This post is a DeepL translation (partially revised by the blog administrator) of the following article.
本投稿は以下の記事のDeepL翻訳（一部、管理人修正済み）です。
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's patron is the chairman of an organization affiliated with the Unification Church, which "promotes the construction of the Japan-South Korea Tunnel
Tuesday, August 23, 16:12
Bunshun Online
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, 65, has reshuffled his cabinet in light of his relationship with the Unification Church (now the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification). The Shukan Bunshun (weekly magazine) has learned that the prime minister's patron-in-chief is the chairman of an organization affiliated with the Unification Church. The prime minister had previously stated, "I personally have no relationship with the church.
■ Who is Prime Minister Kishida's patronage chairman?
At a press conference on August 10, Prime Minister Kishida stated that, in reshuffling his cabinet, "In order to dispel public suspicions, I have stated to the cabinet members that I will inspect their relationship with the organization and strictly review it in light of the results, and I have appointed only those who have agreed to this.
An assistant political editor stated, "We have removed from office seven cabinet ministers, including Minister of Regional Development Seiko Noda, who were found to have ties with the Unification Church. However, even since then, the existence of cabinet ministers and deputy ministers who were involved with the church has been revealed one after another."
Prime Minister Kishida's patron is Mineo Nakayama, president of Sojo University (Kumamoto City), who serves as chairman of the Kumamoto Kishida Association, which was launched on July 31, 2020.
Kishida's lack of name recognition in rural areas was an issue for him, and he urgently needed to cultivate the votes of party members in order to win the presidential election of the LDP. Kumamoto was a particularly important prefecture for him. Kumamoto is home to several Kishida faction members, but it is also a region with a strong conservative base, which is also a weak point. Nakayama was said to have been working hard as the president of the supporters' association to gather votes from party members.
"In the presidential election in September 2021, the formation of the supporters' association bore fruit. In Kumamoto, Kishida received 6109 votes to Kono's 6012, a difference of 97 votes. In the runoff, Kumamoto's precious "one vote" went to Kishida. As a result, he was elected president of the LDP and sat in the prime minister's chair", said the assistant political editor.
■ In 2016, Hak Ja Han Moon visited Japan to inspect the Japan-South Korea Tunnel
Meanwhile, Nakayama had served as chairman of the "Kumamoto Prefectural Council for the Promotion of the Japan-Korea Tunnel" since 2011.
The Japan-Korea Tunnel Initiative is a project proposed by Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church. It is a grand plan to connect Japan and South Korea through a tunnel in order to realize a unified world. The total length of the tunnel is estimated to be 200 kilometers and the total construction cost is estimated at 10 trillion yen.
In fact, in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, construction of a survey tunnels was started in 1986. However, only a 500-meter-long tunnel has been dug to date.
”Nevertheless, in 2009, the "International Highway Foundation" was established, and former presidents of the Church, such as Eiji Tokuno, have served as trustees; in 2016, President Hak Ja Han visited Japan to inspect the tunnel", a city news reporter said.
■ Kumamoto Kishida-kai also refused at first.
A prefectural government official said, "The doctrine of the Unification Church is that Japan, as the nation of Eve, must repent to South Korea, as the nation of Adam. Contrary to this doctrine, however, the Japan-Korea Tunnel has ostensibly promoted friendship between the two countries. Many of those involved are close to politics. It is believed that Mr. Nakayama has been working through these political contacts to win Kishida's party membership."
We interviewed Mr. Nakayama.
He said, "I was asked by a city council member who is one of the initiators of the Japan-Korea Tunnel to be the chairman (of the council), and I accepted the position. I am only present at the annual general meeting. I have heard that in Korea, the people who are working on the Japan-Korea Tunnel are former Unification Church members. But I have no impression that such people are involved in Kumamoto.
The Kumamoto Kishida Association also turned the proposal down at first, but I accepted because I had to. I first met Mr. Kishida in December 2019. I thought he was a good person who would listen to me. My goal was to increase the number of party members who would vote for Mr. Kishida in the presidential election of the LDP. I think we achieved our goal."
■ Although Kishida has maintained that there is no relationship between himself and the Unification Church...
When we asked Prime Minister Kishida to confirm the facts, he responded as follows.
"I am not aware of the meeting in question (Kumamoto Prefectural Council for the Promotion of the Japan-Korea Tunnel), nor do I know that the said meeting has the relationship (being an affiliated organization of the Unification Church) as you have indicated. When I asked the chairman about the relationship, he did not seem to know about it either."
However, The Shukan Bunshun also learned that a prefectural assembly member in charge of electioneering in his hometown of Hiroshima and a former prefectural assembly member who strongly promoted Kishida to be elected to the Diet from Hiroshima Prefecture and join the Kishida faction also have close ties to organizations affiliated with the Unification Church.
Prime Minister Kishida urged his cabinet members to strictly review and sever their ties with the Unification Church. On the other hand, he has maintained that he has no relationship with the Unification Church. However, now that it has come to light that a person with close ties to the Unification Church was a key figure in supporting Mr. Kishida's political activities, including as patronage chairman and campaign manager, it will be interesting to see what kind of explanation he will give.
In the "Shukan Bunshun" (electronic edition) distributed on Tuesday, August 23 at 12:00 p.m. and in the "Shukan Bunshun" to be released on Wednesday, August 24, the detailed relationship between Prime Minister Kishida and Mr. Nakayama and the reality of the Japan-South Korea Tunnel plan, the issue of the Unification Church-affiliated organization chaired by the person in charge of Prime Minister Kishida's election campaign, the relatives of Sun Myung Moon who have supported Hagiuda, the report also thoroughly examines the relationship between the Kishida administration and the Unification Church, including a newspaper affiliated with the church in which Reconstruction Minister Kenya Akiba, who denies any relationship with the church, appeared.
