斎藤元彦

Motohiko Saito is the Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, having first assumed office in 2021. A former bureaucrat at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, he served in various regional administrative roles, including in Niigata and Osaka, before entering electoral politics. His administration has focused on fiscal reform, including the reduction of executive compensation and the cancellation of several large-scale infrastructure projects initiated by his predecessor. Following a political crisis involving allegations of workplace harassment and the handling of internal whistleblowing, Saito was removed from office via a no-confidence vote in 2024 but successfully won re-election in the subsequent gubernatorial race. He advocates for a bottom-up approach to governance and has emphasized strengthening ties between the prefecture and the private sector.