In Japan, a senior official was disciplined after being caught smoking and chatting with an alleged lover during an online press conference held from a love hotel. The incident sparked widespread public outcry and led to serious consequences for his career, reports infohub.kz.
Takahiro Ono, 55, who served as director of the business promotion division of the Akita Prefectural Government's Department of Industry and Labor, participated in a video conference about the construction of a 500 MW data center in the region. However, instead of an official setting, he appeared before colleagues in a robe and lit a cigarette during the conversation, causing confusion and criticism.
Initially, the official tried to justify himself, claiming he was feeling unwell and was at home, answering questions in pajamas, and lit a cigarette out of habit. However, an investigation revealed that he was not at his home but at a so-called "love hotel" — an establishment popular in Japan for short-term meetings. Furthermore, it was discovered that a woman who was not his wife was beside him.
As a result of the incident, Takahiro Ono was suspended from work for six months and demoted by two ranks. The Akita prefectural authorities issued a formal apology to residents and media representatives, assuring that measures would be taken to prevent similar cases in the future.
Earlier, it was reported that a Kazakh political scientist called for more frequent prosecution of officials instead of bloggers.