Photo/Illutration Motohiko Saito says he will attempt to regain the Hyogo governor's post in the next election at a news conference in the prefectural government building on Sept. 26. (Teruo Kashiyama)

KOBE--Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito said on Sept. 26 that he will run again in a gubernatorial election after he is effectively ousted from the position under rules of a no-confidence motion passed against him.

“I will not dissolve the prefectural assembly and instead will lose my post on Sept. 30,” Saito said at a news conference. “I’ve decided to run in the next gubernatorial election to return to the post.”

Saito, 46, has been accused of power harassment, corruption and possible violations of the law on protecting whistleblowers.

A no-confidence motion against Saito was passed unanimously by the prefectural assembly on Sept. 19. Legally binding under the Local Autonomy Law, the no-confidence motion gave Saito until Sept. 29 to decide whether to resign, dissolve the assembly or be effectively removed from power.

At the Sept. 26 news conference, Saito apologized for the turmoil caused in the prefectural government and explained his decision to run again.

“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 after the death of a former Hyogo prefectural employee.

In March, the official, who formerly 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. They included abusing prefectural employees and accepting gifts from companies.

In late March, Saito himself obtained the document and ordered his close aides to carry out an investigation.

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 then set up a special investigative committee to look into the allegations against Saito.

The governor also 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 assembly session for September, the no-confidence motion was jointly submitted and passed by all 86 members.

Saito hails from Kobe.

After graduating from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Economics, he joined the internal affairs ministry.

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).

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