PM Kishida Under Renewed Pressure As Unification Church Affair Keeps Haunting LDP

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pushed back against accusations that he may have attended a meeting with members of the Unification Church in October 2019, while serving as the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) policy chief.

• Asahi ran a source report suggesting that Kishida stood in for then-PM Shinzo Abe at a meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, which was also attended by members of the Unification Church, including Masayoshi Kajikuri, head of the Japanese affiliate of the controversial sect.
• The Unification Church attracted public scrutiny following the assassination of Shinzo Abe last year. The shooter told the police that he was motivated by Abe's links to the sect, which caused financial problems to his family. Subsequent press investigations revealed deeper links between the Unification Church and the LDP.
• Upon becoming party leader, Kishida ordered a probe of LDP lawmakers, which returned a list of 180 names with alleged ties to the Unification Church. Kishida was not on the list and insisted that he had no relations with the organisation.
• Whether his meeting with the Church's representatives was accidental or not, the report may further undermine the credibility of the embattled Prime Minister, whose approval ratings are hitting record lows.