The governor of Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture has opted to lose his seat after a no-confidence vote last week. Saito Motohiko says he will not dissolve the assembly and accepts that on Monday he will lose his job.
But Saito said he also wants to run in the next gubernatorial election. The governor said: “I’ve been criticized for what I’ve done, things that people consider to be wrong. I think it is important for me to seek public approval on my own.”
Saito has been accused of power harassment and other misconduct. The prefectural assembly unanimously passed a no-confidence motion against him last Thursday. He was given until September 29 to resign, lose his post, or dissolve the assembly.
The gubernatorial election is due to be held within 50 days of his exit. Japan has seen four other cases involving the adoption of a no-confidence motion against a prefectural governor. In those cases, the assembly was never dissolved.