[Hyogo] Governor Saito “I don’t understand what moral responsibility is”．．． He remains in his position that there are “no legal issues” with regard to the punishment of the accuser．
※2024/09/07 06:31 Yomiuri Shimbun At the witness hearing of Governor Saito Motohiko held by the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly’s Article 100 Committee on the 6th, Governor Saito maintained his claim that the prefecture’s response of not treating the allegations as whistle-blowing and taking disciplinary action against the whistle-blower was “legally correct.” The committee’s questions focused on whether the document of accusation, which the accuser, a male employee who was the former director of the Nishi Harima Prefectural Government Bureau (who died in July), sent to some media outlets in mid-March, constituted a public interest whistleblower report. Governor Saito became aware of the contents of the document on the 20th, and on the following day, 21st, he instructed former Vice Governor Yasutaka Katayama (who resigned at the end of July) and others to identify the accuser. Under the Whistleblower Protection Act, “external reports” to media organizations and the like are also protected if there is “reasonableness to believe that the information is true” (reasonableness to be true). Attorney Toshiaki Yamaguchi, who is knowledgeable about the whistleblowing system, appeared at the 100-Article Committee as an expert witness before Governor Saito. He stated that the allegations constitute an external report, and said, “The person who made the report should not be investigated, as that would be a violation of the law.” However, Governor Saito said, “I thought the document was more slanderous than an accusation. “There is no problem with identifying the person who created it and questioning them.” Governor Saito said that during questioning by the prefecture’s personnel department on March 25, the male employee said, “There are rumors everywhere. “I collected them,” he explained. “There are no concrete statements or evidence, and there is no credibility to the matter. I still don’t think it constitutes whistleblowing.” Regarding the fact that the male employee reported the same content using the prefecture’s whistleblowing system in April, but the prefecture imposed a three-month suspension on him in May as disciplinary action, the prefecture said, “Disciplinary action was taken for creating a highly defamatory document. There is no problem with the response,” he reiterated. When asked by the committee if he felt any moral responsibility, he said, “I don’t know what moral responsibility is, so I can’t comment clearly. “I would like to deeply apologize to the people of the prefecture for causing the current prefectural government situation.” After questioning witnesses on the 6th, the 100-Article Committee decided to seek the opinion of the Consumer Affairs Agency on whether the prefecture’s response violates the Whistleblower Protection Act. Professor Katsugo Hino (labor law) of Shukutoku University, who is knowledgeable about the system, told the Yomiuri Shimbun about Governor Saito’s testimony at the hearing, “It has become clear that there is not a thorough understanding of the system within the prefectural government.” Regarding the content of the report, the court stated, “It is not required that it be 100% true, but rather that it will be protected if the accuser has ’reasonable reason to believe’.” He added, “When the governor obtained the allegations, he should have handed the investigation over to a third-party organization. “The governor’s actions are in violation of the law,” he said. Testimony that contradicts those of staff members Continued below ※Previous thread [Hyogo] Governor Saito: “I don’t know what moral responsibility is”… whistleblower punishment: “No legal issues” – remains unchanged [Gure★] ★ 2024/09/07 (Sat) 08:24:56.63.
>>1 I hope you continue to thoroughly maintain your claim of infallibility. The civility of Hyogo Prefecture residents continues to be exposed. Are they becoming like the Okinawan people who regard Tamaki as a god?
In any case, a civil lawsuit awaits. Saito’s explanation will be taken into consideration…
Athletes and entertainers have been properly expelled when they have caused scandals, so it would be strange if prefectural governors and politicians with secret funds were not also properly expelled.
I want him to go ahead with it, I’m watching. Politicians who stick to their guns no matter who criticizes them or denounces them are the ones who leave their mark on history.
>>26 Well, I think it’s pretty unreasonable to treat that document as an internal whistleblower right from the start. I wonder why they structured it like that.
Well, there won’t be a next time, so with less than a year left to live, the question is how much his own reputation and that of the Ishin Party will be damaged.
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