politics

Opposition launches probe into lawmakers' links to Unification Church

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Finally!!

20 ( +25 / -5 )

It's a good start, then move on to the other cults and "religions".

21 ( +23 / -2 )

I can’t believe that I am a 100% supporter for a communist party. In my country I was brought up to think they are evil. But in Japan, they are the only party that actually cares about human beings.

11 ( +28 / -17 )

The opposition Japanese Communist Party on Thursday launched a probe into lawmakers' ties to the Unification Church after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shed light on such ties, including those involving ruling Liberal Democratic Party members.

Go communists! The only ones with enough guts to speak truth to power.

11 ( +24 / -13 )

@Rodney

I was saying the exact same thing to someone the other day. It only shows the importance of looking at policies and actions, not only how they name themselves. I mean, the CPJ has very little to do with the CCP and the ruling party of Japan is neither liberal nor democratic.

1 ( +18 / -17 )

It's a good start, then move on to the other cults and "religions".

I wonder if they also plan to investigate Komeito lawmakers on its alleged links to Soka Gakkai. Komeito has been a junior partner for the LDP-led ruling coalition, and it's like everyone's knowledge that the party has influenced some policy agendas

19 ( +21 / -2 )

Just follow the money.

18 ( +20 / -2 )

Excellent news.

Abe protege Tomomi Inada is the latest LDP name to be heavily linked to the Unification Church. She apparently attended several UC events but claims it was so long ago she can't remember.

https://jisin.jp/domestic/2120203/

17 ( +24 / -7 )

I was saying the exact same thing to someone the other day. It only shows the importance of looking at policies and actions, not only how they name themselves. I mean, the CPJ has very little to do with the CCP and the ruling party of Japan is neither liberal nor democratic.

The ruling LDP is often referred to as a "catch-all party" while the JCP is teased as a "protest-all" party.

The JCP has its own issues to be addressed. The top leadership has remained unchanged over a few decades like other autocratic regimes. Surveys also reveal that the predominant supporters for the party are much older citizens.

To be fair, the JCP is said to be the least corrupt party over money as they run themselves; the party has kept rejecting subsidies/political party grants it as a public party deserves to receive.

I've also noticed several young hopefuls in the JCP. Unfortunately they still lack pragmatism, like the older generations. All they do is protest, protest, protest, and sabotage & boycott a Diet session for the sake of protest. Voters may feel their ballot to the JCP wouldn't pay off.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

I can’t believe that I am a 100% supporter for a communist party. In my country I was brought up to think they are evil. But in Japan, they are the only party that actually cares about human beings.

Same here. Support them 100%

I was saying the exact same thing to someone the other day. It only shows the importance of looking at policies and actions, not only how they name themselves.

absolutely!

I mean, the CPJ has very little to do with the CCP and the ruling party of Japan is neither liberal nor democratic.

The CPJ has nothing to do with the CCP except in name. The LDP have FAR MORE in common with the CCP

-10 ( +11 / -21 )

follow the money.

wondering where all all of japanese investigative journos-this should be your story no 1.

its about time to make public hidden truth.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Moves in the right direction, Religion and State should never mix.

First I would order this so called Church to return any un reasonable amounts of donations back to the public, Second I would order all lawmakers to remove church members so called Volunteers or spies out of their offices.

Third I would ask that all lawmakers to stop communicating or doing any appearances and this group events, they have no business being involved while serving the interest of the public.

This dirty business of hiding behind GOD while pushing you own agenda is an old and well known scam in other parts of the world and I hope that Japan will wake up to it soon.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Wish it was someone other than communists. Sorry, but not sorry. I don't trust any communist. If the CPJ got into power, they would be just as corrupt as the CCP, Venezuela, Cuba, etc. I agree they talk a better talk, and I even agree with some of what they say. But I would never vote for a communist.

4 ( +10 / -6 )

Abe protege Tomomi Inada is the latest LDP name to be heavily linked to the Unification Church. She apparently attended several UC events but claims it was so long ago she can't remember.

But interestingly, Ms Inada's (recent) policy orientation is conflicting with that of the Unification Church. For example she supports same-sex marriage and selective separate surnames for the married couple despite the hard opposition from the UC (ironically the Church founder and the first lady, the current guru kept their own maiden names).

So my points here are two: First, Ms Inada is not Abe's protege, nor his legacy. Second, we will have to find out how and to what degree the cult has actually influenced the decision making process over particular policy programmes. Note that the LDP itself is a catch-all party, to which so many interested groups of diverse areas affiliate themselves. The UC is just one group among them.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

"This is an issue that the Diet cannot overlook. We will investigate, verify, and formulate measures," Nishimura told reporters.

Yes, one more thing to add, if the Moonies want to fight or slow the spread of communism as they claim then they should have NO Business interfering in a democracy like Japan, they should just pack up and move closer to the borders of China and Russia.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

It was so long ago she cant remember

More than reasonable to assume it was mass hypnosis brain washing event and not her poor memory that caused her to forget.

However this poses the question if she forgot then why does she remember now

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Of course the JCP wants to hammer this church - this church has a history of hammering communism.

Personally, I hate communism, and religious groups, equally.

Human freedom is my creed.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Abe protege Tomomi Inada is the latest LDP name to be heavily linked to the Unification Church. She apparently attended several UC events but claims it was so long ago she can't remember.

So was Hatoyama ex-PM from DPJ

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Great news but why not continue with investigative reports on Soka Gakkai and all the other "religious" organizations that enjoy tax-free status that translate into financial political activities?

