Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday revised when he first knew about a friend’s application to open a veterinary school at the centre of a suspected cronymism scandal, saying he only became aware of the plan after it was approved.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday revised when he first knew about a friend’s application to open a veterinary school at the centre of a suspected cronymism scandal, saying he only became aware of the plan after it was approved.
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday revised when he first knew about a friend’s application to open a veterinary school at the centre of a suspected cronymism scandal, saying he only became aware of the plan after it was approved.
Abe, whose ratings have plunged below 30 percent in some polls over the issue, earlier said he knew about his friend’s school when the application was lodged – 10 days earlier.
Abe has denied intervening to help Kake Gakuen, an educational institution whose director Kotaro Kake is a long-time friend, win approval for the school in a special economic zone.
Imabari City had previously applied unsuccessfully 15 times for approval to host a veterinary school before winning approval this year – the first such approval in more than 50 years.
Grilled for a second day in a parliamentary panel, Abe reiterated he had not done any favours for Kake Gakuen, nor had his friend sought to use their ties to get special treatment.
