Probe begins for Abe school scandal

TOKYO • Osaka prefecture has launched a probe into education operator Moritomo Gakuen's bid for an elementary school at the centre of a sweetheart deal that has ensnared Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose support plunged nearly 30 percentage points in a new Nikkei poll.

As the operator faces fresh claims of fraud, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is resisting calls from the opposition and Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui to haul Moritomo chief Yasunori Kagoike to testify in the Diet.

WALTER SIM

Chinese fugitive turns himself in

BEIJING • A former employee of a state-owned newspaper who was among China's 100 "most wanted" fugitives has returned from the US to turn himself in, China's top anti-graft body said yesterday.

Wang Jiazhe, 56, fled to the US in 2000 amid allegations of contract fraud. He returned thanks to the efforts of "Operation Skynet", which aims to capture corrupt officials and public servants who have fled overseas, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said.

REUTERS

Tsang files appeal against conviction

HONG KONG • Former Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang has filed an appeal with the High Court against his misconduct conviction, his lawyers said yesterday.

Tsang, 72, was sentenced last month to 20 months in prison for misconduct during his term - the highest-ranking official in the city to be jailed, reported the South China Morning Post. He has appealed against both his conviction and his sentence. No hearing date has been listed for the appeal.