Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito has come under suspicion that his campaign violated the Public Offices Election Act over a local PR company's involvement in the recent gubernatorial race which saw his reelection.

The president of the firm revealed details of the campaign on the blog site Note, stating that she had been "entrusted with overall public relations." The post described their involvement in social media strategy, poster design and the process of crafting campaign slogans.

The election law generally prohibits remuneration for election-related activities. Payments are only allowed for actual expenses such as transportation, printing or purchasing consumables.

While the president's post did not mention compensation, if the campaign team entrusted the company with paid public relations work during the election period, it could be considered bribery.

At a press conference on Nov. 27, a lawyer representing Saito explained that some 700,000 yen (around $4,700) had been paid by the governor's support group to the PR company for expenses related to the production of posters and flyers, which is permitted under the law. As for the president's involvement in other activities, the lawyer stated that she worked "as a volunteer member," denying any illegality.

However, the president's post gives the impression of having played an active role in overseeing public relations work. The post detailed her responsibilities as a "supervisor," including "planning operational strategies, launching accounts, creating profiles and developing content," while "managing operations with a small, elite team."

Additionally, certain parts of the post were later edited in a suspect manner. Sections referencing documents proposing a three-stage approach ("seeding," "nurturing" and "harvesting") to social media management and interactions with Saito were deleted.

It has also come to light that the president has been commissioned as a paid member of multiple expert advisory panels by the prefectural government.

Saito's lawyer commented on the president's post, saying, "She has a different understanding. Please ask the company or the president for clarification." While Saito denied any illegality, he deferred further explanations and reasoning for his claim to his legal representative.

Elections must be conducted fairly. Related laws prohibit bribery to keep financial power from distorting election outcomes. Leaving explanations solely to the attorney does not resolve the suspicions. Both the president and the governor, being directly involved, are tasked with providing explanations in their own words to address the public's concerns.