IntelBrief: Japanese Prime Minister Orders Investigation into Religious Sect After Accusations of Connections to the Ruling Party

Bottom Line up Front

• On October 17, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered an investigation into the Unification Church, a fringe religious sect that has come under increasing scrutiny since the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
• The Unification Church was founded in 1950s South Korea by committed anti-communist Reverend Sun Myung Moon and faces decades of accusations over predatory recruitment and business practices in Japan.
• Nearly half of the lawmakers in Japan’s ruling party disclosed some form of interaction with the controversial religious group, causing PM Kishida’s approval ratings to drop to a new low.
• With public trust in authorities and institutions low globally following the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic crises, the probe is an important step in reaffirming public confidence in the ruling government.