Photo/Illutration The widow of Hideaki Takeuchi, a former Hyogo prefectural assembly member, speaks before his portrait in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, on April 23. (Emiko Arimoto)

HIMEJI, Hyogo Prefecture—The widow of a local politician recounted how the couple were frozen with fear by groundless accusations and threats in a seemingly endless smear campaign before his death by apparent suicide.

“My husband died without being able to speak up against (the false remarks),” the widow told The Asahi Shimbun in a recent interview. “Such an incident must never be repeated.”

The politician, Hideaki Takeuchi, was a member of the Hyogo prefectural assembly’s special committee investigating allegations that Governor Motohiko Saito engaged in workplace bullying and other misconduct.

The allegations, sent to media organizations in March 2024 by a whistleblower who also died in an apparent suicide, forced Saito to vacate the governor’s post, infuriating his supporters who began to target those involved in the investigation.

During the gubernatorial election campaign in November, Takashi Tachibana, who heads a political organization critical of Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK), posted a memo calling Takeuchi a “mastermind” behind the allegations against Saito.

Tachibana ran in the election but used the opportunity mainly to support Saito’s candidacy.

The memo was provided by Minoru Kishiguchi, a prefectural assembly member of Hyogo Ishin no Kai, who was later expelled from the regional political party over the issue.

Takeuchi belonged to a different bloc of prefectural assembly members.

According to the widow, Takeuchi’s office began receiving emails and letters saying that he “deserves capital punishment.”

“It was the first time that I became a target of evil intentions,” said the widow, 49. “We were petrified, fearing that we might be attacked again if we reacted.”

Takeuchi resigned from the prefectural assembly on Nov. 18, a day after Saito won the election.

According to the widow, Takeuchi had said he could not continue his job if it would cause trouble for his family.

The couple watched an online live broadcast of a session of the prefectural assembly’s special investigative committee on Dec. 25.

Makoto Masuyama, a prefectural assembly member of Hyogo Ishin no Kai, told the meeting that Takeuchi had asked questions based on a “false rumor” during a past committee session.

The widow said, “It was not true, but (my husband) appeared to have thought that he would be pursued forever.”

She added, “I wonder what they wanted from someone who lost his political life as well as his job and was also socially killed.”

Hyogo Ishin no Kai later called on Masuyama to leave the party for handing an undisclosed audio recording of a special committee session to Tachibana during the election campaign.

In April, the prefectural assembly’s secretariat also corrected the minutes of the Dec. 25 committee session concerning three of Masuyama’s remarks about Takeuchi.

According to the widow, Takeuchi began to repeatedly apologize to her over what befell his family.

On Jan. 18, Takeuchi was found dead.

The following day, Tachibana posted a video on social media saying that the former prefectural assembly member was scheduled to be arrested soon.

In an unusual move, the chief of the prefectural police department denied Tachibana’s claims during a prefectural committee session on Jan. 20.

She said the falsehood about Takeuchi’s imminent arrest persisted even after the police chief’s denial.

The widow finally began reading social media posts about her husband after a 49-day mourning period passed.

“Remarks that were posted can still be viewed even if they were denied,” she said. “I feel like salt is being rubbed into our wounds.”

She said she is still thinking every day about why things played out this way.

“My husband was driven into a corner and left out on a limb,” she said. “I think his death was meant to leave a message that society should never allow the same thing to happen again.”

(This article was written by Takeshi Shimawaki and Eri Niiya.)

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