「大任町の名前を勝手に出してもらったら困ります」和解を公然と否定する町長の真意　総務大臣（当時）の秘書に自治体から情報が漏れた問題　裁判後も混乱つづく　福岡

The contents of a disclosure request made by a news site journalist to Otomo Town and Tagawa City in Fukuoka Prefecture were leaked to the secretary of the then-Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. The journalist sued both municipalities and reached a settlement under the following terms: "We acknowledge that it cannot be denied that the disclosure request was conveyed to the Diet member's secretary not by the journalist but by Otomo Town or Tagawa City." However, Otomo Town Mayor Nagahara continues to make claims that contradict the terms of the settlement. What on earth is going on? Conflict between the Tagawa City Council and Otomo Town Mayor in Fukuoka Prefecture Tagawa City Council "There is a standing majority. Therefore, Councilor-Submitted Bill No. 53 is passed as originally proposed." Last December, the Tagawa City Council passed a "Resolution of Protest regarding Otomo Mayor Nagahara Joji's Unjust Political Interference in the Tagawa City Council." Tagawa City Council Member Shunichi Sato "Allowing Otomo Town Mayor Joji Nagahara to improperly interfere in city council meetings would mean 'abandoning the Tagawa City Council's autonomy,' which is nothing but a betrayal of the citizens of Tagawa." One of the reasons for the resolution is the November council meeting. RKB Reporter Takashi Imabayashi "It was Otomo Town Mayor Nagahara who explained the information leak issue at the Tagawa City Council meeting." Oto Town Mayor Issues Speech to Tagawa City's 100-Article Committee for "Impression Manipulation" Oto Town Mayor Joji Nagahara issued a statement to the Tagawa City Council's special investigative committee, the 100-Article Committee. Otomo Town Mayor Joji Nagahara "I'm troubled if you just bring up Otomo Town's name without permission." The 100-Article Committee is investigating the leak of information from a 2021 information disclosure request made by a reporter from the news site "Hunter" to Otomo Town and Tagawa City to the secretary of a member of parliament who was then Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. Mayor Nagahara has responded by calling this an "excess of authority." Otomo Town Mayor Joji Nagahara "This is a 100-article committee established by the Tagawa City Assembly, so legally it is limited to investigating Tagawa City's administrative affairs. However, council members are constantly mentioning 'Otomo Town, Otomo Town,' in an attempt to manipulate public opinion." A Phone Call from the Secretary to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications It all started in June 2021, when a news site reporter received a call from the secretary of a Diet member who was then the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. Secretary to a Diet Member (at the time) "Have you requested information disclosure from Otomo Town and elsewhere? Both Tagawa City and Otomo Town generally support us." Secretary to a Diet Member (at the time) "That would be intimidating. If we received a request for information like this." Reporter Q: It's not like the minister is particularly concerned, is it? "I'm concerned," said a secretary to a former Diet member. Reporter files lawsuit; what's the settlement? A reporter from a news site filed a lawsuit against Otomo Town and Tagawa City, seeking damages. "We acknowledge that it is possible that the fact that a disclosure request was made was conveyed to the secretary not by the reporter but by Otomo Town or Tagawa City," "Tagawa City and Otomo Town will implement strict information management from now on," and "The plaintiff waives his claim." The settlement was reached last August based on three main points. Even though a settlement was reached... the mayor continues to deny the information leak. Regarding the settlement, Mayor Nagahara... Otomo Town Mayor Nagahara Joji "Otomo Town does not admit to the information leak. As you can see from the contents, the presiding judge said that it was unclear who leaked the information to a third party, so I said, 'We admit that.' It doesn't specify who leaked it. The judgment doesn't specify who leaked it." Mayor Nagahara's basis for denying the information leak is his secretary's claim in court that he "heard the details of the request from a reporter in advance." Otomo Town Mayor Nagahara Joji "The secretary clearly testified that it was Mr. Chuganji (a reporter from Hunter) who heard the information. It wasn't information that came from Tagawa City or Otomo Town. The secretary clearly stated that." The first audio recording of the phone call in question from the secretary... This is the initial conversation in the phone call in question. Secretary to a (then) Diet member: "It's been a while." News site reporter: "Hi, Mr./Ms. ●." Secretary to a (then) Diet member: "How are you?" Presiding Judge: "Listening to this recording, it doesn't sound that way." When the secretary claimed that she had heard about it from the reporter beforehand, the presiding judge pointed...