Abe pledges constitution change amid scandal

TOKYO: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed yesterday to press on with his controversial move to amend Japan's pacifist constitution, undeterred by a political scandal that has dented his popularity, reports AFP.

Abe's political capital is dwindling due to a widening scandal over the cut-price sale of government land to one of his supporters, with the opposition suggesting his wife Akie may have played a role.

The scandal worsened when finance ministry bureaucrats admitted altering official records of the sales, erasing references to Abe and his wife as well as other political figures.

"I will thoroughly investigate and show the whole picture of what happened," Abe told the annual meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

"And I will fulfil my duty by rebuilding the (government) organisation so that this will not happen again," he said, reiterating his resolve to stay in power.

 

Abe pledges constitution change amid scandal

TOKYO: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed yesterday to press on with his controversial move to amend Japans pacifist constitution, undeterred by a political scandal that has dented his popularity, reports AFP. Abes political capital is dwindling due to a widening scandal over the cut-price sale of government land to one of his supporters, with the opposition suggesting his wife Akie may have played a role. The scandal worsened when finance ministry bureaucrats admitted altering official records of the sales, erasing references to Abe and his wife as well as other political figures. I will thoroughly investigate and show the whole picture of what happened, Abe told the annual meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. And I will fulfil my duty by rebuilding the (government) organisation so that this will not happen again, he said, reiterating his resolve to stay in power.