Is Japan’s cabinet reshuffle linked to Unification Church or a ‘purge’ of Abe loyalists?

Name: Shinzo Abe's security protection under scrutiny after assassination of ex-Japanese prime minister
Uploaded: 2022-08-10T09:00:30.000Z
Duration: 2 min 15 s
Description: Shinzo Abe's security protection under scrutiny after assassination of ex-Japanese prime minister

Fumio Kishida’s culling of several high-profile cabinet members with ties to the religious organisation includes Nobuo Kishi, brother of the late Shinzo Abe

Attempts by the PM to dispel concerns the church has any influence over government have been described by some observers as ‘hypocritical’ and ‘an excuse to purge’

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Julian Ryallin Tokyo

Published: 5:00pm, 10 Aug 2022Updated: 12:13am, 11 Aug 2022

With his public support rate declining and questions being asked over the degree to which the Unification Church has infiltrated the halls of power in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida swept the house with a cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday.

He retained a number of close allies – notably, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Matsuno, the chief cabinet secretary – but culled Nobuo Kishi at the Defence Ministry.

Kishi is the younger brother of the late Shinzo Abe – whose assassination last month first brought to light the ties between the church and Japan’s political world – and has admitted that in past elections he received help from the Unification Church, now formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. That support included volunteering during previous election campaigns, such as making telephone calls to ask voters for their support.

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Shinzo Abe's security protection under scrutiny after assassination of ex-Japanese prime minister

Koichi Hagiuda, who has also confirmed that he gave a guest speech at an event linked to the Unification Church, lost his role as industry minister. Instead of leaving the ranks of the leadership entirely, Hagiuda was moved to the post of policy chief for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. It is, however, seen as a downgrade on his previous role.

Kishida’s removal of several high-profile members of his administration has nevertheless proved controversial.

Many in the party have welcomed the departure of ministers with any hint of a link to the Unification Church as a decisive move that will dispel public concerns that the religious organisation has any influence over government.

Others say that Kishida, a moderate in the conservative LDP, has used the situation to rid his administration of a number of ministers who were ideologically close to Abe.

The former prime minister was far more of a hawk, even after he stepped down as prime minister and returned to the backbenches in September 2020, and it has been widely suggested that Abe was opposed to Kishida’s more centrist positions on issues, particularly when it came to foreign affairs and defence.