Japanese Economy Minister resigns: doubtful links to Moon’s church, infiltrated into the Tokyo government
Economy Minister Daishiro Yamagiwa has decided to resign, as he has been criticized for his dubious relations with the Unification Church, a controversial religious group linked to Reverend Moon and which was indirectly involved in the assassination of the previous premier Shinzo Abe.
The minister's resignation is set to deal another blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet, whose approval rating has plummeted due to the issue and his controversial decision to hold a state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Yamagiwa was attacked for failing to explain his ties to the group, often labeled as a sect, as he repeatedly claimed he had "no recollection" whenever new cases highlighted his close ties to the Unification Church. .
The religious organization is known for causing the financial ruin of some followers who had made large donations and for "spiritual sales", in which its followers pressure people to buy vases and other items at exorbitant prices, invoking tactics such as the warning of negative "ancestral karma".
The minister, responsible for economic revitalization, admitted that he attended an event organized in 2018 by the Unification Church and met with its leader. But initially he did not report the fact to the Liberal Democratic Party in power, of which he belongs. The LDP, led by Kishida, has pledged to sever relations with the religious group, founded in South Korea in 1954 by a staunch anti-Communist, as its internal poll found that about half of its lawmakers had ties to it. controversial group and there was a risk that even the government work would be affected.
In August, Kishida made a reshuffle of his cabinet to replace ministers who had confirmed relations with the Unification Church. Yamagiwa, who was first chosen as a minister in October 2021, remained in his post without deepening his ties with the Church. In the internal investigation, Yamagiwa had only told the LDP that he had attended an event of a group affiliated with the Unification Church.
However, when questioned on the matter during a press conference held in September, he was forced to acknowledge that he had taken part in the rally organized by the religious body.
The minister also admitted that he posed for a group photo in 2019 with group leader Hak Ja Han Moon, widow of group founder Sun Myung Moon, after the picture, in which Yamagiwa and Hak were side by side, it went viral.
A personal scandal which, however, comes at a very delicate moment for Japan, struggling with a very strong dollar, a weak yen, and an economy that risks being affected by the current global crisis. Japanese inflation is under control but now the BoJ, to control interest, has bought the majority of the state debt.
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The article The Japanese Minister for Economy resigns: doubtful links to Moon's church, infiltrated in the Tokyo government comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/si-dimette-il-ministro-per-leconomia-giapponese-dubbi-legami-alla-chiesa-di-moon-infiltrata-nel-governo-di-tokio/ on Mon, 24 Oct 2022 13:10:37 +0000.