By Mariko Tsuji | Reporter
Thank you for your continuous interest in and support for Tansa’s activities.
We have launched a new investigative series, TM files: How a Cult Religion Infiltrated Japan's Ruling Party.
This report is the result of a joint investigation by Japanese and Korean media organizations affiliated with the Global Investigative Journalism Network.
South Korea's non-profit, independent investigative journalism organization, Newstapa, has been a partner since Tansa's founding. Through cross-border collaboration, we will provide detailed coverage of the collusion between cults and the Japanese and South Korean governments.
Here's a summary of the story.
How has the Unification Church embedded itself within Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) for more than sixty years? A document known as the “TM Special Report,” submitted to the Church’s leader, Han Hak-ja, revered within the organisation as the “True Mother”, lays bare the cult's true intentions, ambitions and political strategies in striking detail. Since the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the LDP has sought to obscure its long-standing ties to the Church as public scrutiny intensified. However, a joint investigation by the Japanese and South Korean independent news outlets Tansa and Newstapa exposes the depth of the symbiotic relationship between the Unification Church and the LDP, one both sides have worked to keep out of public view.
What is the Unification Church?
The Unification Church’s doctrine is that Japan, the “Eve nation,” which committed the sin of colonial rule, must atone for its sins to Korea, the “Adam nation.” In line with the teachings, large amounts of donations collected from Japanese followers, as well as profits from spiritual sales scams (goods sold under claims of supernatural benefits) have continuously been sent to Korea.
The Unification Church and Japan's ruling party the LDP have maintained a codependent relationship for many years.
The LDP accepted the Unification Church because the Church provided support for the party’s election campaigns and allied with the LDP on policies promoted by the party, such as the Anti-Espionage Act.
The Abe Family and the Unification Church
After the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022, ties between the Unification Church and the LDP were suddenly thrust into the spotlight. This followed revelations that the mother of the defendant, Tetsuya Yamagami, was a devoted member of the church who had donated over 100 million yen, sacrificing her family's wellbeing. Yamagami reportedly fell into despair after learning that Abe had sent a video message to a convention hosted by the church.
The LDP moved quickly to investigate the connection between the Unification Church and its members of parliament. In September 2022, two months after the assassination of Shinzo Abe, the party published the results of its inquiry.
However, the LDP’s investigation was incredibly inadequate, as it relied on self-reporting by its lawmakers. Of the 379 members surveyed, 179 or nearly half, acknowledged some connection to the Unification Church, however the nature and the extent of those ties were not made clear. The party also only disclosed the names of only 121 lawmakers, stating that they had “significant involvement”.
In the end, the LDP concluded that it “had no organisational or institutional relationship with the Unification Church”.
However, the LDP investigation did not look into Abe's relationship with the Unification Church.
The TM file contained various descriptions suggesting the depth of the relationship between not only the LDP but also the Abe family and the Unification Church.
We have already published 13 articles in Japanese and currently translating these into English.
We will continue to collaborate with journalists across borders to deliver the information essential for a democratic society.
Thank you,
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By Mariko Tsuji | Reporter
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