The top government spokesman Thursday denied a report that U.S. President Donald Trump asked Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2017 to "strongly consider" affording one of his biggest sponsors a license to operate a casino in Japan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga responded tersely to the investigative report by U.S. nonprofit organization ProPublica during a regular press briefing, referring to Abe's past denial in the Diet of the allegation.
"The prime minister responded to the matter before. That's all I have to say," Suga said.