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.

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