TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday said he had received a salary and been listed as an executive member of a school operator run by his close friend, which had been given preferential treatment to open a new department at a university. Speaking at a parliamentary committee, the Japanese leader said he had received 140,000 yen ($1,260) a year in the form of a salary from Kake Educational Institution, which currently operates Okayama University of Science. It was selected and offered heavy subsidies to open a new veterinary department. The chairman of the institution, Kotaro Kake, is known to be a close friend of the prime minister. "I was in charge of auditing or something else at the institution for a couple of years after I was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1993," Abe was quoted as saying in the House of Councilors Judicial Affairs Committee. Okayama University of Science, in Ehime Prefecture, was handpicked by the government to open a new veterinary medicine school for the first time in 50 years. The prefecture is one of Japan's national strategic special economic zones, which has far more relaxed regulations to boost growth in the area, as part of Abe's overall growth strategy. Kake Educational Institution was selected for the project in a meeting held between the central and local governments in January. The local city assembly then provided the land to the institution to build the new department for free, records showed, and, in addition, they provided 9.6 billion yen as a subsidy for construction costs, the accounts showed. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Abe's top spokesperson, continued to deny that Abe had any influence over the government's decision to back the university project, suggesting that there was nothing wrong with the prime minister serving as an executive member of the institution and receiving a salary. However, Abe still refused to allow Kihei Maekawa, a former vice education minister, to testify over potentially incriminating documents. The four main opposition parties believe Abe may have used his influence on behalf of his school operator friend, but the prime minister claimed on Monday such allegations were inaccurate. The opposition camp has been rallying over the latest scandal involving the prime minister and a school operator. Abe, his wife and other senior ministers were recently embroiled in another as yet unresolved cut-price government land deal with another private school operator in Osaka. Moritomo Gakuen, the operator of a nationalist school in Osaka, said it had received a donation and the backing of Abe to open a new school on a piece of land owned by the government and sold to the operator for just a fraction of its appraisal value. Abe's wife, at one point, was to be the school's honorary principal. Xinhua (China Daily 06/01/2017 page12) 24 hour wristbandsbatman wristband24hr wristbandmake your own bracelet cheapcustom wristbands no minimumbracelet maker onlinecustom rubber braceletsprinted bracelets
Guo Feng, a 39-year-old with Down syndrome, waits for a bus with his mother, Meng Fanrong. [Photo by Liang Yingfei/For China Daily] A lack of care options means many will have no support when their elderly parents die, as Xin Wen reports. Meng Fanrong once considered jumping into the Pearl River in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, with her baby son in her arms because she was fearful of the future that awaited him. Meng, now 70, quickly abandoned the idea, but her concerns over the future of her son, who has Down syndrome, persist nearly 40 years later. Guo Feng, 39, is unable to speak, so he can't alert anyone if he is unwell or experiencing pain, and Meng can only discern his state of health through tiny changes in his expression. He is also unable to care for himself or perform basic tasks, and it took years to teach him basic skills, such as getting a newspaper from the newsstand or pouring water from the kettle. Down syndrome, also called trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder that results when a person is born with three, rather than two, copies of chromosome 21. The extra chromosome results in impaired mental capacity, delayed growth, flat facial features and lower immunity to a number of illnesses. The mental ability of an adult with Down syndrome is equal to that of a child age 8 or 9. More than 2 million people in China have Down syndrome, according to the China Association of Persons with Intellectual Disability and their Relatives. They have trouble communicating and controlling their emotions, and often rely on their parents for care into adulthood. As their parents age, though, the question of future care becomes an overriding concern. People with Down syndrome generally take a long time to adapt to new environments, and some never adjust to new surroundings. Helping them to adapt requires knowledge of the syndrome, familiarity with the person's habits and endless patience. As a result, many parents worry that without professional care, their children won't be able to adapt at all, and are concerned that caregivers will lose patience and mistreat their charges.
