[Did Takashi Tachibana play the role of a "trickster"? Television and police are hesitant in this election. Is legal reform necessary?] Governor Saito, who was re-elected in the Hyogo Prefectural gubernatorial election, said, "I asked each and every citizen of the prefecture to make their decision." Many people said that they referred to "SNS" as a source of information when making their decision. There is also a lot of talk about the way "television" reports. [Kansai TV News Desk, Hiroshi Kanzaki] "Normally, voters think about who to vote for after the election period begins. I think there is a desire to choose by relying on TV reports and the like. This may be our excuse, but TV is actually bound by the Broadcasting Act, which states that it must be "political fair," and there are rules that state that candidates must be treated equally to a certain extent. For example, TV stations must not report in a way that strongly supports one candidate, or in a way that is extremely unfavorable to another candidate. They must report in a truly balanced manner. We knew that various pieces of information had been published on the Internet and on social media this time. In reality, we should have fact-checked each piece, telling people what we found in our coverage, and devoting a certain amount of time to making it clear whether the information was true or not. However, this may be our excuse, but we decided that it would be difficult to find that much time within the limited broadcast time, and so the amount of coverage was drastically reduced. In the end, voters looked for information themselves, not on TV, but on social media and the Internet, and cast their vote based on information that they did not know whether it was true or not. "As a television station, we feel very sorry about that, and I think that looking at this example, there is definitely more that television can do in the future. I think we really need to rack our brains and think about how we can provide voters with information that will be useful to them and serve as basis for their decision-making, even during election periods." ■Information used to help vote: 1st place: Social media, 3rd place: Television Izumi Fusao, former mayor of Akashi City, who has also worked in the television world, said of the issue of election coverage, "This election is a historic turning point." Former Akashi Mayor Izumi Fusao: "I think this election is a historic turning point. The big issue this time was, 'Should we believe the TV or the internet?' In the end, it was said that 'the TV is lying.' There was a completely different public opinion that the reports that Saito had a problem were wrong, that Saito was a victim who had been set up. At the time, TV coverage suddenly stopped during the election period, so even if people wanted to find out whether it was true or not, they were in a situation where they could hardly access the information on TV, so they made their decision based on information on the internet. In my opinion, there are various discussions, and the internet also contains rumours, but there is a public opinion of the voters who made their decision taking that into account, and I believe that public opinion should be respected to the greatest extent possible. However, I think the role of TV this time will be called into question." Kansai TV anchor Yoshihara Isao: "The way information is disseminated on social media, and on TV. We need to think carefully again and update ourselves." Former Akashi Mayor NHK Party Chairman Yoshihara Isao: "I am also a former TV man, but TV is a news organization. The reason why news organizations have 'freedom of reporting' and 'freedom of the press' is to contribute to the people's 'right to know.' If they remain silent during the most important democratic election, they are not fulfilling their mission. I believe that it is precisely during the most important elections that news organizations should properly report the facts. In addition, I believe that TV needs to be trusted more. I do not think that a world where people loudly say, 'Don't trust TV' is good. I am one of those who hope that TV will do its best." Kansai TV Newscaster Yoshihara Isao: "In order to regain trust, we will continue to work hard so that we can provide information as a valuable option." "Don't vote for me" - Tachibana Takashi plays a 'trickster' role In this election, NHK Party leader Tachibana Takashi made a somewhat unusual candidate who called on people not to vote for him. He repeatedly defended Saito on social media, and even said, "Let's get Saito elected." On the other hand, he also engaged in some radical election campaigns. During the election period, he stormed into the home and office of 100-Article Committee Chairman Okutani, and gave a speech saying, "Don't stay holed up, come out. If I threaten him any more, Okutani might commit suicide, so I'll stop here." Professor Emeritus Tatsuro Shinkawa of Doshisha University analyzes Tachibana's election campaign as follows: ・He is indifferent to the rules of social conventions・Tachibana's existence played the role of a "trickster" (a character who is both a destroyer and creator of order in a story)・Depending on the time and situation, he can be a "nuisance" or, conversely, a "tailwind generator"■It even led to a situation where a prefectural assembly member resigned "to protect the lives of his family"Izumi Fusaho was not unrelated to Tachibana's election campaign. [Former Akashi Mayor Izumi Fusaho] "My own name was plastered on posters on Tachibana's bulletin board throughout Hyogo prefecture. My name was used a lot in the election bulletins and campaign broadcasts during the election, so I was not unrelated. Okutani also came to my house this time, and a member of the 100-Article Committee who was also told to move on has resigned. The reason given was 'to protect the lives of his family.' It is quite a situation in which a prefectural assembly member has resigned to protect the lives of his family, so I do not think this issue should be taken lightly." [Yoshiwara Anchor] Will there be any criminal charges in Okutani's case as well? [Former Akashi City Mayor Fusao Izumi] "In the end, the police are also very hesitant in the name of freedom of election campaigns. In Japan, only during the election campaign period, the TV stations that should be reporting on it don't report on it, and the police also respond late because it's an election campaign. What should we do about that? I think we need to establish laws. There were various discussions during the Tokyo gubernatorial election, but I think we need to move the discussion forward properly." [Yoshihara Newscaster] Because he is a candidate, there is freedom of expression and it is difficult to crack down on or regulate him. [Kansai TV News Desk Hiroshi Kanzaki] "There is the example of the Tsubasa Party, and there is a history of arrests. As for the police, I don't think the current situation is good, so I think that if there is some kind of legal reform and support, the response will change." ■ How will Governor Saito's suspicions be resolved? Governor Saito lost his job due to numerous suspicions, but the investigation into the suspicions will continue even after he was re-elected in the re-election. At the 100-Article Committee meeting on November 25, Governor Saito was scheduled to be questioned on power harassment of employees and irregularities surrounding donations for the parade, but he was unable to attend due to official duties on the 25th, and is scheduled to attend in the future. Chairman Okutani of the 100-Article Committee said, "We will see the investigation through to the end. It is important to proceed solemnly." Governor Saito has been entrusted by the people of the prefecture, but how will the suspicions be resolved? [Former Akashi Mayor Fusao Izumi] "Just by using the word 'suspicion,' the current public opinion is probably 'the TV station is lying.' I think we need to work to properly confirm this divided public opinion. For those who say that Saito is a victim, if he was framed as a victim, it is a big story, so confirmation is needed. If not, and there was a problem, it is also necessary to confirm that there was a problem. Either way, I think this topic is very important." Governor Saito has just started. Attention is focused on how he will overcome various challenges. KTV NEWS November 19th, 2024 #SaitoMotohiko #GovernorSaito #SaitoMotohiko #HyogoGovernorElection #HyogoGovernorElection #100ArticleCommittee ------------------------------------------------ ▼Please subscribe to our channel🔔 / @ktvnews8 ▼KTV NEWS official websitehttps://www.ktv.jp/news/ ▼The Document official websitehttps://www.ktv.jp/document/ ▼KTV Douga: Documentary now streaming🎞️ https://ktv-smart.jp/ ▼Information provided herehttps://ktv1.dga.jp/runner_tyousa/12283/ ------------------------------------------------ <KTV "News Runner" airs Monday through Friday from 4:45pm🏃> Main anchor: Yoshihara Isao (Monday through Friday) Information anchors: Takegami Mon. through Wed., Tanimoto Sena (Thursday and Friday) Sportscaster: Wakako Hashimoto (Monday Ranspo) Reports: Yurina Tanaka (Monday, Wednesday), Reona Hata (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)