TOKYO, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Japan's finance ministry on Monday admitted to knowingly altering documents to do with a cut-price sale of state land that had seen allegations of cronyism levied at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, local media quoted a ruling party lawmaker as saying.

The admission by the finance ministry amid increasing pressure from opposition parties may increase calls on Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso to resign to take responsibility for the favoritism scandal, according to sources close to the matter.

The records that were altered pertain to a shady deal reached to sell a plot of state-owned land to Osaka's Moritomo Gakuen, a nationalist school operator in June 2016.

The controversial school also had ties to Abe's wife, Akie, who at one point was going to be the school's honorary principal.