New measures were taken Friday to strengthen oversight of government documents in light of the document-tampering seen in the Moritomo Gakuen scandal that has dogged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Under the new plan, a document oversight body within the Cabinet Office will be given greater authority to constantly monitor documents at all ministries and agencies. Government officials could be dismissed in cases where they alter documents that have already been officially approved.
The government is trying to regain public trust with the new measures after the Finance Ministry admitted tampering with approved documents that detailed the murky land deal at the center of the Moritomo scandal. The ministry punished 20 bureaucrats involved, including the former head of the National Tax Agency. One civil servant who was directly involved in the shady deal committed suicide, leaving behind a note.