More Moritomo Gakuen documents disclosed to widow of MOF official
The newly disclosed 8,800-page documents, kept by the ministry's Kinki Local Finance Bureau, where Akagi was working, contain his handwritten notes as well as emails and other internal records associated with his job.
They are the second set of Moritomo documents voluntarily submitted to prosecutors and disclosed to the widow, Masako Akagi, by the ministry after a bundle of some 2,200 pages made available to her in April.
In response to an Osaka High Court ruling revoking the ministry's decision not to release the documents, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato in March promised their full disclosure.
The papers that were handed to the widow in April unveiled the process of the land plot in question being sold to the Osaka-based private school operator at a substantial discount as the construction site for an elementary school.
The ministry started tampering with the Moritomo documents after then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a parliamentary meeting in 2017 that he would quit not only as prime minister but as a lawmaker if he or his wife, Akie, or both were found to have been involved in the land deal. Akie was named honorary principal of the planned elementary school.
The ministry intends to gradually disclose all the documents, which total more than 170,000 pages.
In a related development, the ministry disclosed in June 2021 the so-called "Akagi file," which was compiled by the deceased official to show how he was forced to tamper with the documents. However, the partially blackened-out file failed to reveal details of the ministry's misconduct.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
an hour ago
- NHK
Prices of more than 1,000 food items rising in August in Japan
Food inflation is accelerating in Japan, driven mainly by higher ingredient costs. Private research firm Teikoku Databank polled 195 major domestic food makers. It found that price hikes averaging 11 percent are planned for 1,010 items in August. Food prices are rising faster than last year for the eighth month in a row. Seasonings, including spices and broths, account for the largest number at 470. This is followed by 281 dairy items like milk and yoghurt, and 109 processed-food products, such as frozen foods. The research firm cites surging material prices and higher production costs as contributing factors. Teikoku Databank expects hikes for more than 19,000 items by November. That would be over 50 percent more products priced higher than the total number in 2024. Furthermore, the number of food items in line for price hikes in October is likely to top 3,000. The figure is the second largest after that in April. The research firm says some manufacturers are taking steps in anticipation of further rises in costs, making it highly likely food inflation will continue as a long-term trend.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Ishiba unlikely to make personal statement on WWII anniversary
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided not to make a personal statement on the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II on Aug. 15, sources have said. Ishiba had also considered making such a statement on Sept. 2, the date when Japan formally signed the surrender document in 1945, but no such announcement is likely to be made that day either, senior government officials and lawmakers in Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Saturday. Ishiba is still looking for an appropriate time to make a statement, which would be based on the results of a review of the war. But some believe that it would be difficult to do so any time soon. A personal statement by Ishiba, who is viewed as relatively dovish, could intensify the calls for his resignation that have emerged inside the LDP — especially among the party's more hawkish wing — following its rout in the July 20 Upper House election. Japan has issued a prime minister's statement to mark each of the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of the country's surrender in the war. But this tradition of marking key anniversaries could be broken by Ishiba. The prime minister has already given up on the idea of releasing a prime minister's statement on the war that requires Cabinet approval. He is instead considering working on a document to present his view, based on the results of experts' examination of the circumstances that led Japan to enter the war. But preparations for such a document did not progress because he was busy with the Upper House election and the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations. A source close to the prime minister said Ishiba would not be able to announce his views by Sept. 2. In a statement issued 10 years ago, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the deep remorse and heartfelt apology expressed by past Cabinets "will remain unshakable." However, Abe also said: "We must not let our children, grandchildren, and even further generations to come, who have nothing to do with that war, be predestined to apologize." Supporting this view, many LDP lawmakers who belonged to the now-defunct faction that had been led by Abe think that no further war statements are necessary. Ishiba appears to believe that releasing a personal statement would further fuel the moves to oust him that are already simmering within the party. "It's better not to release anything," a source close to the prime minister said. Ishiba has not entirely scrapped the idea of compiling a paper to show his