Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s office was aware in early March of potential problems with documents about a controversial land sale to a school operator with ties to Abe’s wife, his top spokesman said on Thursday, amid suspicions of a cover-up. Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso have
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s office was aware in early March of potential problems with documents about a controversial land sale to a school operator with ties to Abe’s wife, his top spokesman said on Thursday, amid suspicions of a cover-up.
Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso have been under fire since the finance ministry admitted this week it had altered records relating to the discounted sale of land to the school operator.
The affair has sparked calls for Aso to quit and could dash Abe’s chances of securing another three-year term when the ruling party holds a leadership election in September.
Abe has denied wrongdoing by himself or his wife Akie, while Aso has denied he instructed changes to the records.
References to Abe, his wife, and Aso were removed from the finance ministry’s records of the sale, copies of documents released by the ministry showed.
Public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday that a finance ministry official who committed suicide this month had left a note saying he thought he would be forced to take sole responsibility for doctoring the documents.
“Some parts of the documents were too detailed, and my boss forced me to rewrite it,” NHK quoted the note as saying.
