Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is embroiled in scandal. The leader faces allegations that he exercised undue influence by pushing the Education Ministry to approve a veterinary school and that his defense minister concealed logbooks related to Japan's peacekeeping mission in South Sudan to mask security conditions. Abe spoke in front of an ad hoc lower house budget committee session July 24 to address the controversies. The meetings will continue for a second day July 25. In the school scandal, the prime minister denied allegations that he had foreknowledge of the veterinary school's application, and an aide said that his only involvement was to urge progress on deregulation of school authorization. Abe also accepted criticisms of Defense Minister Tomomi Inada for her involvement in the South Sudan scandal. Still, overcoming the developments will be no small feat for the prime minister....
