TOKYO Kyodo Japan's lower house chief admitted Thursday to having had some connection with the Unification Church, amid growing calls for him to explain his suspicious ties with the controversial religious group.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hiroyuki Hosoda, said in a statement that he delivered speeches twice at ceremonies and took part in two other gatherings between 2018 and 2019, all of which were hosted by the church or affiliated groups.
The veteran ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker said that he was once interviewed for a publication linked to the organization, now known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.
The revelation could deal with a new blow to the administration of the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who heads the LDP. During an extraordinary parliamentary session starting Monday, the Opposition parties are going to grill Kishida about the issue.
An LDP heavyweight, Hosoda also confirmed that a group based in his constituency in Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, had expressed its intention to support him in past election campaigns.
The members of the affiliated group were ordinary citizens and were not involved in any illegal activity.
The religious group, founded by a staunch anti-communist in South Korea in 1954, may have tried to exert political influence by deepening ties with ruling party lawmakers.
Since former prime minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot during an election campaign speech in July, the organization, often labeled a cult, has come under scrutiny.
Abe's attacker has been quoted by investigative sources as saying he harbored a grudge as his mother's substantial donations to the Unification Church had ruined his family's finances and Abe was targeted due to alleged links to the group.
Abe appeared in a video message aired at an event held by an organization affiliated with the church in 2021.
The results of an internal investigation released earlier this month showed that half of the LDP's lawmakers had some connection with the organization, which is why they pledged to sever relations with the Unification Church.
Although Hosoda was suspected of having ties with the Unification Church, the LDP excluded the chiefs of both chambers of the Diet from the probe, claiming they were effectively separate from the party due to their parliamentary roles.
In a separate statement, a LDP lawmaker exempted from the investigation, Hidehisa Otsuji, the president of the House of Councillors, said he had no relationship with the Unification Church.