Contradiction in Explanation

The more he is trying to be persuasive, the deeper he falls in contradiction. In the discussion over Kake Gakuen scandal at the Committee of Budget in the House of Councillors on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe insisted on the date of realizing the plan for new veterinary school of Kake as January 20^th of this year. He could not explain, anyway, his former reference that had indicated his acknowledgement of the plan. Abe is not good at logical thinking.

To a question about when he had known Kake’s application to National Strategic Special District for new veterinary school in a discussion on June 5^th, Abe answered that he recognized it at the time when Kake Gakuen filed the application with City of Imabari. But, the time when Imabari applied to the District was actually June 2015, one and a half year before the date Abe indicated. Abe is doubted that he has known Kake’s application long before.

Here’s explanation of Abe. There are two types of Special District: one is for National Strategic and another is for Structural Reform. Kake Gakuen, with City of Imabari, applied to Structural Reform Special District in June 2015 and Imabari solely applied for National Strategic Special District in January this year. When I asked about the time I realized the application of Kake for National Strategic Special District, I told the date which indicated the time of applying for Structural Reform Special District. It was this January that I realized Kake’s application.

The opposite parties revealed that Abe had a number of meetings, playing golf or having dinner for fourteen times at least, with Chairman Kotaro Kake before this January. It is natural for one to think that they must have discussed the application during golf or dinner. Nevertheless, Abe denied the possibility of discussion on the issue. It was also revealed in the Committee that Kake had meetings with other Ministers, in each of which they discussed the application. Kake did not do that only with Prime Minister. Can it be so?

Bureaucrats kept on arguing that they had no memory. When a lawmaker, Mitsuru Sakurai, asked former Advisor for Prime Minister, Tadao Yanase, whether Yanase remembered the opportunity of having dinner with Sakurai, Yanase answered that he could remember that it was seven or eight years ago. “So, how about the meeting one and a half year ago?” asked Sakurai, indicating Yanase’s meeting with staffs of Imabari City. “I don’t think I met them, as far as I can remember,” told Yanase. Memory about seven years ago is clear and about one and a half years ago is unclear for Yanase. Abe’s favoritism for Kake has not removed at all.