Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared more contrite than ever — following a steep plunge in the once-high-flying support ratings of his Cabinet and severe setbacks for his Liberal Democratic Party in recent elections. He took the blame for "shortcomings" in his explanations over the Kake Gakuen and other scandals that hurt his administration. He even said it was understandable for voters to suspect favoritism in a government deregulatory measure that involved his longtime friend — though he continued to deny any favoritism took place.

But the ad hoc two-day Diet inquiry held this week did not seem to provide fresh answers to lingering questions over the Kake Gakuen scandal — whether senior officials cited the "prime minister's intent" in prodding the reluctant education ministry to expedite the process for allowing a university run by Abe's close friend to open a new veterinary medicine department, or whether the school operator Kake Gakuen, headed by the friend Kotaro Kake, was favored in the selection process.

As he sought to rule out his own involvement in the process, Abe went on to say that he only learned of Kake Gakuen's bid for opening the new department on Jan. 20, when the bid was officially approved as a project under the government's special strategic district. The explanation sounds hardly plausible, however, given that Abe and Kake — friends from their school days — dined and played golf together for at least six times over the six months to last December, according to a tally by the opposition camp. Over the same period, Abe also presided over the government's deregulatory conference that discussed special strategic district projects, including the opening of a new veterinary medicine department. Abe said he was "confused" and "inaccurate" when he earlier told the Diet that he had learned of Kake's bid before Jan. 20.