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2017 February 15 - 21 TOP3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Far-right wing school corporation collects donations under name of ‘Abe Shinzo’

A private school corporation tainted with scandals concerning acquisition of national land, which is closely connected with Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s wife, had collected donations using the name of PM Abe. Akahata reported on this issue on February 17.

Moritomo Gakuen, a school corporation based in Osaka, purchased national land in Osaka’s Toyonaka City in June 2016 at a 90% discount off the market price. On the property, it is now building an elementary school which will be opened this coming April. PM Abe’s wife, Akie, serves as “honorary principal” of that school.

According to Akahata, in September 2012, Moritomo Gakuen chairman Kagoike Yasunori sounded out Abe Shinzo through his wife about naming the school to be built in Toyonaka “Abe Shinzo Memorial Elementary School”. Abe readily agreed to this proposal.

The school operator then distributed among its supporters transfer slips with that school name printed on them to call for contributions. However, they stopped using the forms after Abe took office as prime minister in December 2012.

Kagoike is also a representative of the Osaka branch of the Japan Conference (Nippon Kaigi), a notorious ultra-rightist organization which advocates the revision of Japan’s peace Constitution. Meanwhile, PM Abe serves as a special adviser to the group of lawmakers backing the Japan Conference.

In his message on the website of a kindergarten run by Moritomo Gakuen, Kagoike stresses the need to “create a new constitution for the sake of the Japanese race”. He also expresses his high expectations for the Abe administration, calling it an “important government holding the key to Japanese history”.

Past related article:
> Abe’s wife-associated school corporation gets national land at exceptionally low price [February 11, 2017]