Unification Church to allocate up to 10 bil. yen for compensation

The Unification Church's Japan branch said Tuesday it plans to allocate up to 10 billion yen ($67 million) to the Japanese government to cover possible compensation for former believers and their families over forced donations amid concerns that it would transfer its assets overseas.

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Former Japanese health minister Shigeyuki Goto (C) meets the press at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2022, following Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's decision to appoint him as economic revitalization minister. Goto will replace Daishiro Yamagiwa who stepped down after coming under fire over his ties with the Unification Church.

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Former Japanese health minister Shigeyuki Goto meets the press at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2022, following Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's decision to appoint him as economic revitalization minister. Goto will replace Daishiro Yamagiwa who stepped down after coming under fire over his ties with the Unification Church.

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Former Japanese health minister Shigeyuki Goto (C) enters the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2022. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled a plan later in the day to appoint Goto as economic revitalization minister, after Daishiro Yamagiwa left the post following criticism of his ties with the Unification Church.

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Former Japanese health minister Shigeyuki Goto enters the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2022. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled a plan later in the day to appoint Goto as economic revitalization minister, after Daishiro Yamagiwa left the post following criticism of his ties with the Unification Church.

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets the press at his office in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2022, unveiling a plan to appoint former health minister Shigeyuki Goto as economic revitalization minister. Goto will replace Daishiro Yamagiwa who stepped down after coming under fire over his ties with the Unification Church.

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets the press at his office in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2022, unveiling a plan to appoint former health minister Shigeyuki Goto as economic revitalization minister. Goto will replace Daishiro Yamagiwa who stepped down after coming under fire over his ties with the Unification Church.

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Ex-Japan health minister Goto to take over as economy minister

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets the press at his office in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2022, unveiling a plan to appoint former health minister Shigeyuki Goto as economic revitalization minister. Goto will replace Daishiro Yamagiwa who stepped down after coming under fire over his ties with the Unification Church.

Unification Church tries to derail ex-believer's press conference

The controversial Unification Church on Friday attempted to stop a former believer's press conference by sending a message purportedly signed by her parents, but she pressed ahead and spoke out on alleged abuses that she and other believers endured at its hands. In a summarized version of the faxed message read out during the event, Sayuri Ogawa's parents called for the press conference to be halted immediately, saying their daughter has a "tendency to lie," and the psychiatric issues she said she suffers had worsened since a gunman killed former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. At the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, which hosted the event, Ogawa, who uses a pseudonym to protect her real identity, relayed her traumatic experiences as a so-called second-generation church believer.

Japan gov't starts consultation service for Unification Church woes

The government started Monday a telephone consultation service for people experiencing trouble with the Unification Church, a religious group that has stirred controversy since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was killed over alleged links to the group in July. Officials from government offices, including the Justice Ministry and the police and consumer affairs agencies, have gathered in Tokyo to offer the service. They will mainly introduce professional consultation entities including those offering legal help to resolve troubles with the group. The service is set to run through Sept. 30. As troubles related to the Unification Church are expected to be widespread, the government has also assigned officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to the consultation service. The consultation window is open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Japanese Defense Minister Kishi

Japanese Defense Minister Kishi

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi attends a press conference in Tokyo on July 26, 2022. Kishi said he had received help in past elections from members of the Unification Church, becoming the latest ruling party lawmaker to disclose connections with the group at the center of controversy over the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Unification Church says Abe shooter's mother is follower

Unification Church says Abe shooter's mother is follower

Tomihiro Tanaka, president of the Japan branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, attends a press conference in Tokyo on July 11, 2022, saying that the mother of a man who fatally shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8 is a follower of the religious group. Investigative sources said earlier the man harbored a grudge against the group as his mother had made a "huge donation."

Unification Church says Abe shooter's mother is follower

Unification Church says Abe shooter's mother is follower

Tomihiro Tanaka, president of the Japan branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, attends a press conference in Tokyo on July 11, 2022, saying that the mother of a man who fatally shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8 is a follower of the religious group. Investigative sources said earlier the man harbored a grudge against the group as his mother had made a "huge donation."

Unification Church says Abe shooter's mother is follower

Unification Church says Abe shooter's mother is follower

Tomihiro Tanaka, president of the Japan branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, attends a press conference in Tokyo on July 11, 2022, saying that the mother of a man who fatally shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8 is a follower of the religious group. Investigative sources said earlier the man harbored a grudge against the group as his mother had made a "huge donation."