Hyogo Election Result at Odds with Assembly No-Confidence

   Kobe, Nov. 18 (Jiji Press)--Voters in the western Japan prefecture of Hyogo have chosen again as governor Motohiko Saito, who had lost his job due to a no-confidence motion against him passed unanimously by the prefectural assembly.
   The motion had been passed in September following allegations against him, including bullying of subordinates and other problematic behavior.
   In Sunday's election, Saito won a second term by garnering over 1.11 million votes, increasing the number of his votes by over 250,000 from the previous 2021 Hyogo gubernatorial election.
   Hyogo citizens chose to maintain Saito's administration instead of a renewal under a new governor, highlighting the possibility of a further confusion in prefectural administration.
   Saito said on Sunday that his victory is "an important first step for Hyogo Prefecture."

(2024/11/18-12:07)