Japan Minister Yamagiwa Admits 2018 Meeting With Unification Church Leader, Later Resigns

Japan’s economic revitalization minister, Daishiro Yamagiwa, disclosed on October 3 that he had met Hak Ja Han Moon, leader of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in 2018. The Mainichi reported the disclosure. Asahi Shimbun described Yamagiwa as the economy minister and used the spelling “Han Hak Ja Moon” for the church leader.

Yamagiwa had first admitted on September 20 that he attended a 2018 event in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward organized by the organization. According to the Mainichi, an external party had confirmed his presence, which prompted the acknowledgment. He did not initially say that he had met the church leader at that event.

At an October 3 press conference, Yamagiwa said, “I recall having met the representative somewhere.” He told reporters he had not disclosed the meeting earlier because it would have been inaccurate to discuss it when he did not remember where they met. He described the setting as “a banquet hall-like venue” and said he recalled exchanging “a word or two, maybe just a ‘hello.'” The Mainichi described the meeting as brief and informal and said it did not report details of its nature or purpose.

Asahi Shimbun reported that Yamagiwa later submitted his resignation on a Monday over his ties to the Unification Church. The resignation came amid mounting criticism in a widening controversy that involved dozens of lawmakers from the governing party. Asahi reported that Yamagiwa had repeatedly said he did not remember attending church meetings during overseas trips or posing for group photos with the church leader. He said he routinely discarded documents and therefore could not clearly verify his past contacts with the church. He also said he had attended the church’s meetings a number of times and deeply regretted that his presence had lent the group credibility.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he accepted the resignation so that the government could prioritize economic measures, an extra budget, and support for victims of the church problems. Asahi also reported that a governing party survey in September found that nearly half of the party’s lawmakers had ties to the church.

Yamagiwa said he had no intention of resigning as a lawmaker because, in his account, he had not broken any law.