Around half of Japan’s ruling party law-makers have had dealings with the Unification Church, an official said on September 8, after the assassination of ex-premier Shinzo Abe heightened scrutiny of the religious organization also sometimes known as the Moonies.
The man suspected of shooting Abe dead in July allegedly targeted the former prime minister believing he was linked to the sect.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi said a probe found some lawmakers had accepted support for election campaigns from the church and its spin-off groups.
Other LDP lawmakers had attended meetings or paid fees to the organization, whose members are sometimes colloquially referred to as “Moonies” after Korean found-er Sun Myung Moon.
Of 379 elected LDP lawmakers, 179 “had some sort of links” with the Unification Church, Motegi told reporters.
“We take the results seriously. We honestly feel sorry, and we’ll make sure the party no longer has any relationship at all” with the church, he said.
Last week, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said LDP members must cut ties with the group, following controversial revelations of its links with a raft of Japanese politicians.
The Unification Church has condemned Abe’s murder and denied accusations of coer-cive fundraising tactics among its members, but Kishida’s government has seen its approval ratings drop in recent weeks as more de-tails have emerged.
“Nearly 90%” of LDP lawmakers that attended gatherings hosted by organizations linked to the church told the probe they were not aware of the hosts’ affiliation, Motegi said. “Our awareness was lacking, and that’s all the more reason that more efforts need to be made to raise awareness” of the issue, he added.