Education minister Hirokazu Matsuno said Thursday that the ministry has found digital copies of 14 of 19 documents related to the Kake Gakuen scandal, including those suggesting the Cabinet Office pressured the ministry to approve a university project citing "the intent" of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The confirmed copies of the documents will deal a serious blow to Abe's Cabinet, as the government has denied their existence.
The ministry was forced to reopen its probe into the papers this week after heated public criticism following media reports of statements by anonymous whistleblowers and former top ministry official Kihei Maekawa.