LDP's ties to Unification Church one of the key issues in upcoming Japan election

Mainichi, Japan/October 10, 2024

By Nozomi Gemma

Tokyo -- The ruling and opposition parties in Japan have entered a de facto election campaign after the dissolution of the House of Representatives on Oct. 9. With the issue of "money in politics" among other points of contention, voters will give their verdict on the newly inaugurated administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

The Oct. 27 lower house election will be the first major national election since the close relationship between the former Unification Church (now the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification) and ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers was revealed. The religious group has been known to have trouble over spiritual sales and high donations from followers.

The leaders of four opposition parties -- the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), Nippon Ishin (the Japan Innovation Party), the Japanese Communist Party and the Democratic Party for the People -- met in the Diet building on Oct. 9, and agreed that the issues concerning the Unification Church and the LDP's slush funds have yet to be resolved.

CDP chief Yoshihiko Noda called on the other three leaders, "Let's do our best to drive the LDP and (its junior coalition partner) Komeito back below a majority in order to regain political trust." In a jointly submitted no-confidence motion against the Ishiba Cabinet, they noted that the Cabinet "continues to abandon its responsibility to uncover the truth," as they aim to make these issues a point of contention in the upcoming election.

The relationship between LDP lawmakers and the Unification Church came into focus when Tetsuya Yamagami, a suspect arrested over the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022, stated that he held a grudge against the religious group. The relationship goes back to Abe's grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi.

According to the results of a survey released by the LDP in September that year, a total of 179 legislators had connections with the Unification Church. Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the severance of ties between the party and the religious group, but new connections have since been uncovered one after another.

In October 2022, then economic revitalization minister Daishiro Yamagiwa was ousted from his post after he offered conflicting explanations about his relationship with the Unification Church. And, in February 2024, then education and culture minister Masahito Moriyama was alleged to have received campaign support for the 2021 lower house election from an organization affiliated with the religious group. More recently, a photo of Abe meeting with the head of the religious group in the president's reception room at party headquarters shortly before the 2013 House of Councillors election was reported. As such, the issue concerning the relationship between the Unification Church and the LDP has not been settled.

Even in the newly formed administration of Ishiba, it was learned on Oct. 8 that Justice Minister Hideki Makihara, who joined the Cabinet for the first time, had attended a total of 37 events related to the Unification Church, including those attended by his secretary. His case was not included in the results of the party's investigation in 2022, and Makihara explained that he "did not have accurate information (at that time)," and that he apparently reported the case to the party in February 2023. Ishiba has indicated that he is willing to keep Makihara in the post, as the justice minister has already reported the matter to the party.