August 4, 2022

The Kumamoto prefectural government on August 2 announced that unlike in previous years, it will withdraw its nominal support for an event hosted by an organization affiliated with the former Unification Church (Moonies), currently the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. The Japanese Communist Party four days earlier submitted a written request to this effect to the governor.

The event in question is called “Peace Road Bike Tour” which is held by a Moonies-affiliated organization, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). Members of the event organizing committee included parliamentarians of the Liberal Democratic Party and the “Nippon Ishin no Kai” party.

The Kumamoto prefectural government said that as relations between the Moonies and the UPF are in the public spotlight, it took into account growing public concerns over the UPF-hosted event and judged that the continuation of nominal support for the controversial event is inappropriate.

The JCP in its written request submitted to Governor Kabashima Ikuo on July 29 pointed out that participation or involvement in the UPF-hosted event by politicians and local governments will give an official endorsement to the Moonies and lead to an increase in the number of victims from their illegal activities.

Following the prefectural government announcement, JCP prefectural assembly member Yamamoto Nobuhiro said, “Kumamoto citizens’ voices calling for investigations into the connection between the ‘Peace Road’ event and the Moonies have moved the prefecture to withdraw backing for the event. I believe the JCP played a part in achieving this outcome. The JCP will continue working hard to uncover and expose politicians’ links with the Moonies and provide relief to victims of the cult group’s ‘spiritual sales’ of exorbitantly costly goods and other illicit activities.”