Key Facts
• Former Finance Ministry official Toshio Akagi, 54, died by suicide in 2018.
• Akagi was ordered to tamper with public documents related to Moritomo Gakuen land sale.
• January 2025: Osaka High Court ruling led to Finance Ministry’s decision to release 170,000 pages of documents by March 2026.
• June 11, 2025: 9,000 pages, including Akagi’s notes, were disclosed.
• Akagi’s notes, dated April 14, 2017, reference Criminal Procedure Code Article 239.
• Notes suggest Akagi strongly questioned the tampering orders.
• Former PM Shinzo Abe denied involvement, stating he would resign if proven otherwise.
• Investigation report identified Nobuhisa Sagawa, ex-Director-General of the Financial Bureau, as leading the tampering.
• Legal team continues analyzing disclosed documents for new evidence.
Summary
The Moritomo Gakuen scandal, involving the tampering of public documents, has resurfaced with the release of new evidence. Toshio Akagi, a former Finance Ministry official who died by suicide in 2018, left behind notes expressing strong doubts about the tampering orders he received. These notes, dated April 14, 2017, were among 9,000 pages of documents disclosed on June 11, 2025, following a court ruling earlier this year. The Finance Ministry plans to release 170,000 pages of related documents by March 2026. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denied any involvement, while an investigation report pointed to Nobuhisa Sagawa as the tampering’s orchestrator. Legal teams are analyzing the documents to uncover further truths.
