September 4, 2022

People affiliated with the Moonies had purchased tickets for Liberal Democratic Party Dietmember Shimomura Hakubun's fundraising parties, Akahata learned on September 3 from internal materials of Shimomura's office.

Political donations from the Moonies in the form of the purchase of fundraiser tickets were made around the time when Shimomura as education minister certified the Moonies' name change from the "Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity" known as the Unification Church to the "Family Federation for World Peace and Unification".

As the LDP says it will cut its ties with the Moonies, the party should be held accountable for past support received from and connections with the Moonies.

The materials Akahata obtained are presumed to have been compiled between 2012 and 2014. The materials show that a political editor of the Moonies-related daily "Segye Ilbo" (The Sekai Nippo) bought tickets worth 40,000 yen in total in 2013 and 2014. A treasurer of the Moonies' political group "International Federation for Victory over Communism" paid a total of 60,000 yen for Shimomura's fundraisers sometime between 2012 and 2014, according to the materials.

The Political Funds Control Act does not oblige politicians to report income below 200,000 yen from sales of fundraiser tickets. Therefore, accounts of people involved with the Moonies purchasing the tickets are not documented in Shimomura's political funds reports.

The religious affairs division of the Cultural Affairs Agency set under the Ministry of Education had long rejected the Moonies' application for a name change, but then Education Minister Shimomura in 2015 indirectly approved the name change.

In addition to the party tickets, Shimomura received 60,000 yen in political donations from the Sekai Nippo in 2016 through the Shimomura-headed LDP constituency office in Tokyo.

The Moonies have created many victims from the fraudulent sales of exorbitantly priced products and large money contributions by using spiritual pressure tactics, and part of the victims' money flowed back to the LDP.

Akahata asked Shimomura about the Moonies' purchase of his fundraising-party tickets, but no answer has been given as of September 3.

Past related articles:
> It is unacceptable for LDP to deny accountability for its murky ties with Moonies[July 29, 2022]
> Ex-Education Minister Shimomura may have approved Moonies' name change [July 24, 2022]