A former top bureaucrat with the education ministry admitted Tuesday that the ministry had been systematically involved in seeking new jobs for retiring public servants.
An ongoing government investigation into the scandal turned up evidence that the ministry has been involved for several years in facilitating amakudari (descent from heaven), the practice of retired bureaucrats acquiring lucrative jobs in sectors they once oversaw.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who commissioned a government-wide investigation last month, pledged to formulate a response based on the probe's findings.