Transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara said Friday he would not comply with a request by Haruho Fujii for exemption from the public servant's oath to keep official secrets.
Fujii was dismissed by Ishihara as Japan Highway Public Corp. president earlier the same day.
The request was made earlier this week, when Fujii's attorneys sent a letter to Ishihara, asking whether Fujii could reveal unspecified information he had obtained while serving at the former Construction Ministry.