Japanese Government Launches Investigation into 'Unification Church' Ties with LDP Allegations

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] The Japanese government has begun an investigation into the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church, hereinafter Family Federation), which is embroiled in allegations of collusion with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

According to local media on the 22nd, Keiko Nagaoka, Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, stated, “We will send a document by mail requesting the Family Federation to report on its organizational operations, assets, income, and expenditures by the 9th of next month.” She emphasized, “We will collect and analyze information from related parties and clarify objective facts based on concrete evidence and materials.”

The investigation is being handled by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. The agency plans to receive materials from the Family Federation and scrutinize the organization’s decision-making processes and financial flows. If illegal activities by the Family Federation are revealed, the agency intends to file a petition for dissolution with the court. If the Family Federation fails to respond within the deadline or submits a false report, a fine of up to 100,000 yen (approximately 960,000 KRW) may be imposed on the corporation’s representative.

This measure is based on the “right to question” under Japan’s Religious Corporations Act. The Japanese government has the right to request business operation reports or ask questions of religious corporations suspected of violations that meet the criteria for a dissolution petition. With the consent of the religious organization, the government may also enter religious facilities. This is the first time the Japanese government has used the right to question to investigate a religious organization.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have also sent questionnaires to the Family Federation’s headquarters. This is due to concerns about legal issues related to adoptions conducted among Family Federation believers. In Japan, adoption businesses require approval from the relevant local government, and unauthorized adoptions are punishable regardless of whether money is exchanged. The Family Federation states that although there have been 745 adoptions among believers since 1981, it did not facilitate them.

In July, public criticism of the Family Federation increased after Tetsuya Yamagami, who assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said, “My mother donated a large sum to the Unification Church, which ruined our family.” Notably, Daishiro Yamagawa, a member of the ruling LDP who was found to have connections with the Family Federation, resigned last month from his position as Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.