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On March 12, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press occasion at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Regarding the alteration of documents by the Ministry of Finance, the Prime Minister said,

“Today, the Ministry of Finance has disclosed these documents. This matter shakes the trust that people have in the government as a whole, and I feel deeply responsible as the head of the government. I would like to express my profound apology to the people.

Sincerely taking heed of the stern eye of the people, we will continue to conduct investigations to fully elucidate why this has happened. I would like Minister of Finance Aso to fulfill this responsibility. Beyond that, once the whole truth is revealed, I would like him to make every effort to reform the organization in order to regain the trust of the public, so that this sort of thing never happens again.”