March 13, 2018
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2018 March 7 - 13 [POLITICS]
Finance Ministry admits to falsification of official documents regarding state land sale to Moritomo |
The falsified documents were created by deleting dozens of accounts which included the names of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, his wife Akie, and several politicians.
According to the Finance Ministry’s report, the falsification took place between late February 2017 and April 2017. Just before the documents were altered, a scandal over the sale of national land to Moritomo was revealed and the allegation regarding the involvement of PM Abe and his wife in the scandal surfaced. At a Diet meeting on February 17, PM Abe asserted, “Neither my wife nor I have any connection to the land deal scandal. If evidence proving our involvement is found, I will step down as prime minister.”
One of the deleted accounts referred to the fact that at the time when Osaka-based Moritomo Gakuen negotiated with the Finance Ministry about the land deal, the then Moritomo president Kagoike Yasunori played a role in an Osaka local of the anti-constitutional rightist organization, Nippon Kaigi (Japan Conference) and PM Abe served as vice chair of the parliamentarians’ council of Nippon Kaigi. In the same document, the name of Finance Minister Aso Taro appeared as a special advisor to the council. Another deleted section contained Kagoike’s remarks linking the first lady with the land deal.
Later on the same day at a press conference, Finance Minister Aso insisted that there is no relation between PM Abe’s remarks in the February Diet meeting and the doctoring of the documents. PM Abe said to the press, “FM Aso will be in charge of investigations of the causes behind the falsification,” expressing his intent to keep Aso in office.
Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Tatsumi Kotaro at the House Budget Committee directors meeting said that the Finance Ministry brazenly lied in the Diet with the introduction of the altered documents, which constitutes a serious crime. He demanded a thoroughgoing probe in order to clarify why this happened and where the ultimate responsibility lies.
Past related articles:
> Finance Ministry confirms voice data regarding huge discount scenario of land deal for Moritomo [November 29, 2017]
> Several politicians suspected of engaging in Moritomo Gakuen scandal [March 24, 2017]
> Disclose facts regarding sale of state land to private school: JCP Kokuta [February 23, 2017]
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