Unification Church Reportedly Backed 290 LDP Lawmakers in 2021 Poll

Seoul, Jan. 2 (Jiji Press)--The Unification Church backed 290 lawmakers of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the 2021 House of Representatives election, according to South Korean media reports citing internal documents of the religious group.

The figure compares with the LDP's announcement in 2022 that 180 of its lawmakers had ties with the group, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

According to the media reports, the documents show that Eiji Tokuno, then head of the group's Japan branch, made a report to group leader Han Hak-ja after the 2021 Lower House poll, saying that Japanese lawmakers backed by the group in the election included 290 LDP members.

Tokuno is also said to have explained that then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looked very pleased with the group's election support when Tokuno met with Abe prior to the 2019 House of Councillors election. It was the sixth meeting between Tokuno and Abe.

The documents also reportedly show that, after Abe was shot dead while delivering a campaign speech in 2022, the Unification Church deleted records on Tetsuya Yamagami, who is on trial for the murder.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]