Govt. Reveals Land Sale File By Regional Official
The Japanese government has disclosed a file left by a regional Finance Ministry bureau official who committed suicide. The disclosure was in response to his widow's request.
The file is said to include details on how the official was ordered to falsify documents related to the sale of state-owned land to a school operator despite his strong protest.
Akagi Toshio, an official of the ministry's regional bureau in Osaka, committed suicide in 2018.
His widow, Akagi Masako, is seeking damages from the government and a former boss of her husband. She had also demanded the disclosure of the file her husband had left at his workplace.
She received the file after it was delivered to her lawyer's office in Osaka on Tuesday morning.
In the 518-page file, Akagi writes that he strongly protested to the ministry that the original documents should not be revised.
He writes that he will record the process of events because he is not convinced by the ministry's explanation that it will bear full responsibility for the changes.
Akagi made a list of who gave what instructions and when, and how the regional bureau responded. The file includes emails from the ministry as well as the original documents and revised ones. He is thought to have included them to substantiate his case.
Akagi Masako said it was heartbreaking to see her husband's handwriting and to think how much he must have suffered.
She also said she believes her husband fulfilled his duty as a civil servant by leaving the file for the public. She said she will think of the documents as his last words and read them carefully.
Finance Minister Aso Taro, who also serves as deputy prime minister, declined to comment on the details of the file, citing a court hearing on Wednesday at which oral arguments are due to be made by the ministry.
The ministry disclosed the file with the names of some officials blacked out.
Aso said this was done to protect the privacy of individuals and keep information secure and that the ministry had already explained this to the court.
He said the ministry will deal with the case sincerely in accordance with court proceedings. He also said the Finance Ministry exhausted its investigation into the falsification issue and that it will not re-investigate.