Japanese PM orders investigation into controversial Unification Church case

Tokyo
CNN
–

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has ordered an investigation into the Unification Church amid a growing scandal linking his ruling Liberal Democratic Party to the controversial religious group.

Kishida announced the investigation during a parliamentary session on Monday and said it would be carried out using the “right to ask questions” clause in the Religious Bodies Act.

As of September 30, Kishida said a phone hotline set up earlier that month had received more than 1,700 requests for advice regarding the church.

He said the government had “seriously taken into account the many victims, the poverty and the disintegration of families who did not receive adequate assistance.” He added that it is difficult to determine when the investigation will end.

The government will hold a meeting next week to discuss the terms of the investigation, the first of which was established under the title “The Right to Ask Questions.”

The Unification Church, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, emerged in the late 1950s, and had become a global organization by the 1980s. Mass weddings still make global headlines, as thousands of young couples tie the knot at the same time, with some brides and grooms meeting each other for the first time on their wedding day.

The church, still prominent in parts of Asia, has come under tight global scrutiny since the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in central Japan in July.

Public broadcaster NHK reported at the time that the suspect targeted the former prime minister because he believed Abe’s grandfather – another former leader of the country – helped expand a religious group he held a grudge against.

CNN was unable to independently confirm which group Yamagami was referring to, or any links between Abe and which group the suspect was holding a hatred of.

But the Unification Church spoke out in the aftermath, saying the suspect’s mother was a member who attended its events once a month. His spokesperson said he learned that the suspect’s mother was experiencing financial difficulties around 2002, but added: “We don’t know what the causes were or how they affected the family’s circumstances.”

The spokesman said the suspect had never been a member of the church.

The church said it received a letter of support from Abe at an event it organized, but the former prime minister was not a registered member of the church, nor was he a member of its advisory board. She added that she was surprised by reports of the alleged suspect’s discontent with the group, and that she would “fully cooperate” with the police.

But public skepticism toward the group — and a backlash over its fundraising practices — continued to rise after an investigation by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party in August found that more than half of lawmakers had ties to the church.

Several high-ranking officials, including former Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, said they received help in previous elections from church members.

Kishida purged these officials, apologized for their ties to the Church, and vowed to sever his party’s ties to the congregation.

Depending on the results of the impending investigation and the court’s decision, the Unification Church may lose its status as a religious company and consequently tax benefits, NHK reported Monday. However, a group can still operate as an entity.

Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin