Japan's Unification Church raises national flag at half-staff

TOKYO - The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the TOKYO - Church, raised the Japanese national flag at half-staff at its headquarters in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on September 27 to coincide with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's state funeral the same day.

A representative of the church's public relations section said the flag was put up at half-staff shortly before 10 a.m. We normally don't hoist a national flag on a weekday, but we've raised it to express our condolences over Abe's death.

The religious group said it didn't plan to hold an event to mourn Abe at its main church.

The Unification Church came under the spotlight in Japan after Tetsuya Yamagami, the suspect in the murder of Abe, reportedly gave what he saw as Abe's connection with the group as a motive for the killing. He told investigators his mother made huge donations to the group, and it ruined his family.