TOKYO (AP) – The Unification Church has confirmed that the mother of the man accused of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a member and said it is cooperating with a police investigation into a possible motive.
Police say the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, told investigators he wanted to kill Abe because of his apparent connection to an organization. Some Japanese media cited his mother’s donations to the church and her subsequent bankruptcy as a motive for the murder.
Tomihiro Tanaka, head of the Unification Church’s Japan department, declined to comment on the details of the donations on Monday. Speaking in general, he confirmed that some have made generous donations, but emphasized that no one was forced.
Also known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, the church was founded in South Korea by the late Sun Myung Moon. He is known to have hundreds of thousands of fans in Japan.
“Trying to understand how such hatred could have led to the killing is completely complicated,” Tanaka said.
Abe was not a member of the church but may have spoken at events of affiliated groups, Tanaka said.
Abe was fatally shot on Friday in Nara, western Japan, while campaigning for Sunday’s parliamentary election. Videos and photos taken by people in the crowd show the suspect pulling out an improvised weapon. Two smoke-filled explosions were fired. Abe collapsed and later died in hospital.
The funeral was held on Tuesday at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo.
“This is something that should never have happened and I feel a deep rage,” Tanaka said, bowing deeply. “My heart aches that Japan has lost a beloved and respected leader.”
Such bows are part of Japanese protocol for expressing condolences and do not necessarily mean an admission of guilt.
Tanaka dismissed the media reports as speculation, stressing that the motive was still unclear.
Tanaka said Yamagami’s mother joined the church in the late 1990s and has been attending church events about once a month lately. There were years in between when he didn’t come at all, he said.
Although the church has had scandals regarding donations, compliance measures were put in place in 2009 and there have been no major problems since then, Tanaka said.
“The amount of donations depends on everyone,” he said. “We are grateful to those who make large donations, but nothing is required.”
The press conference began with Tanaka bowing in a solemn moment of prayer. “As a religious leader, I take it very seriously,” Tanaka said of Abe’s killing.
Japanese media reported that Yamagami’s mother filed for bankruptcy in 2002. Tanaka said records dating back 20 years could not be confirmed.
Yamagami is in the custody of prosecutors and could not be reached for comment.
The Unification Church has been embroiled in controversy over the years. Since its founding in 1954, Moon has built a business empire with hundreds of ventures in more than half a dozen countries, from hospitals and universities to newspapers and a ballet troupe.
Controversial practices include mass weddings, often combining followers from different countries, with the aim of building a multicultural religious world.
In Japan, famous actresses have joined the church, while politicians have courted friendly ties because of the church’s influence. The Japan branch was established in 1959. Church spokesman Ahn Ho-yeul said the church has 300,000 believers in Japan and 150,000 to 200,000 members in South Korea.
The beliefs of the church are based on the idea that love in marriage and family is what God wants for world peace and harmony.
The majority of Japanese practice a mixture of Shintoism and Buddhism.
