Abe has been under fire for his connection with nationalist private school operator Moritomo Gakuen, which purchased a piece of state-owned land in Osaka for only a fraction of the market priceHe said that he would seek mandate from the people for shifting the usage of part of the revenue generated by a consumption tax hike that has been delayed until 2019 from paying debt to welfare policies金年会He added that the reason Abe cited for dissolving the lower house is not convincing, and that the prime minister is just trying to avoid further grilling on favoritism scandalsHe also said that he would seek public support for a tougher stance over the Korea Peninsula issueHe has also been accused of using his influ金年会ence to make the government choose Kake Educational Institution, run by a close friend of Abe's, to open a new department in a government- designated special economic zoneAbe's decision to call for a snap election, however, has drawn staunch criticism from opposition parties, which argued that there is no reason to dissolve the lower house of parliament before its current term expires in December 2018