https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Unification-Church-and-politics/Half-of-Japan-s-LDP-lawmakers-had-ties-with-Unification-Church

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Unification Church and politics

Half of Japan's LDP lawmakers had ties with Unification Church

PM Kishida says the organization has not influenced policymaking

[https]
LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters on Sept.
8 that 179 of the party's lawmakers said they had some
connections with the Unification Church.
September 8, 2022 18:52 JSTUpdated on September 8, 2022 19:03 JST | 
Japan
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TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Around half of the lawmakers belonging to Japan's
ruling Liberal Democratic Party had dealings with a contentious
religious group believed to be a major reason behind the fatal
shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the party said
Thursday.

The outcome of the LDP's internal survey sheds light on the
deep-rooted relations between the party, headed by Abe for more than
eight years, and the Unification Church, which has become the source
of controversy since he was shot on July 8 during an election
campaign speech.

LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters that 179 of
its lawmakers said they had some connections with the Unification
Church.

Among 379 LDP lawmakers, excluding leaders of both chambers of
parliament, high-ranking party lawmakers are also included in those
who had ties with the church, formally known as the Family Federation
for World Peace and Unification.

"We take the result seriously and frankly reflect on it," Motegi said
at a press conference at the party's headquarters, adding the LDP
will urge its members to ensure that they will never have relations
with the group.

LDP lawmakers who do not abide by the policy cannot participate in
party activities ahead, Motegi said. He reiterated that the ruling
party has not had any organizational relationship with the
controversial Unification Church.

The group, founded in South Korea in 1954 by the late Sun Myung Moon
and labeled a cult by critics, has become a social problem for its
mass weddings and "spiritual sales," in which people are talked into
buying jars and other items for exorbitant prices.

Abe's attacker, Tetsuya Yamagami, has told investigators that he
harbored a grudge against the religious group and targeted the former
premier. He has reportedly said his mother's substantial donations to
the organization ruined his family's finances.

In a parliament session earlier in the day, Prime Minister Fumio
Kishida, who now heads the LDP, emphasized the Unification Church has
not influenced the policymaking process of his ruling party.

As the issue has led to a drop in the support rating for his Cabinet,
Kishida said the LDP will make efforts to "restore the public trust,"
calling on its local assembly members to sever ties with the
religious group entirely.

Kishida, meanwhile, told reporters later in the day that it is
difficult to scrutinize Abe's past relations with the religious group
as he is no longer alive.

The prime minister also pledged to implement measures to strengthen
internal surveillance on ties between his ruling party and the
Unification Church, which has been criticized for being engaged in
antisocial activities.

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