A Japanese government minister announced his resignation on Monday (October 24th) after criticism over his ties to the Moon sect, a religious group that has come under increased scrutiny since the July assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abbe.
Daishiro Yamagiwa, the Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization, told the press that he does not want these allegations about his links with the group also known as the Moon sect, which he did not name, “affect parliamentary debate“.
Donation bond charges
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week ordered a government investigation into the Unification Church, at the center of attention in Japan because the alleged assassin of Shinzo Abe had a grudge against this group, to which his mother would have made very large donations, leading their family to ruin. The suspect believed that the former prime minister was close to the sect.
The group has denied any wrongdoing, but many former members have publicly criticized the practices of the Moon sect, which has been accused of imposing donation targets on its followers. And revelations about his ties to prominent political figures in Japan have helped to lower the Kishida government’s approval ratings.
Local media have repeatedly mentioned the name of Daishiro Yamagiwa in recent weeks in connection with the religious group, in particular because the minister appears in a photograph taken in 2019 in the company of several people including Hak Ja Han, the widow of the founder of the ‘Unification Church, Sun Myung Moon.
“Muddled” Memories
The minister, strongly criticized in Parliament on this subject, admitted that it was indeed him, but declared on Monday that his memories of this photo were “confused“. He previously acknowledged that he also participated in an event organized by the Unification Church in 2018. Daishiro Yamagiwa said he plans to continue serving in Japan’s parliament.
“I deeply regret that my participation in several gatherings of the organization gave credit to the said organization“, he said. Because of these revelations,I had to give explanations. As a result, it caused problems for the government“, he said, adding:”I have to assume my responsibilities and explain myself to the public“.
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Mr Kishida said he had accepted the minister’s resignation and would announce his successor on Tuesday. The government investigation he has ordered could result in an order disbanding the Moon sect under the Religious Organizations Act, which would cause it to lose that status and its tax exemption, but it could continue to function.
Only two religious groups in Japan have ever been targeted by such an order, one of which is the Aum Shinrikyo sect, which carried out the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995.