Photo/Illutration Motohiko Saito in Kobe after he was projected to win the Hyogo gubernatorial election on Nov. 17 (Takuya Tanabe)

KOBE--Hyogo prefectural assembly members said they will cooperate with re-elected Governor Motohiko Saito but continue to pursue bullying and other allegations against him.

“Now that Saito received a public mandate, we need to hold discussions so that his policies, such as support for young people, can move forward,” one assembly member said.

Saito, 47, won the gubernatorial election on Nov. 17.

He was forced to vacate the office after the prefectural assembly in September unanimously voted in favor of a no-confidence motion against him over workplace bullying and corruption allegations.

“We must also complete the clarification of the allegations outlined in a whistleblower’s document,” the assembly member said.

A powerful investigation committee set up by the prefectural assembly based on the Local Autonomy Law is looking into the scandal.

An assembly member said the key challenge is how Saito will restore relations with the assembly, prefectural government bureaucrats, heads of local governments and Diet members.

“It is important to put an end to confusion in the prefectural administration with cooperation from the prefectural assembly,” the assembly member said.

Saito gained about 1.11 million votes, or 45.21 percent of the total, defeating runner-up Kazumi Inamura, 52, former mayor of Amagasaki in Hyogo Prefecture, who won about 970,000 votes.

An assembly member said Saito’s recollections about the scandal during campaigning were different from his testimonies before the special investigation committee.

“I do not believe that the re-election absolves him of the responsibility for having caused confusion in the prefectural administration,” the assembly member said. “I will deal with him based on a policy of being fair and unbiased.”

The assembly member, who supported Inamura, also questioned whether the election outcome accurately reflects the will of the people if voters’ judgments are based on unreliable online information.

During the campaign, unverified, dubious information spread on social media.

Some social media posts said Inamura plans to grant the right to vote to foreign residents, forcing the candidate to deny those statements.

A city mayor, who also supported Inamura, said rules are needed under the Public Offices Election Law about internet campaigning.

A veteran assembly member said the media, prefectural government bureaucrats and prefectural assembly members were labeled as “vested interests” on social media.

“If (voters) actually believe those narratives, we need to find out what was wrong with what we did,” the assembly member said.

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