Akita Prefecture official disciplined for misconduct during remote press conference

Akita Prefecture has issued disciplinary action against Takahiro Ono, a 55-year-old official serving as the supervisor for corporate investment promotion, following a controversial remote press conference. On December 6, during a media briefing regarding the attraction of a large-scale AI data center project, Ono appeared on screen wearing a bathrobe and smoking a cigarette after being requested by reporters to turn on his camera.

While Ono initially claimed he was resting at home due to poor health, subsequent investigations revealed he was actually staying at a love hotel with a woman who was not his wife. Furthermore, it was discovered that he had applied for leave retroactively after the incident occurred.

As a result of the misconduct and the subsequent false statements provided to the prefecture, Akita Prefecture has suspended Ono for six months and demoted him by two levels. Takahashi Gen'etsu, the Director of the Industrial Labor Department, issued a formal apology to citizens and the media for the embarrassment and inconvenience caused by the incident.