Japanese Politicians Admit Ties To Unification Church Following Shinzo Abe's Murder

MADRID, 28 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Several Japanese politicians have admitted having a relationship with the Unification Church after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whom his confessed assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, accused of having promoted the religious group, which would have bankrupted his family.

Many of the politicians who have now stepped forward -- including Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi -- are part of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), of which Abe himself was also a member.

Kishi himself has indicated that he has a "relationship" with members of the church and has pointed out that he received help from some of them as "volunteers" during his election campaign, according to Japanese media. "This was an election, and it's important to rally as much support as possible," he argued.

"It is not so much about having received help from the organization but from specific members, who helped me as they considered", he maintained in statements that have sparked controversy given that the list already includes more than a hundred deputies who would maintain ties with the Unification Church, of which about thirty are members of the Cabinet or have been in the past.

Information from the 'Nikkan Gendai' newspaper suggests that all of them would have sent messages or attended events organized by the church, which highlights the presence of the religious group in Japanese politics. However, current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and PLD Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi are not on the list.

Thus, Motegi has urged the deputies and members of the party to remain "alert" and be "cautious" about their relations with this type of organization, although he has not confirmed that the formation will open an investigation in this regard.

Abe's own grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, who was also the country's prime minister between 1957 and 1960, would have maintained ties with the founders of the Unification Church and would have contributed to its establishment in the Asian country.