A document has been found suggesting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was involved in the government decision to approve the subsidized construction of a new department at a university run by a friend, an opposition lawmaker alleged Wednesday.
Kake Educational Institution was chosen to open a veterinary medicine department in a special strategic zone of Ehime Prefecture. These zones are designated by the government to have looser regulations as part of the Abe administration's growth strategy.
The claim follows months of scrutiny over the ties between Abe and another private school operator in Osaka, Moritomo Gakuen, which bought a piece of state-owned land at a dramatically reduced price in a murky deal.