5 ( +7 / -2 )

They will not gain access to government files and papers.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

The actions and activities of the Komeito Party are well documented. They do not give money to the LDP. Because of the Komeito Party, everyone received Covid Relief. That is not corruption. Like all political parties, the Komeito Party does not have tax exemptions.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Like to see a open and transparent investigation about Nippon Kaigie and the LDP, never happen but dreams are free, at the moment.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Another day another story of political corruption, favor payments and grafting in Japan. There will be some deep bows and solemn apologies made and it will continue until the next one gets caught. Move along people. Nothing new to see here.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The media is having a field day because the church has it's root in SK while similar

Japanese religions and sects doing the same maybe not up to the extend of the unification

church will never get any mention.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Good to hear!!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

You sure? You really sure? I mean: you really really sure? (You may want to re-read in really slow pace the content of the article to be able to grasp all it implies before answering...)

We're talking about the Japan Communist Party investigating the dirt in the LDP, dirt that has been piling up over 60 years, since Nobusuke Kishi, through Shintaro Abe up to Shinzo Abe, involving other elected representatives (incl. cabinet members and, most likely, PMs), their ties with a religious foreign cult in bed with North Korea and which has been preying on Japanese individuals, families and organizations for 6 decades, obviously with the blessing of successive LDP governments.

An effective full-fledged investigation / commission would shed light in the darkest corners of J-politics from the last 60 years (not holding my breath here...), on strong man tactics, shady deals, collusion, kickbacks, sweet deals, tweaked (or ignored) laws (the most obvious one being the Constitution and its articles on separation of state and religion!), possibly quashed police (or other) investigations and god-only-know-what-else one may actually find...Pretty much all, involving the LDP...

Again. You sure? Really?

How did you know it's just LDP.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I think that probes should be launched into a lot of cults which exist in Japan, all claiming to be healers Whether or not it is Medical Reiki, or the Unification Church, they all expect money. That is how to identify a cult.

9

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I think that probes should be launched into a lot of cults which exist in Japan, all claiming to be healers Whether or not it is Medical Reiki, or the Unification Church, they all expect money. That is how to identify a cult.

So... religion as a whole then.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"I can’t believe that I am a 100% supporter for a communist party. In my country I was brought up to think they are evil."

Please read the "Communist Manifesto" and tell us if you are still a 100% supporter of the Communist Party. It is a thankfully short read. To sum it up according to Marx and Engels, communism meant no private property, no private business, everything including every business either owned by the state or if a farm, but a commune, no religion at all, no family but instead there would be communal living (you would not even own the furniture or cookware you used), communal child rearing where ideally kids didn't even know who their parents were because to Marx and Engels the family had to be destroyed to perfect communism, and "free love". Bed whomever and whatever children were the product of that coupling would be reared communally and ideally never even know who gave birth to them. Government would be a "dictatorship of the proletariat, whatever that means Marx was never clear on that point. Go ahead and read it and see what communism is, or was supposed to be. A complete horror show. The governments that emerged were never completely communist but some came closer than others and for most the "dictatorship of the proletariat" became a simple, rigid one party police state. I do not see how any human with a pulse and warm blood can support any aspect of this.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Politicians have as much right as anyone else to worship the religion of their choosing and even give their money to that religion. The freedom of worship guaranteed in the Constitution of Japan or any other democracy means the government can't shut a religion down because some proportion of the population finds their teaching offensive. In a nation that guarantees religious freedom the majority does not have the right to persecute or harass, much less shut down a religion the majority finds objectionable. What the Communist Party is doing is grandstanding. As much as some of you may dislike the Unification Church the law protects their right to exist and the rights of their adherents to worship there.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Please read the "Communist Manifesto" and tell us if you are still a 100% supporter of the Communist Party.

I suggest you reread it as there seems to be lacunae in your erudition.

The dictatorship of the proletariat is clearly stated by Marx to be a stage toward the dissolution of the state.

You can argue that most implementations of communism have stalled at this stage, for the obvious reasons of authoritarians accumulating power and privilege.

Marx's dialectics were pointing toward a post-scarcity society with equal and efficient distribution of resources.

This may be becoming possible with technological advancements.

It is about implementation. Your arguments smack of those who look at the obscene accumulation of capital and horrors of capitalism and argue that is because there have never been really "free markets" and Freidmanesque laissez-faire perfect neo-liberalism.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

In a nation that guarantees religious freedom the majority does not have the right to persecute or harass, much less shut down a religion the majority finds objectionable.

Religions have no right to tax exemptions and accumulating wealth and influence by defrauding vulnerable members of the population.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Marx's dialectics were pointing toward a post-scarcity society with equal and efficient distribution of resources.

There is not and never will be such a society. Stupid ideas like this are not based on human nature but wishful thinking. Then to make things worse when humans refuse to behave according to theory they are harshly repressed. Only a complete fool believes the trip the communists spout. Humans are competive, love their families and there will always be scarcity. Always. The whole idea that I could work my tail off and some other slug gets paid to do less is offensive in the extreme. From each according to his ability and to each according to their need is a rotten deal. Only the lazy who can't compete and produce something of worth line up to be communists.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Religions have no right to tax exemptions and accumulating wealth and influence by defrauding vulnerable members of the population.

I agree about taxing religious incomes like any other corporation. James Madison made much the same argument about not allowing religions to accumulate too much wealth. But accusing a relgion of fraud because their argument for their faithful to donate money is based on what some might view as false information runs head on into the freedom to believe as one wishes, including being stupid and giving all your money to a religion. Every religion thinks what they teach is the unvarnished truth and what every other religion teaches are lies. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong. It is up to the individual to make those choices. It is a place a wise government does not go.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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