The head of the Japanese branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, often known as the Moonies, confirmed that the mother of suspect Tetsuya Yamagami was a member of the church. But branch president Tomihiro Tanaka declined to comment on suggestions of large donations from Yamagami’s mother that had put the family under severe financial stress, and said gifts to the church from members were voluntary. For decades, the close ties between the Moonies and powerful figures in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have been a little-discussed open secret in Japanese politics. But Abe’s death and the suspect’s alleged family problems with the group have thrown the relationship into the spotlight as the nation searches for answers to one of the worst incidents of political violence since the second world war. Tanaka told a news conference, to which only top Japanese media were invited, that Yamagami’s mother had been a member of the church since about 1998 and attended its events until two months ago. The 41-year-old suspect himself had no connection to the church. Local police said Yamagami told investigators he held a grudge against “a certain group” he believed Abe had a close relationship with. Police did not name the group, but a person familiar with the investigation said it was reported to the Unification Church. Japanese media widely reported that Yamagami, a former member of the country’s Naval Self-Defense Force, said his mother had made large donations to the group, disrupting their household finances. Yamagami’s mother could not be reached for comment. Tanaka declined to comment on the mother’s donations, but said the church did not force people to donate against their will. He said he believed Yamagami’s mother went bankrupt in 2002. “We find it confusing and difficult to understand why resentment against the church would lead to the assassination of former Prime Minister Abe,” Tanaka said at the news conference, which was broadcast live. He said that, if requested, the group would work with police to uncover Yamagami’s exact motive. Originally known as the Holy Spirit Union for the Unification of World Christianity, the Unification Church was founded in 1954 in the port city of Busan, South Korea. Its founder, excommunicated Presbyterian minister Moon Soon-Myung, claimed to have been charged by God to complete the unfinished work of Jesus Christ on earth. Tetsuya Yamagami, the suspect in the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is escorted by police © Kyodo/Reuters Widely derided as a cult, the Unification Church spread westward in the late 1950s and aggressively expanded around the world in the 1990s. Its Japanese branch opened in 1959 and has 600,000 members. Although not members, Abe and his late grandfather Nobusuke Kishi, also a former prime minister of Japan, were publicly known as supporters of the church. Yamagami also reportedly believed that Kishi played a role in establishing the church in Japan. “It was Mr. Kishi who brought the group that destroyed my family and I targeted his grandson,” Japanese media quoted investigators as saying. Local police declined to comment. Jeffrey J Hall, an expert on nationalist activism at Kanda University of International Studies, said the Unification Church had been involved in conservative politics in Japan since the time of Abe’s grandfather. “This group has been one of the bases of LDP campaigns since that time in the cold war, when the church was a reliable ally against communism,” Hall said. “They collaborated with the Kishi faction of the LDP, which later became the Abe faction.” The church denied providing financial donations to the LDP. But Hall said Japan’s strict campaign laws that made it difficult to connect with voters meant non-monetary ties were also valuable. “Having religious groups that can provide a very reliable pool of voters that will definitely come out on election day, will definitely vote for your party, can provide volunteers for your campaign, is important,” he said.

In September last year, Abe appeared at an event organized by the widow of the founder of the Moon Unification Church. The event also featured former US President Donald Trump as a keynote speaker. “I am honored to be given this opportunity to speak with my close friend President Trump, who has also been a driving force for world peace,” Abe said in the five-minute speech. The National Lawyers Network Against Spirit Selling, which represents people who are forced to donate or buy “spiritual goods” such as personal seals and vases from religious groups, protested Abe’s appearance last year. The network claimed that the church “caused severe damage to many citizens in Japan, family breakdown and life destruction.” According to the lawyers, damages sought by individuals represented by the church have totaled more than ¥123 billion ($894 million) over the past 30 years. In one case, a family donated ¥2 billion to the group. The then-Japanese president of the Unification Church resigned in 2009 after some of its officials were accused of illegally selling spiritual goods door-to-door. Hiroshi Yamaguchi, one of the lawyers representing the victims, said: “Moonies fans are still given strict quotas for donations.” Tanaka said the church had stepped up compliance measures since the late 2000s and refused to assign donation quotas to members. The group also said it had not been involved in police cases since 2009. Kimiaki Nishida, an expert on cult psychology at Rissho University, said the Japanese establishment and media had long turned a blind eye to political ties to the Moonies. “This is not a religious group, but a money-hungry cult. But no one raised the issue,” he said.