Key Facts
• Between 2018 and 2022, former Unification Church chairman Eiji Tokuno reported 222 times to church leader Han Hak-ja.
• After the 2021 Lower House election, Tokuno reported supporting 290 Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers.
• In May 2018, Tokuno emphasized election support as the most effective way to build trust with top LDP officials.
• Tokuno’s report states he met then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe six times by July 2019.
• The July 2019 meeting with Abe focused on election support; Abe was reportedly pleased and reassured.
• The information comes from a 3,000-page internal document called the “True Mother Special Report,” secured by police.
• The Unification Church headquarters in Japan has neither confirmed nor denied the report’s authenticity.
• The church denies claims of close collusion with Japanese politicians as reported by South Korean media.
Summary
South Korean media outlets Yonhap News and The Hankyoreh reported on December 30 about an internal Unification Church document, the “True Mother Special Report,” revealing political activities in Japan. Former chairman Eiji Tokuno reportedly informed church leader Han Hak-ja of extensive support for 290 LDP lawmakers in the 2021 Lower House election and multiple meetings with then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aimed at election backing. The document, spanning over 3,000 pages and obtained by police, suggests strategic political engagement by the church. However, the Japanese Unification Church headquarters has not verified the report’s existence or content and denies allegations of close ties with Japan’s political sphere. This report adds to ongoing scrutiny of the church’s political influence in Japan and South Korea.
