Abe's office involved in school-linked favoritism scandal: former government official

Former Japanese vice-education minister Kihei Maekawa (front) speaks at the parliament in Tokyo, Japan, July 10, 2017. A former Japanese government official on Monday said the office of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had influenced the government's selection of a veterinary school to be opened at a university run by a close friend of Abe's. [Photo/Xinhua]

TOKYO - A former Japanese government official on Monday said the office of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had influenced the government's selection of a veterinary school to be opened at a university run by a close friend of Abe's.

Former vice-education minister Kihei Maekawa disclosed the information as he gave unsworn testimony before a Diet committee meeting at the parliament.

He told the committee during a special reconvened session that the selection process for a new veterinary department to be opened at the Okayama University of Science in Ehime Prefecture - a special economic zone - was vague and ambiguous and that the prime minister's office was pulling the strings.

"The prime minister's office worked behind the scenes and it was the Cabinet Office, not the prime minister's office, that was responsible for dealing with issues related to special economic zones," Maekawa told the committee, speaking as an unsworn witness summoned by the opposition camp.

Maekawa also referred to Kotaro Kake, a chairman of Kake Educational Institution, which runs the university, as being a close friend of the prime minister and underscored the fact that the institution failed to meet four necessary requirements to open the new schools, as required by the education ministry.

Maekawa explained how all other candidates were excluded from the selection process by new conditions being added that only Kake Educational Institution could meet.

He said that the entire selection process seemed to be rigged in favor of Kake Educational Institution being picked to open the new veterinary school, which would be the first of its kind in Japan in 50 years.

The committee meeting, however, was not attended by Abe, who is on a European tour following his participation in the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Opposition parties had initially refused to hold the session without Abe in attendance, before agreeing to the special parliamentary session, and Monday reiterated their demands for Abe to attend a separate session upon his return to be grilled on the matter.