The Finance Ministry has decided to admit that documents related to the shady 2016 land deal struck with Osaka-based school operator Moritomo Gakuen were secretly revised and that key parts were dropped from the version released to lawmakers last year, informed sources said Saturday.
The missing parts include an explanation of the history of the negotiations with Moritomo, which planned to open an elementary school on the plot in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture. In addition, phrases describing the "exceptional nature" of the heavily discounted land deal were deleted, the sources said.
The document-tampering was first reported by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, causing a huge public stir. If the allegations are true, it would likely constitute a violation of the Penal Code that bans the fabrication of public documents.