Jul 25 (NHK) - Japan's prime minister faced a second day of questioning in an ad hoc Diet session over allegations he misused his influence to help a long-time friend open a vet school in western Japan. Lawmakers grilled Shinzo Abe over when exactly he learned his friend was submitting his application.
An opposition leader charges the claims Abe made Monday about the timing contradicted his previous Diet statements. Abe says it wasn't until his friend officially won the bid on January 20th that he learned about the application.
Democratic Party President Renho said, "But it wasn't January 20th was it? Can you please go through your memory again? "
Prime Minister Abe said, "In my role as the chair of the Council on National Strategic Special Zones, I learned that the plan was Kake Educational Institution's when the council gave approval. I must apologize for mixing up the date when I first learned Kake was applying and when I learned the city was applying. But what I've said is the truth."
Renho said, "People are having doubts because some inside your administration lose their memories and records and keep their mouths shut. If someone outside the administration speaks out, they bash them. And people in the administration constantly rewrite previous statements saying they never said them. "
After the approval, local governments decided they would give the operator free land and subsidies, all worth tens of millions of dollars.
