September 14, 2023

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in August last year promised to cut the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s close connections with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Moonies (the former Unification Church). However, Kishida on September 13 choose five LDP lawmakers, whose relations with the cult group attracted public criticism, as members of the reshuffled Kishida Cabinet. In addition, in the LDP leadership reshuffle, Kishida decided to keep LDP Policy Research Council Chairperson Hagiuda Koichi, who received support from the Moonies for election campaigns, in his current position. Kishida showed his intent to brush the issue of LDP-Moonies connections under the carpet.

Later on the day, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira at a press conference in the Diet building commented on the reshuffled Kishida Cabinet and said that the new Cabinet lineup represents PM Kishida’s attitude of not listening to the voices of the public.

Asked for a comment on a news report that PM Kishida intends to not convene an extraordinary Diet session until mid-October, Koike said that the JCP will push Kishida to hold an extra-Diet session without delay.