Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2022 December 14 - 20 [POLITICS]

Local opinions calling for full investigation into LDP-Moonies ties rejected one after another by LDP local assemblymembers

Written opinions submitted to local assemblies, which call for the whole truth about the connection between the Liberal Democratic Party and the former Unification Church and for the relief of the cult victims, have been rejected one after another by LDP local assemblymembers.

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira at a press conference on December 5 said, "It is a serious problem that the LDP is hindering the local voices from being heard."

According to a Kyodo News survey, at least 334 prefectural assemblypersons had contact with the Moon cult or Moonies-related organizations. Of the 334, 279 were LDP assemblymembers accounting for more than 80%, eleven were of the Komei Party, and seven were of the "Ishin" party and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, respectively. In addition, 31 LDP local legislators admitted to having received Moonies' help for their election campaigns.

JCP member of the House of Councilors Ito Gaku, citing the survey results at an Upper House committee meeting in December, pointed out, "It was mostly LDP local assemblypersons who contributed to causing serious hardships on many people." Internal Affairs Minister Matsumoto Takeaki claimed that the LDP issued a directive to all LDP prefectural chapters to discontinue any connection with the former Unification Church. JCP Ito in response said, "The directive, however, did not ask LDP local lawmakers to admit to their relationship with the Moonies. That way, your party cannot sever the ties with the antisocial cult."

Before Ito's Diet questioning, JCP member of the House of Representatives Miyamoto Toru, at a Lower House committee meeting in November, criticized the LDP's lax attitude toward disinvolvement with the Moonies. He pointed out, "The cult is taking for granted that LDP local legislators cannot cut off their relationship that the cult has been building by providing them with support for their elections." Miyamoto demanded that a full investigation into the Moon link with the LDP, including local LDP lawmakers, be launched and the findings be made public.

The LDP has no intent to probe into the long-held cozy ties between its local assemblymembers and the Moonies. In contrast, the JCP and JCP local assemblypersons in each prefecture are making efforts to expel the cult from communities and to implement relief measures for the victims.

Past related article:
> Amid doubts over effectiveness, bill regarding relief of Unification Church victims enacted [December 11, 2022]