Couple at center of Abe cronyism scandal found guilty over fraud

The defendants argued the prosecutors' demand for punishment should have taken into account that they have already paid back 900,000 yen

The prosecutors should ask for that number to be taken into account too. Where's the rest of it?

ClippetyClopToday  04:18 pm JST

Where's the rest of it?

The article says they said they submitted a plan for the repayment of the remainder.

All to shut them up.

Nothing about the corrupt sale of the land by the govt for a fraction of it's real value - ￥900mil. to ￥100m

Who was prosecuted in that case? No one.

Only sadly a bureaucrat who took his own life because of all the lies he was being forced to lived to protect the upper echelons of Govt. The prosecutors obviously under pressure couldn't find "enough evidence " to proceed.

But conveniently evidence was "found" against the Kagoikes to arrest, convict and jail them to effectively silence them.

Abe & wife Akie have stench all around them concerning this.

____ year sentence, suspended for ___ years.

Akie, who was an acquaintance of the couple, was named honorary principal of the elementary school. She had shown empathy toward the school's nationalistic principles but stepped down from the post in the wake of the scandal.

I love this comment. She was an acquaintance but was named honorary principal! I don’t think so! She and good old Shinzo were strong supporters of their right wing ideology these people were professing.

I don’t feel any sympathy for them, if things had worked out they’d be teaching Right wing propaganda to young impressionable children.

Geez... a suspended sentence. Who'd a thunk it (for the wife, anyway).

The heavily discounted sale sparked cronyism allegations against Abe as his wife Akie, who was an acquaintance of the couple, was named honorary principal of the elementary school. She had shown empathy toward the school's nationalistic principles but stepped down from the post in the wake of the scandal.

Where there's smoke there is a fire...

During the trial, Kagoike said he became acquainted with Akie through a parent of his school around 2011 and that he received 1 million yen from Akie in 2015, quoting her as saying that "it is from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe." But Abe has denied giving him the money.

Look, they can have their little merry go round of denials, but the public is not that stupid. Everyone knows the Abes were involved. This stinks to high heaven.

So, where are Abe’s nationalists to be schooled next?

Although the Finance Ministry punished 20 officials, including Nobuhisa Sagawa who led the ministry's bureau in charge of the land sale, over the falsification and destruction of documents related to the land deal, prosecutors did not indict any officials over the incident.

What a farce of justice. The real culprits of this scandal did not get anything because they were protected by the government to presumably protect Abe and his wife. Falsification and destruction of evidence is not an incident, this is crime. The government turned itself as a victim of those two clowns and used them as the ideal  scapegoats so that it could deviate the public opinion away from its shameful corruption.

Meanwhile, another couple at the center of the ABE cronyism scandal gets away with it completely. Business as usual.

Rook takes out pawn and the spectators yawn

When are the Japanese people going to wake up and throw their corrupt overlords into the sea?

Abe dodged that bullet well. I’d still like to know who was responsible for the heavily discounted sale of the land.

Something tells me there is a bit more to this story.

Please, let's have the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Nice clothes paid for my our tax dollars.

When are the Japanese people going to wake up and throw their corrupt overlords into the seas.

When the US deems necessary to do so. Sorry to result with a conspiracy theory of American domination of Japanese politics. Ever since Snowden leaked the info of NSA being active in Japan and US President spies on every important member of Japan, the conspiracy goes from theory to the truth.

There is no god damn way that Abe and his nationalist goons, being corrupt idiots, can get away with their ill-deeds. Guess what, they did even though Japanese people witnessed their crimes in front of their eyes. Nothing changes! The only reasonable explanation is that the US keeps the LDP and Abe family alive. Shinzo Abe is the champion of ass-kisser towards the US and Trump in the last three years is a proof of that. The US can remove him and LDP from power to put either the JCP or Democratic Party of Japan in charge. Well, the Americans see that either option can be disruptive in their domination of East Asia.

Wow!!!!!this is japan. even with judgement from the courts, the real culprits get away. Who wants to tell the real truth ???.when the real big guys get away.

Suspended sentence, what a waste, Abe needs to be in jail over this, I hope he can sleep well

Year of the rat!? Not so good..and were only a month and a half into it. Virus, Olympics, tax hike. Our Dear Leader's smirk is gone. More to come?

I really wanted to see some govt. officials get reamed for this but they all got off scott free.

Hilarious. He deserves a lot more, though. It’s unfortunate that his wife didn’t get the same punishment, she’s just as filthy as him.

Abe and his wife Akie better hope no one gives him and his awful wife a massive payout to tell all about the corruption involved with this farce

this racist clown got served. Rare in Japan, but surely it was because he was the fall guy.

Two crooked old grubs. Enjoy prison, loser. I wonder if Shinzo and Akie will go and visit their buddy inside?!

Takes 2 to tango. Where are the sentences for those in government involved in the scandal?

The school they built is sitting mothballed not far from where I live. It's a huge, modern looking building that is going completely unused. What a huge waste of money.

It's only one of Abe's cronyism scandal found, they will be punished to pay fine or go to prison but the main person can stay there governing one of the longest period under LDP party administration and free of any accuse even using the budgeted figures to those doughty scandals, that's abnormal from the citizen position and normal to person who can stay there because no one can replace him, from me a special single word, insane!!

A 5 year stint in a for a 67 year old in a Japanese prison is a pretty solid sentence.

No chance of a pardon from Shinzo either.

gary

At the Osaka District Court, Yasunori Kagoike, the 67-year-old former chief of Moritomo Gakuen, was also convicted of unlawfully receiving local government subsidies and sentenced to five years in prison.

Two crooked old grubs. Enjoy prison, loser.

Interesting comments above. No complaints about Hostage  justice or questions about a fair trial I see.

Kagoike committed crimes - no doubt about that and deserved sentencing. However, the fact that Abe & cohorts were never investigated by prosecutors to the same degree - or at all - over the millions of govt money lost in the land sale, does take the edge of whether or not this was a fair trial or was it a trial to take the heat of the crooks in the LDP.

I believe in Abe, he is a real gentleman.

Did I get it right? So Akie gave Kagoike 1 million yen (monthly salary of an average Japanese), and now Abe has connection with his dark business? It sounds more like he (and his cohorts) tried to make a real scandal from a minimum investment.

Whipping boys - they'll be compensated for their pain later....

And Shinzo is untouchable!

Teflon Shinzo

The sentence was not suspended as lesson to all to not go up against the powers that be.

What's going on with that weird beige flap on her coat and the giant figure on his tie?

@Kobe White Bar Owner: Read again, it was suspended for 5 years.

Takes 2 to tango. Where are the sentences for those in government involved in the scandal?

Exactly this! ^

How would one go about "illegally receiving" money from the government with the thousands of professional rubber-stampers and teeth suckers in any Japanese municipality?

These guys were just the patsies for Abe's failed plans to finally create a new Japan that honors the old Japanese nationalist ideologies (that still exist just under the surface). Extremist, and sickening!

Yet, the majority of Japanese citizens continue to tacitly condone the LDP's antiquated and fascist tendencies. You get what you deserve!

Abe and his wife have been largely left alone. That in itself is a scandal.

Abe is learning how to pardon them anyway, lol