the report concluded that Saito and his associates' efforts to identify the sender of the document violated the law.

The report also deemed the prefectural government's disciplinary action against the whistleblower "clearly illegal." Tragically, the whistleblower was found dead in an apparent suicide in July 2024.