TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide knew the names of six nominees before they were excluded from candidates for Science Council of Japan members, informed sources said Monday.

The sources also said that Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita was involved in the decision to exclude the six nominees in question.

In an interview Friday, Suga said he did not see the full list of the 105 nominees recommended by the SCJ as its members this time, suggesting that he was not involved in the decision to exclude the six nominees.

On Sept. 28, Suga approved the appointments of the 99 nominees as members of the SCJ, the representative body for the country’s academic community.

Before Suga’s approval, Sugita picked the six nominees who would be excluded from the original recommendation list presented by the SCJ, and the prime minister confirmed the names of the six, according to the sources.

Although Suga did not see the original full list, he had a “strong determination” to exclude the six, the sources said.

On Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said that the full list was attached to a document based on which Suga approved the appointments of the 99 SCJ nominees.

Kato said he believes that Suga wanted to say he had not taken a close look at the full list when he denied seeing it.

Suga is under fire over the rejection of the six nominees and the refusal to give reasons for the disapproval.

Kato also said that Suga was given an explanation about the government’s stance on the SCJ member appointments before he gave his go-ahead.

The law on the SCJ, a special organization at the Cabinet Office, stipulates that the prime minister appoint the members of the council based on its recommendations.

Critics refer to the possibility that Suga violated the rule if he gave his approval without looking at the full recommendations list.

Opposition parties including the Constitutional Democratic Part of Japan held a joint hearing on the issue Monday. Participants accused Suga of clearly violating the law.

JIJI Press