The assembly of the western Japanese prefecture of Hyogo is set to unanimously approve a no-confidence motion against Governor Saito Motohiko on Thursday.
Saito has been facing allegations of power harassment and other misconduct.
All 86 prefectural assembly members—those from five voting groups including the Liberal Democratic Party and Ishin no Kai as well as independents—have been demanding Saito’s immediate resignation.
They plan to jointly submit a no-confidence motion against the governor and adopt it on Thursday, unless he decides to step down before the assembly’s regular session opens.
Saito has indicated he will stay in his position. On Wednesday, he said his priority is to enact a supplementary budget aimed at tackling inflation among other policy goals. He said he’d like to fulfill his responsibility by pressing ahead with administrative tasks of the prefectural government without a pause.
Asked how he intends to respond if a no-confidence motion is passed, Saito said he will take the assembly’s decision seriously and carefully study what options he could take, hinting that dissolving the assembly is an option.
If the no-confidence motion is passed, Saito will have to choose whether to dissolve the assembly within 10 days or lose his job.
Saito’s response is being closely watched, as no governor has ever chosen to dissolve an assembly after the passage of a no-confidence motion.