Suga denies rejecting scholars to advisory on basis of their beliefs

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday said his decision to block six scholars from joining a government advisory body had nothing to do with their beliefs and opinions.Suga is under fire for not approving the six, who have been critical of his predecessor Shinzo Abe's policies, from among 105 nominees to the Science Council of Japan. Suga took office in mid-September after pledging to move forward Abe's policies.Asked in a group interview whether their thoughts and beliefs affected his decision, Suga said, "There was no such thing."He also said there was no instruction from Abe regarding …READ FULL ARTICLE