Testified in Asahi Shimbun Interview: "There Was a Request to Attend the Event"
Former Prime Minister Abe Also Sent a Congratulatory Video Message
Amid the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bringing the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) into the spotlight as a social issue in Japan, former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama testified that "during the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) era, the church supported us, and after becoming prime minister, I was pressured to attend their events." As it has become known that the former Unification Church approached even Japanese prime ministers and promised financial support, the controversy is expected to continue for some time.
On the 2nd, former Prime Minister Hatoyama testified to the Asahi Shimbun that the former Unification Church requested him to either attend in person or send a video message to the 'Cheonju Peace Federation' event held in Korea. Elected prime minister in 2009, he emphasized Japan's apology regarding its colonial rule and is well-known in Korea for actions such as kneeling and apologizing during visits there.
He also revealed that before leaving the party, during the 1980s when he was a member of the LDP in the House of Representatives, he met Osami Kuboki, the first president of the Japanese church of the Unification Church, and learned about its doctrines. When he was elected in the 1986 Hokkaido 4th district election, he said he once made phone calls asking for support from the 'International Seung Gong Federation,' a pro-Unification Church group, during his campaign.
The request to attend church events came after his retirement from politics in 2019. Through a secretary from the same Democratic Party, he was asked to attend because "world-class leaders are participating." When he declined, the church reportedly insisted on having a dinner with church executives. After the dinner, another request to attend was made, and when he refused again, the church said, "We will pay any amount as a fee," according to former Prime Minister Hatoyama. He expressed to Asahi, "I reflect on my past involvement."
Such attempts by the church to make contact are known to have continued with other prime ministers as well as Hatoyama. When Asahi asked 11 current and former prime ministers about contact with the former Unification Church, Hatoyama and former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda admitted to having contact. The office of former Social Democratic Party Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama also responded that they had received request documents.
Video message sent by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Universal Peace Federation event. (Photo by YouTube Peace Link TV)
In September 2021, the Cheonju Peace Federation contacted former Prime Minister Abe, who sent a congratulatory video message to the 2022 event. In the video, he said, "I pay my respects to Chairman Han Hak-ja and all of you." At the time, top-level politicians such as former U.S. President Donald Trump and former Indian prime ministers attended or sent video messages. Asahi analyzed, "It was necessary to invite prominent politicians in Japan as well, and it seems that other former prime ministers besides Abe were also asked to attend." A former Unification Church official also said, "The purpose was for Japanese church executives to appeal to the Korean headquarters."
In Japan, the collusion between the former Unification Church and the political world has been a persistent controversy. The controversy ignited when Tetsuya Yamagami, who assassinated former Prime Minister Abe, stated in police testimony that he held a grudge against the Unification Church. In December last year, Minister of Reconstruction Kenya Akiba resigned amid allegations of receiving political funds from the church.
However, the Unification Church stated in response to Asahi's inquiry, "The church has never made such requests. We are not aware of the activities of affiliated groups."
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