Pressure on PM mounting

– Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeated denials yesterday that he or his wife had made donations to the head of a Japanese nationalist school at the heart of a political scandal that is chipping away at Abe’s support.

School principal Yasunori Kagoike said on Thursday he had received one million yen (R112 200) in an envelope from Abe’s wife, Akie, on behalf of her husband.

Kagoike’s educational group, Moritomo Gakuen, is at the centre of controversy over a land deal in which the school bought property for a fraction of the appraisal price.

Officials say the discount reflected clean-up costs.

Abe’s wife this week denied on her Facebook page making the donation, but Japan’s largest opposition party has demanded her sworn testimony in parliament.

Akie Abe had been set to become the honorary principal of the school, which was to open in April with a curriculum based on pre-war patriotism, but cut her ties after the scandal broke.

Prime Minister Abe has said he would resign if evidence was found that he or his wife intervened in the land deal or helped the school get accredited.