Government to Release Controversial Documents on Discounted Land Sale after Legal Battle

Following a significant legal defeat, the government has announced its intention to release key documents concerning the heavily discounted sale of government-owned land to Moritomo Gakuen, a private school operator. The disclosure is expected within a year and comes after the finance minister stated that releasing these records is necessary due to the significant public interest. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba specifically instructed authorities to expedite this release.

The documents to be disclosed include detailed records likely prepared by Toshio Akagi, a former Finance Ministry bureaucrat from the Kinki Local Finance Bureau. Tragically, Akagi committed suicide after allegedly being pressured to falsify administrative records tied to the land sale. In 2021, the government already released a detailed 518-page record known as the "Akagi File," which outlined falsified information.

Initially, the government resisted efforts by Akagi's widow, Masako, to reveal more records through a freedom-of-information request submitted in 2021. The government refused to acknowledge even the existence of some documents, arguing that revealing them could expose investigative procedures. Masako subsequently filed a lawsuit with the Osaka District Court, although the court initially sided with government officials and denied her request to access these documents.

However, after further challenges, the Osaka High Court reversed that earlier decision in January, determining that withholding the documents was illegal, particularly because the prosecutors had already concluded their investigation without bringing indictments against those involved. The government chose not to appeal this high court ruling and now plans to disclose the negotiation records from 2016, along with documents likely compiled by Akagi, beginning as soon as next month.

Still, the government intends to conceal sensitive parts of the documents, including communications involving prosecutors' offices and personal details that would violate individual privacy rights. Masako has strongly urged authorities to maximize openness in the disclosure process to shed full light on the matter.

The controversy surrounding the Moritomo Gakuen land sale intensified when it was revealed that references to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and his widow Akie Abe—who briefly served as honorary principal at the planned Moritomo elementary school—were deliberately removed from official records. The impending document disclosure is expected to further clarify these issues and respond to growing public calls for transparency.