LDP policy chief Hagiuda says he knew he visited Unification Church-linked women’s group event

Koichi Hagiuda, the new chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Policy Research Council, said on Aug. 18 that he knew he was attending a gathering of the Women’s Federation for World Peace, an associated organization of the Unification Church, before the July 10 Upper House election. Speaking to reporters at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, he said that Akiko Ikuina, the Upper House candidate who accompanied him, did not know, according to his account.

Hagiuda, who was economy minister at the time, visited a facility in Hachioji, western Tokyo, with Ikuina on June 18, four days before election campaigning began. The Unification Church, now formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, is linked to the facility, which is called a Hachioji family church. The facility is in Hagiuda’s electoral district. Its name, “The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification–The Hachioji Family Church,” is displayed beside its front door.

Hagiuda said his connection with the Women’s Federation began because some supporters in his district are members. He also acknowledged that he maintained the relationship although he was aware of a possible link to the Unification Church. “The names (of the WFWP and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification) are very similar, but I didn’t take the time to ask about it,” he told reporters.

Reporting found by Aug. 18 showed that Hagiuda had repeatedly made payments to organizations tied to the Unification Church. He paid 90,000 yen ($660) in fees to the WFWP and other organizations believed to be associated with it. According to the reports, the payments were made six times from 2012 to 2019, through a fund management organization called the “Hagiuda Koichi Supporters’ Association” and a local LDP branch. Asked about the expenditures, Hagiuda said, “I sympathized with the activities (of the WFWP) to some degree and supported it. I heard there would be a charity party to support volunteers, so I paid to attend (the party).”

Ikuina separately told reporters at the LDP headquarters on Aug. 18 that she did not know she was visiting a Unification Church facility. She said she became aware of it only after she followed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s instruction to LDP lawmakers to check their connections with the organization.

Hagiuda had earlier described his relationship with the Unification Church as minor. When it was revealed that he had given an opening speech at one of the organization’s events in October 2014, he said at a news conference on Aug. 2: “It’s not that I have a relationship (with the Unification Church) knowing who they are. My understanding is that there could be such people associated (with the Unification Church) among people in my district.”

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