Japan PM Abe denies favours for friend amid falling support

FILE PHOTO: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives at his office in Tokyo, Japan July 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his ratings sinking over a suspected cronyism scandal, on Monday said he had never instructed officials to give preferential treatment to a long-time friend, adding that the latter had never sought favours.

Abe and his aides have repeatedly denied intervening to help Kake Gakuen, an educational institution whose director, Kotaro Kake, is a friend of the prime minister, win approval for a veterinary school in a special economic zone.