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Japan’s finance ministry on Monday acknowledged that documents in a suspected cronyism scandal had been doctored, said a senior ruling party official, as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ally Finance Minister Taro Aso over the case.
References to Abe, his wife and Aso were removed from the documents related to the scandal, according to Reuters.
Abe, now in his sixth year in office, had tried to put behind him questions over the sale of state-owned land at a huge discount to a school operator with ties to his wife, Akie. His ratings had rebounded from a slump last year, but recently doubts have resurfaced with a series of fresh revelations.
Abe has repeatedly denied he or his wife did favors for school operator Moritomo Gakuen, which bought the land, and has said he would resign if evidence were found that they had. The issue last year sharply eroded Abe’s popularity.
Suspicions of a cover-up could slash Abe’s ratings and dash his hopes of a third term as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Victory in the LDP September leadership vote would put him on track to become Japan’s longest-serving premier. The doubts have also sparked calls for Aso to resign.
A March 9-11 survey by the Yomiuri newspaper showed support for Abe’s cabinet fell to 48 percent, down six points from a month earlier. Non-support rose to 42 percent and 80 percent said that the matter had not been handled appropriately.
LDP parliamentary affairs official Hiroshi Moriyama told reporters that he had been briefed by finance ministry officials that the documents related to the land sale had been altered.
FILE PHOTO: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso at the Lower House of the Parliament in Tokyo, Japan, November 1, 2017.
Media have said the changes were made after February last year - when the suspected scandal broke - and that words describing the “special nature” of the deal were excised along with the names of several politicians.
“If this is true, isn’t political responsibility unavoidable?” said Akira Nagatsuma, a senior lawmaker in the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, on Sunday.
Former Moritomo Gakuen head Yasunori Kagoike and his wife were previously arrested in July on suspicion of illegally receiving subsidies.
(REUTERS)
