Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The president of the Japan branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, bowed his head low in front of the media on Wednesday and expressed regrets over the alleged connection between the Church and the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month.

“We offer our deep condolences on the passing of the former prime minister,” Tomihiro Tanaka said. “We take this tragedy very seriously. After hearing reports that the suspect acted upon a grudge against the FFWPU, we would like to express our deepest regret for the concern this incident has caused society.”

Tanaka said that “details of the motive for the attack have yet to be officially announced by the investigation headquarters” despite many reports leaked from the investigation in which the suspect reportedly told police that he had a grudge against the Church after his mother gave the organization the family fortune amounting to nearly $1 million.

Tanaka’s aim during the press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan seemed to be to deflect responsibility rather than to own up for it.

“Immediately after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was killed, we began receiving reports from FFWPU members who have suffered harm from the latest news reports based on unverified information that the suspect’s motive for the crime was due to donations made by his mother, who is a member of our organization.”

Tanaka claimed his cult received death threats and harassment of the organization and its members, stating that children of followers have been subject to bullying, members have been forced to resign from their companies “because of their faith” and others have been “forced to sign divorce papers.”

Tanaka also claimed that members of the Church had been prosecuted by police in the past and its facilities raided due to aggressive demands for donations, but he again sought to blame others for “a number of terrible misrepresentations in recent reports.”

Media reports have suggested that the Korea-based cult derives 70 percent of its funds from Japan, but Tanaka dodged the question and claimed the figure was “not available.”

“It’s not the case that Japan is providing all the funds for the global activities of the Church, but Japan does send many missionaries around the world on behalf of the Church and we send funds around the world as part of these missionary activities,” he said before adding somewhat defensively, “All this is done through legal methods.”