view. Sources said that he is looking for the appropriate time, while monitoring the situation inside the party. But he may be forced to abandon the idea if LDP turmoil continues. With the LDP having suffered three consecutive election setbacks, following last October's Lower House election and the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election last month, long-standing dissatisfaction with Ishiba's leadership has boiled over among his rivals. A number of LDP members are calling on him to resign, but Ishiba has vowed to stay on in order to deal with pressing issues, including the matter of U.S. tariffs on Japanese goods, and in the belief that stepping down would lead to more political uncertainty. The LDP is planning to hold a joint plenary meeting of all its parliamentary members on Friday, during which Ishiba will likely face pressure to quit. An LDP panel is also formally assessing the results of the Upper House election and will release its report this month. Depending on the content of the report, calls for Ishiba to take responsibility may further intensify.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
BOJ watchers bring forward next rate hike call after trade deals
Bank of Japan watchers brought forward their forecast for when they expect the next interest rate hike, after clarity over trade increased with U.S. President Donald Trump announcing deals, including one with Japan. Some 42% of 45 economists surveyed by Bloomberg anticipate the move in October, jumping from 32% in the previous survey. Analyst views were last canvassed before the announcement of Japan's trade pact with the U.S. on July 22, and last week's BOJ policy decision. Those predicting it in January slightly dropped to a third, while those expecting December doubled to 11%. No one foresees action at the next meeting in September as their base case, but in a risk scenario, about a quarter said the hike could come as soon as next month. Some 60% said the next hike could come as early as October. The results show that many BOJ watchers are convinced the next increase in borrowing costs is coming closer, even after Gov. Kazuo Ueda signaled caution on Thursday. Analysts pointed to the fact that the BOJ upgraded its inflation forecasts more than expected and raised its risk balance view as evidence the bank is making progress toward a rate move. "This meeting laid the groundwork for the next hike,' Kento Minami, senior economist at Daiwa Securities, wrote in his survey response. "Considering upside price risks from food and potentially a weak yen, the condition is suited for another move this year once resilience in corporate activity is confirmed.' The BOJ boosted its price projection sharply to 2.7% for this fiscal year from 2.2% in its quarterly outlook report released Thursday. The bank now sees the risk for prices as generally balanced after seeing only downside risks three months ago. Still, the hawkish signals in the report were toned down during Ueda's post-meeting news conference. The governor repeatedly highlighted the fact that though a little less than before, uncertainty remains high, and indicated little urgency toward a hike by saying there's a low risk of falling behind the curve in responding to inflation. Naka Matsuzawa, chief strategist at Nomura Securities, concluded that Ueda's news conference and the BOJ's statements were hawkish overall, partly because it's natural for a central banker to deny the likelihood of falling behind the curve as it's taboo to be in that position. Some 49% of surveyed economists said that Ueda's remarks at his news conference were neutral, while 44% said it was dovish. Only 5% said it was hawkish. The comments led the yen to break a key psychological level of ¥150 per dollar, reaching its weakest point since March on Friday. After yen weakness has played a major role in pushing the BOJ toward a policy shift in the past, analysts say it could happen again this time. Some 44% said the possibility is rising for the yen to become a key factor to nudge the bank toward another hike, while 35% didn't see such an increase. About a fifth said it's hard to tell. "If there's considerable yen depreciation, there's a risk scenario where the BOJ may opt for an earlier rate hike while highlighting upside movements in underlying inflation,' said Takeshi Yamaguchi, chief Japan economist at Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities. In addition to still unclear economic pressure from tariffs and a weak yen, many analysts cited political uncertainty as a potential hurdle for the central bank as it navigates monetary policy. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is facing calls to resign after he faced a historic defeat in the Upper House election on July 20, losing a majority in both houses of parliament for his ruling coalition. Some 71% of the surveyed economists said that there is a risk that Ueda's board won't be able to raise rates this year if Ishiba is replaced by a monetary easing advocate, while 19% said that won't be the case. With Ueda's repeated message that he wants to parse data broadly and carefully before considering the next hike, some BOJ watchers doubt whether the BOJ will have enough data on hand to say another rate change is warranted this year. "It takes time to confirm the impact of tariffs in data, even if the effects end up being smaller than expected,' said Shigeto Nagai, former head of BOJ's international department and currently the head of Oxford Economics in Japan. "It's impossible to raise rates again this year.'
