Hyogo Assembly Adopts Report over Whistleblower against Governor

   Kobe, March 5 (Jiji Press)--The Hyogo prefectural assembly on Wednesday adopted a report by its special investigative committee that found the western Japan prefecture's efforts to identify a whistleblower against Governor Motohiko Saito to be highly likely illegal.
   The report, approved by a majority vote at a plenary session of the assembly, found that Saito's rebukes of prefectural officials, mentioned in a document accusing the governor of harassment and other allegations, were "largely true," and called on Saito to "fulfill his accountability without excess or deficiency."
   "I understand that the prefectural assembly has expressed a certain view," Saito told reporters after the assembly meeting. "I still believe that the responses by the prefectural government and myself were appropriate and legal."
   The report said that the accusation document is highly likely to be an act of external whistleblowing under the whistleblower protection law. Noting that the Hyogo government's actions, including identifying the former head of a regional branch of the prefectural government as the whistleblower, were most likely in violation of the law, the report concluded that the actions "lacked objectivity and fairness, and were significantly problematic."
   Regarding the harassment allegations, the investigative committee found that "strong rebukes of staff members in the (governor's) office and on business trips can be viewed as fact, and the contents of the accusation document are largely true."

(2025/03/05-14:08)

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