Nearly 40% of Hyogo Prefectural government employees reported either witnessing or hearing about instances of power harassment by Gov. Motohiko Saito, an interim report revealed Tuesday.
The figure comes from a survey conducted by the prefectural assembly’s special investigative committee. More detailed results are expected to be disclosed at a committee meeting Friday.
The survey targeted approximately 9,700 employees and around 70% had responded by the Aug. 14 deadline. According to the report, as of Aug. 5, of the 4,568 responses received, 59 indicated firsthand knowledge of Saito’s power harassment through direct observation or personal experience, 466 reported hearing about it from someone directly involved, and 1,225 had heard about it secondhand.
In total, 1,750 responses — or 38% — reported some level of awareness of the alleged misconduct.
The special investigative committee will hold a closed-door session Friday to hear testimony from prefectural employees regarding the harassment allegations. Saito is expected to testify before the committee on Aug. 30.
So far, Saito has labeled the allegations — which were made by a prefectural government official who was found dead — as “groundless,” and has made it clear he intends to serve out his current term through July 2025.
However, he has also stated that he would “respond appropriately” to investigations by the special committee and a third-party organization.
Translated by The Japan Times