Japanese official held press briefing from love hotel in bathrobe, then lied about it

A senior official in Japan's Akita Prefecture has been handed a heavy disciplinary penalty after appearing in a bathrobe during an online press briefing from a love hotel — and then being caught lying about it.

According to Japanese broadcaster FNN and other outlets, Akita Prefecture on Friday suspended Ono Takahiro, 55, a business attraction promotion director at the prefectural industry and labor department, for six months and demoted him two grades.

The controversy began when Ono participated online in a media briefing on Aug. 6 related to the construction of an AI data center at the Akita prefectural government office.

He initially kept his camera off while answering reporters' questions, but when asked to turn it on, he appeared on screen wearing a bathrobe. He was also caught smoking during the briefing.

The footage drew immediate criticism that his conduct was unbecoming of a civil servant. As the backlash grew, Ono said he had been at home because he was not feeling well and had "unconsciously smoked a cigarette."

He said he had been on leave at the time and was resting at home after fatigue from official duties in Tokyo on Aug. 5. He added that he had joined the briefing online after an unexpected need arose to respond to media inquiries about the AI data center.

A subsequent reinvestigation by the prefecture, however, revealed a different story. Ono had not been at home at all — he was at a love hotel, and the person with him was not his wife.

He had also flown back to Akita from Tokyo after completing a business trip around noon on Aug. 6 but did not report to the prefectural office. The following day, he retroactively applied for leave dated Aug. 6.

The prefecture imposed the six-month suspension and two-grade demotion on Ono, and also issued a formal caution to his superior, department head Takahashi.

Takahashi Gen-etsu, head of the Akita prefectural industry and labor department, bowed in apology and said that upon confirming the facts with Ono directly, it became clear he had provided an account that did not match the truth. "We sincerely apologize for the great inconvenience and offense caused to citizens and members of the press," he said.

By 8:30 a.m. Friday, the prefecture had received a total of 145 complaints and comments related to the incident.