On October 3, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) in Japan disclosed a vast amount of documents, totaling 28,438 pages, pertaining to the controversial sale of national land to the school corporation Moritomo Gakuen based in Osaka. This disclosure came after new underground waste was discovered on the property in March 2016, revealing exchanges where Moritomo Gakuen purportedly pushed for a significantly lower price for the land. Initially leased to the school, the land was sold in June of that year for 134 million yen, a price that had been reduced by approximately 820 million yen to account for the removal of hazardous underground waste, which was an extraordinary concession in response to the school's requests.

The released meeting records indicate that the then-president of Moritomo Gakuen, Yoshinori Kagoike, visited the Kinki Regional Taxation Bureau on March 18, 2016, claiming that estimated costs for fully improving the land were exorbitantly high and expressing concerns about the feasibility of launching the school project. This interaction reflects the school's desire to ensure that the transaction would not later be contested due to potential liabilities regarding sub-surface issues. Subsequently, on March 24 of the same year, Kagoike, accompanied by a lawyer, suggested to officials that if the government provided a low purchase price, the school would agree not to contest any future risks related to underground remnants.

This disclosure and the associated pressures placed on the MoF by Moritomo Gakuen raise significant questions about transparency in government land transactions and the potential influence of private entities on public policy. The revelations are part of a broader scandal that has implications for the Japanese political landscape, particularly involving former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which may lead to ongoing scrutiny and demands for accountability regarding the management of public resources and integrity in governmental operations.