Japan's PM turns away from church linked to Abe assassination in cabinet reshuffle

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has tried to alienate his government from the conservative Unification Church over ties to assassinated leader Shinzo Abe. , reshuffled the Cabinet on Wednesday.and senior ruling party members.

Kishida's second remodel, just ten months after taking office, was expected to ensure long-term stability until 2025. following the election victory of However, the shocking assassination of Prime Minister Abe on July 8 and its aftermath plummeted public support for the Kishida cabinet, adding to the uncertainty of the political situation.

Mr. Kishida said that it was important to gain the trust of the people, and that the new cabinet had to seriously review its relationship with the church and to appoint those who agreed to help victims of alleged fraudulent religious business. said to include only

"We have to be careful about our relationships with organizations that know about social issues, so they don't arouse suspicion in the public," said Kishida. rice field.

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The Kishida Cabinet's approval ratings fell from 59% to 46%, according to a survey released Monday by NHK Public Television. did.

Most of the respondents said they thought politicians did not adequately explain their relationship with the Unification Church. Kishida's plan to hold a state funeral for Prime Minister Abe has also divided public opinion due to Abe's extremely conservative stance on national security and wartime history.

Political analyst Atsuo Ito said on his TBS talk show, "Cabinet reshuffle was damaging his control," diverting public attention from the Unification Church scandal.

Prime Minister Abe was shot dead during his campaign speech two days before the House of Representatives election. According to police and media reports, the suspect targeted Abe for his alleged ties to the Unification Church, but Abe decided against it after his mother's large donations to the Unification Church caused the family to fall apart.

2021 In September, the Universal Peace Foundation praised its commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula and its focus on family values. Some experts say Abe's appearance in the video may have motivated the suspect.

The Church's ties to Japan's ruling party date back to Prime Minister Abe's grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi. The spread of communism in Japan in the 1960s.

Since his 1980s, the church has faced accusations of fraudulently recruiting and brainwashing its followers into making large donations. Critics argued that while the church contributed to the vote to elevate the borderline candidate to electoral victory, it pushed opposition to equal rights for women and sexual minorities as reflected in government policies.

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On Wednesday, Tomihiro Tanaka, president of the church that now calls itself the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, At a press conference, he said one of its church-affiliated groups, which he called the "Peace Coalition," was more politically active and involved in election campaigns.

However, he denied "political interference" with a particular political party and said it was "deplorable" that Kishida had called on party members to distance themselves from the church.

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that affiliated groups have naturally developed closer ties with conservatives in the LDP than with other groups because they share anti-communist positions.

"We have worked with politicians who have clear views against communism to build a better country," Tanaka said. "We continue to be part of a global network that opposes communism, not just in Japan."

Kishida denied the church's "inappropriate influence" on government policy.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno remained in office but announced a new cabinet. This included five ministers retaining their posts, another five of his ministers returning, and nine new ministers.

Seven of his ministers who admitted to ties to the church were dismissed. Among them was Prime Minister Abe's younger brother, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, who said church members had been volunteers in past election campaigns. } Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, former central government and ministers attend a photo session at Prime Minister Kishida's residence in Tokyo on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022. (Pool photo via Issei Kato/AP).