The former boss of a senior welfare ministry official who was arrested Sunday for alleged involvement in abusing a postage discount system for the disabled has indicated the ministry yielded to pressure from a lawmaker, investigative sources said Tuesday.
The former superior of Atsuko Muraki, 53, who was director general of the Equal Employment, Children and Families Bureau under the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, told prosecutors that ministry officials did a favor for a Democratic Party of Japan Diet member in exchange for backing legislation to promote self-support of the disabled, the sources said.
Neither the ex-boss nor the DPJ member were identified.