Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio kishida ordered an inquiry on Monday Unification Church In an apparent move to quell public outrage over his governing party’s warm relationship with the controversial group, which had emerged in Shinzo’s wake. abeKilling of.
Former prime minister Abe was shot dead during an outdoor campaign speech in July. The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, told police that he killed Abe because of his apparent connection to a religious group he hated. attributed to a letter and social media posting yamagami Said that her mother’s large donation to the church bankrupted her family and ruined her life.
Kishida said a government hotline set up to receive church-related complaints and inquiries has resulted in more than 1,700 cases being handled by police and legal experts.
“Many victims face financial hardship and their families are destroyed, but the government has not been able to provide adequate assistance and I take it seriously,” Kishida said. He also promised to do more to support alleged victims, including possible amendments to consumer contract law to prevent future problems.
Unification Church, established in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myungo MoonIt gained the status of a religious organization in Japan in 1968 amid an anti-communist movement supported by Abe’s grandfather and former prime minister Nobusuke Kishi.
Since the 1980s, the church has faced accusations of crooked business and recruitment tactics, including brainwashing members into turning large chunks of their salaries into moonshine.
The group acknowledged that there have been cases of “excessive” donations. It says the issues have been mitigated since the adoption of stricter compliance in 2009, and promises more recent improvements.
A government panel submitted a report on Monday that revealed a number of financial problems and lawsuits from the church’s methods. The report called for an investigation, considering revoking the group’s legal status, although officials are seen as reluctant to go so far.
Kishida told a parliamentary committee meeting on Monday that he had directed Education and Culture Minister Keiko Nagaoka, who is primarily in charge of overseeing religious groups, to prepare for an investigation into the church under the Religious Corporations Act.
The police investigation into Abe’s murder revealed widespread links between the South Korea-based church and members of the governing Liberal Democratic Party, including Abe, over their shared interests in the conservative cause. The case also highlighted the suffering of the followers’ children, some of whom have come out saying that they were forced to attend church and were left in poverty because of their parents’ devotion. was ignored.
Many critics consider the church to be a cult because of the problems with the followers and their families due to their financial and mental difficulties.
A survey by the LDP in September found that nearly half of its MPs had ties to the church, including cabinet ministers. Kishida has pledged to end all such ties, but many Japanese want further explanation as to how the church may have influenced the party’s policies.
Kishida has come under fire and his government’s support ratings have fallen for his handling of the church controversy and holding a state funeral for Abe, one of Japan’s most divisive leaders, now known as the governing party’s church ties. seen as an important link.
Culture Minister Nagaoka said she would set up a panel of legal and religious experts next week to discuss a rare investigation into a religious group.
Members of the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, which oversee the church, last week submitted requests to the ministries of culture and justice and the top prosecutor to issue an order to dissolve the church.
A group of about 40 individuals and organizations, including anti-cult activists and so-called second-generation adherents, began a petition campaign to revoke the church’s legal status as a religious organization. The petition has collected around 25,000 signatures within a few hours of its launch.
The church has acknowledged that Yamagami’s mother donated more than 100 million yen ($700,000), including life insurance and real estate, to the group. It said it later returned about half at the request of the suspect’s uncle.
Experts say that Japanese followers are asked to pay for the sins of their ancestors committed during their colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, and that 70% of the church’s wealth comes from Japan.
Former prime minister Abe was shot dead during an outdoor campaign speech in July. The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, told police that he killed Abe because of his apparent connection to a religious group he hated. attributed to a letter and social media posting yamagami Said that her mother’s large donation to the church bankrupted her family and ruined her life.
Kishida said a government hotline set up to receive church-related complaints and inquiries has resulted in more than 1,700 cases being handled by police and legal experts.
“Many victims face financial hardship and their families are destroyed, but the government has not been able to provide adequate assistance and I take it seriously,” Kishida said. He also promised to do more to support alleged victims, including possible amendments to consumer contract law to prevent future problems.
Unification Church, established in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myungo MoonIt gained the status of a religious organization in Japan in 1968 amid an anti-communist movement supported by Abe’s grandfather and former prime minister Nobusuke Kishi.
Since the 1980s, the church has faced accusations of crooked business and recruitment tactics, including brainwashing members into turning large chunks of their salaries into moonshine.
The group acknowledged that there have been cases of “excessive” donations. It says the issues have been mitigated since the adoption of stricter compliance in 2009, and promises more recent improvements.
A government panel submitted a report on Monday that revealed a number of financial problems and lawsuits from the church’s methods. The report called for an investigation, considering revoking the group’s legal status, although officials are seen as reluctant to go so far.
Kishida told a parliamentary committee meeting on Monday that he had directed Education and Culture Minister Keiko Nagaoka, who is primarily in charge of overseeing religious groups, to prepare for an investigation into the church under the Religious Corporations Act.
The police investigation into Abe’s murder revealed widespread links between the South Korea-based church and members of the governing Liberal Democratic Party, including Abe, over their shared interests in the conservative cause. The case also highlighted the suffering of the followers’ children, some of whom have come out saying that they were forced to attend church and were left in poverty because of their parents’ devotion. was ignored.
Many critics consider the church to be a cult because of the problems with the followers and their families due to their financial and mental difficulties.
A survey by the LDP in September found that nearly half of its MPs had ties to the church, including cabinet ministers. Kishida has pledged to end all such ties, but many Japanese want further explanation as to how the church may have influenced the party’s policies.
Kishida has come under fire and his government’s support ratings have fallen for his handling of the church controversy and holding a state funeral for Abe, one of Japan’s most divisive leaders, now known as the governing party’s church ties. seen as an important link.
Culture Minister Nagaoka said she would set up a panel of legal and religious experts next week to discuss a rare investigation into a religious group.
Members of the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, which oversee the church, last week submitted requests to the ministries of culture and justice and the top prosecutor to issue an order to dissolve the church.
A group of about 40 individuals and organizations, including anti-cult activists and so-called second-generation adherents, began a petition campaign to revoke the church’s legal status as a religious organization. The petition has collected around 25,000 signatures within a few hours of its launch.
The church has acknowledged that Yamagami’s mother donated more than 100 million yen ($700,000), including life insurance and real estate, to the group. It said it later returned about half at the request of the suspect’s uncle.
Experts say that Japanese followers are asked to pay for the sins of their ancestors committed during their colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, and that 70% of the church’s wealth comes from Japan.