Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has urged senior members of his party to sever ties with a controversial religious group after his approval ratings fell to their lowest level since he took office last year.
Kishida and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have been rocked by revelations that dozens of party members have ties to the Unification Church. According to media reports, they took part in events organized by their affiliates, paid fees or received election campaign support.
Support for Kishida’s cabinet has fallen to 36% from 52% in mid-July, the lowest level since he became prime minister last October, according to a Mainichi Shimbun poll. The newspaper said 54% disapproved of the cabinet, up 17 points since last month.
Another piece of bad news for Kishida was that 87% of respondents believed that the relationship between the LDP and the church was either “extremely” or “somewhat” problematic.
The church has been in the spotlight since the fatal shooting of Abe Shinzo. The suspect is said to have targeted the former prime minister for his ties to the church, which he blamed for his family’s bankruptcy, according to police.
Kishida, who works from home after testing positive for Covid-19 this week, insisted there was no organizational relationship between the LDP and the church, but said lawmakers “will cut their ties with her going forward.” “ must.
He has also denied that the organization – known for its mass marriages and ultra-conservative views, including opposition to same-sex marriage – influenced government policy.
Top Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters this week, “We should pay enough attention to relations with organizations that have come under criticism in society and address people’s concerns.”
LDP general secretary Toshimitsu Motegi suggested that a new code of conduct by the party would require members to sever their relationship with the church, whose members are colloquially known as moonies. “We will also not have relationships with groups that are considered problematic in society,” he said.
Officially named the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, the church was founded in South Korea in 1954 by self-proclaimed messiah Sun Myung Moon. She has been active in Japan since being encouraged by Abe’s grandfather and post-war Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi to join the country’s anti-communist movement.
Tetsuya Yamagami, who is accused of shooting dead Abe with a homemade gun during a campaign speech in early July, is said to have told police his mother pushed the family into poverty after making huge donations to the church.
Kishida tried to quell public anger over the controversy by removing church-linked ministers in a cabinet reshuffle earlier this month. However, at least five members of his current cabinet have ties to the organization, including the health and home secretaries and dozens of other senior officials.
They include Koichi Hagiuda, the new LDP policy chief, who admitted to visiting a church-affiliated facility with an LDP candidate ahead of the recent House of Lords election.
A poll by the Kyodo news agency found that 106 of Japan’s 712 lawmakers had some connection with the group, with almost 80% of them belonging to the LDP.
Critics describe the Unification Church as a cult that has been tried for spiritual sales in which people are persuaded to buy expensive vessels and other items that they are told will rid them of bad “ancestral karma.”
The controversy has also overshadowed preparations for a state funeral for Abe late next month, with 53% of respondents saying they oppose the service, which is paid for with taxpayers’ money.