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What is "Yamata no Orochi" Involved with Former Prime Minister Abe and Hagiuda, Chairman of the Political Affairs Bureau? The reality of political participation as deciphered from top-secret Unification Church documents [Special Report].
Monday, August 22, 2022 20:00
What is the "Yamata no Orochi," a.k.a. the institution that realizes the ideals advocated by Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, and with which former Prime Minister Abe and Hagiuda, the chairman of the political affairs committee, have acknowledged a relationship? The Special Report obtained top-secret documents that decipher these facts. The secret documents reveal the reality of the Unification Church's systematic participation in politics as an organization.
■The top-secret document reveals the reality of "friendship groups.
The Unification Church has many affiliated organizations, and some have pointed out that it is difficult to tell from their names whether they are affiliated with the church or not.
President Tanaka explains that these affiliated organizations are "friendship groups" of the UC.
President Tomihiro Tanaka, Family Federation for World Peace and Unification
"The label "evangelism by concealing one's true identity" has spread to many friendship groups, forcing them to be linked together as if they were all dummy groups for the Unification Church's evangelism, and they continue to be the target of criticism".
--"Has there been any collaboration in the House of Councillors election between the United Family Association and other related organizations to get certain politicians elected?"
Tomihiro Tanaka, President, Family Federation for World Peace and Unification
"I believe that the way of involvement differs between our organization and our friendship groups."
He said that the religious organization and the "friendship group" are two separate organizations.
This is a top-secret organizational chart that was distributed only to a few executives in the past. The "Women's Coalition for World Peace," with which Hagiuda has acknowledged a relationship, and the "Universal Peace Coalition," to which former Prime Minister Abe sent a message, are described as "providence organizations".
Journalist Eight Suzuki responds;
Journalist Eight Suzuki
"Providential institutions are to realize the ideals advocated by Sun Myung Moon. What they call "Friendship groups" are a technicality a hoax, and I think they could be one big organization as a whole, with personnel exchanges and personnel transfers among them."
These providence organizations are said to be called "Yamata-no-orochi" within the Order, because the same followers are involved in the management of the organizations, although the names of the representatives are different.
■ 30 local councilors in each region," a top-secret document shows a strong desire to "participate in politics.
Along with these providential bodies, another important organization is the "Council of Ambassadors for Peace. We also obtained an internal document, "Vision 2020," in which the Council of Ambassadors for Peace lays out its "goals" for the next seven years.
The document shows the organization's strong desire to "participate in politics.
▼Vision 2020 of the Ambassadors for Peace Movement
- Participation in national and local politics
- 30 local councilors in each region
■ "Family Education Support Ordinances" Spreading Nationwide Enacted in 10 prefectures by March of this year
Through the efforts of organizations, the goal is to;
"Ordinances and Basic Laws for Strengthening Families"
This "ordinance for strengthening families. In fact, municipalities across Japan are enacting "family education support ordinances" similar to this name one after another.
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the number of such ordinances had reached 10 prefectures by March of this year. In parallel with the enactment of the ordinances, the Church is said to be moving to request the enactment of a "Family Education Support Law" by the central government.
Journalist Eight Suzuki
"A petition calling for the enactment of a "Family Education Support Law" has been submitted to the assemblies of local governments across the country. If we trace the petitioners, or the first ones to submit the petitions, we find that they are representatives of the "International Victory Coalition over Communism" in the area, or politicians who have the support of a dummy organization formed by the representatives, or local politicians, who submit the petitions, which are then adopted by the local assemblies and submitted to the central government."
These are two documents regarding an opinion letter calling for the enactment of a "Family Education Support Law.
One was prepared by the Hashimoto City Council in Wakayama Prefecture. The other is from an organization in Kanagawa Prefecture.
The text is almost identical: "We believe that it is time for more active support for home education from the government."
Similar letters of opinion have been submitted all over Japan.
Journalist Eight Suzuki
"As for the opinion letter calling for the enactment of a "Family Education Support Bill," it is clear that the text of the opinion letter is almost identical to that of the bill. I think there is an organized movement from such a point of view that a model is circulated and adopted in the same way."
■ The "Family Education Support Ordinance" is "an intervention of state power in the home," says the lawyers' group, "It is wrong for the state or the government to impose a uniform teaching method on parents."
Family Education Support Ordinances" are spreading across Japan. The draft ordinance (Family Education Support Ordinance) initially submitted in Okayama Prefecture was criticized by some as "an imposition of uniform values, as if being a parent is the 'right life,'" and "enactment of the ordinance is an intervention of state power in the home."
More than 20,000 signatures were submitted in opposition to the ordinance, which was passed by the prefectural assembly in March of this year. Toru Noritake, then president of the Okayama Bar Association, which issued a statement opposing the ordinance, points out the problems with the ordinance.
Toru Noritake, former president of the Okayama Bar Association
"The fundamental principle of the ordinance is "the dignity of the individual," which states that each person is allowed to be different. In today's society, where diverse ways of life should be guaranteed, to say that in the future, children 'must always marry and have children of the opposite sex is the right way to be' also 'infringes on the right of self-determination' of children, and in the sense that parents educate their children, it is also an infringement of parents' right to self-determination. It is wrong to say that the state or the government imposes a uniform way of teaching parents."
■ Constitutional scholars point out the essence of the problem of the Unification Church and politics, which "may have made the country askew.
The relationship between politics and religion has been called into question when it comes to the Unification Church, but constitutional law professor Minamino points out that the essence of the issue is different.
Professor Shigeru Minamino, Kyushu University (Constitutional Law)
"What is at issue now is not the relationship between religion and politics, but rather the relationship between an organization that has repeatedly engaged in antisocial activities, which has been recognized by the courts, and that has victims, and the number of victims may be increasing. I think the problem is the involvement of politicians with dangerous groups. There are various groups and organizations that support us, or pressure groups that demand various political claims, but I think the Unification Church is unique. It is definitely different from other groups."
Furthermore, the possibility that the denomination's values influenced politics cannot be denied, he said.
Professor Minamino, Kyushu University
"I believe that this is a story that really makes you shudder, that it could have snarled the state of this country. For example, the issues of selective surnames for married couples and same-sex marriage are being discussed in the G7 countries, but somehow Japan is lagging behind in these discussions. I wonder if there might be a chance that such a situation might arise.
He also points out the background behind the neglect of the actual situation of the cult.
Professor Minamino, Kyushu University
"The critics were also reluctant to accept the fact that it was a religious organization or a religious corporation.When people would say, 'You have freedom of religion,' I didn't know how to respond. I think that the high psychological hurdle of being careful about touching religious matters and not being allowed to go into them may have had an impact."
He then mentioned the need to consider the possibility of ordering the dissolution of a religious order based on the Religious Corporation Law.
Professor Minamino, Kyushu University
"I think it is important to consider whether the religious corporation status should continue to be given to the organization as it is. When I say this, there are objections that it is quite shocking to issue a dissolution order to a religious corporation, that it is quite dangerous because there have only been two cases in the past (such as Aum Shinrikyo), and that it is an infringement on the freedom of religion guaranteed under the Constitution. However, the dissolution order under the Religious Incorporated Association Law is not a denial of the religion or anything like that.
The court is saying that it is only an indirect restriction. The Supreme Court has said that there is no problem because it is not a direct restriction on freedom of religion or freedom of belief, so depriving a religious corporation of its status or dissolving it is not a problem. I think it is necessary to separate the internal from the external."
