The head of scandal-tainted Moritomo Gakuen, Yasunori Kagoike, told a delegation of Diet members in Osaka Thursday that he received a donation from Prime M
TOYONAKA, OSAKA PREF. – The head of scandal-tainted Moritomo Gakuen, Yasunori Kagoike, told a delegation of Diet members in Osaka Thursday that he received a donation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to help build an elementary school that promotes a nationalist education.
Abe has denied the claim, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
Kagoike made the comments to nearly a dozen visiting lawmakers at the site of a Moritomo-run elementary school , which is embroiled in a land scandal that has reached the highest levels of government.
He said that while the plan to open the new school in April was called off, the structure was built and the scandal has affected all of the companies involved in its construction.
“We tried to build this school to everyone’s intentions. I’m announcing that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s donation was included,” Kagoike said in remarks picked up by news cameras from the grounds of the Mizuho no Kuni elementary school.
During his regular news conference in Tokyo late Thursday afternoon, Suga dismissed the claim. Suga told reporters that when he asked Abe about the matter, the prime minister denied making any donation himself, through his wife Akie or any other third party.
