TOKYO –
The Japanese branch of South Korea’s Unification Church on Monday recognized the mother of the suspect in the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as its member, but denied demanding large donations from anyone.
Japanese media reports have cited large donations from the mother and her subsequent bankruptcy as a possible motive. Church leader Tomihiro Tanaka declined to comment on details of the donations, saying a police investigation was underway. Generally speaking, he confirmed that some people had made generous donations, but stressed that none were forced.
Reports linking Abe to financial problems say Tetsuya Yamagami, who was arrested at the scene of the crime on Friday after the shooting, blamed the church for his family’s financial problems.
“Trying to understand how such hatred could have led to the murder is totally baffling,” Tanaka told reporters at a Tokyo hotel.
Yamagami was not a member of the church and neither was Abe, Tanaka said. Abe simply supported the church’s efforts to promote peace, he added.
Although police have not identified the church, Japanese media reports have pointed to the Unification Church in Japan, also known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, founded by the late Sun Myung Moon. Some reports, citing anonymous sources, said that Yamagami saw Abe linked to the church.
Tanaka dismissed the Japanese media reports as speculation and stressed that the motive was not yet clear.
Abe was fatally shot in Nara, western Japan, while campaigning for Sunday’s national parliamentary elections. Video and photos taken by the crowd showed Yamagami pulling out a homemade gun. Two smoke-filled explosions were fired. Abe collapsed and later died at a hospital.
“This is something that should never have happened, and I am deeply outraged,” Tanaka said, bowing deeply. “My heart aches because Japan has lost a loved and respected leader.”
Such bows are part of Japanese protocol for expressing condolences and do not necessarily mean an admission of guilt.
Tanaka wasted no time in distancing his church from the murder, emphasizing that there was no record of Yamagami ever attending a service or event, although he may have possibly attended with his mother as a child.
Yamagami’s mother, who joined the church in the late 1990s, had been participating in church events once a month lately. There were many intervening years during which she did not come at all, according to Tanaka’s account.
Although the church has had donation-related scandals, enforcement measures were put in place in 2009 and there have been no major issues since then, Tanaka said.
“The amount of donations depends on each individual,” he said. “We are grateful to those who give large donations, but nothing is required.”
The press conference, to which only select media were invited, began with a bow from Tanaka in a solemn moment of prayer.
The Associated Press was not invited, despite submitting a request. The press conference was broadcast live by the Japanese media company Abema, with parts of it broadcast on Japanese television broadcasts.
“As a religious leader, I take this very seriously,” Tanaka said of Abe’s murder.
Japanese media reports say Yamagami’s mother filed for bankruptcy in 2002, but records dating back 20 years could not be confirmed and Tanaka said details were unknown.
Yamagami is in custody and is unavailable for comment.
The Unification Church has been embroiled in some controversy over the years. Since its founding in 1954, Moon has built a business empire with hundreds of companies in more than half a dozen countries, from hospitals and universities to newspapers and a ballet group.
Controversial practices include mass weddings or arranged marriages, often pairing followers from different countries, supposedly destined to build a multicultural religious world. New York’s Madison Square Garden was the scene of a massive wedding.
In Japan, famous actresses have joined the church, while politicians have sought friendly ties due to the church’s influence. The Japan branch was founded in 1959. Church spokesman Ahn Ho-yeul said the church has 300,000 believers in Japan and between 150,000 and 200,000 in South Korea.
The beliefs of the church are based on the idea that love in marriage and family is what God wants for peace and harmony in the world.
Most Japanese people adhere to a mix of Shinto and Buddhism as their spirituality and folklore.