Akita Prefecture official suspended for misconduct during online briefing

Akita Prefecture has issued a six-month suspension and a two-rank demotion to Takahiro Ono, a 55-year-old official who served as the supervisor for corporate investment promotion. The disciplinary action follows an incident during an online media briefing on August 6 regarding a major AI data center project.

During the remote meeting, Ono appeared wearing a white bathrobe and was seen smoking a cigarette while chatting with an unidentified person off-camera. Although Ono initially claimed he was resting at home due to illness and that the person with him was his wife, an investigation revealed he was actually staying at a love hotel with an acquaintance who is not his spouse. Ono reportedly told officials he lied because the nature of the location was “difficult to talk about” and he believed the falsehood would not be discovered.

The prefecture received 145 complaints from citizens regarding the incident. Governor Kenta Suzuki apologized for the loss of public trust, emphasizing the need for improved staff morale and conduct. While Ono has been removed from the AI data center project, the prefecture stated that the investment promotion team will continue its work without him.