The relation between Shinzo Abe and the Unification Church may be a hoax

Get the basics down before chasing conspiracy theories

Contact with problematic persons and groups often occurs in the work of politicians

On July 8, 2022, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead.

According to the criminal's statement, the criminal had a grudge against a religious group called the Unification Church, which is now called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and targeted Mr. Abe, who is believed to have strong ties to this religion. I understand.

Subsequent reports also revealed that Mr. Abe's grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, supported the Unification Church and directed his resentment toward Mr. Abe.

Some internet whispers of collusion between Mr. Abe and the Unification Church.

Some people think that Mr. Abe has a strong relationship with the Unification Church as if he were the culprit.

Actually I don't know the truth.

I don't know, but one thing to remember is that politicians, whether they believe it or not, have to react in some way to an invitation from a religious group.

There is no legal obligation to do so.

It's a matter of courtesy.

Ignoring an invitation from a religious group is rude and may be viewed as discriminatory.

Whether it's a company, school, or religion, politicians attend events to which they are invited, and if they can't attend, they usually send congratulatory telegrams or appropriate messages.

As long as there are voters out there, politicians can't let them down.

This is especially true for parties with a wide range of voters, such as the ruling party and the leading opposition party.

That is the job of politicians.

Certainly, the teachings of the Unification Church are alien to the public.

Massive weddings, psychic marketing, and many people have actually been affected by the old image.

I have no intention of defending the Unification Church.

However, it is very difficult to draw the line here.

If they were invited by a group of backward Aum Shinrikyo or Islamic extremists, they would refuse.

They will also refuse the offer of an organization that is clearly anti-social.

According to the representative of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, whose relationship with Mr. Abe was reported this time, he has received messages from Mr. Abe, but has never been registered as a member or an advisor.

Former Prime Minister Abe shooting Religious group interviews “Suspect's mother is a believer” | NHK | Former Prime Minister Abe shooting

I think there are some people who can't take this with a grain of salt.

It's only natural that we're chasing a "conspiracy" that hasn't been made public.

However, in order to uncover the conspiracy, you have to hold down the common sense and basic things in the world.

As I mentioned earlier, "Politicians attend whatever they are invited to, whether it be a company, school, or religion." (In this case, it was a message video)

In my opinion, the relationship between the Unification Church and Mr. Abe is no more than that between one religious group and one politician.

I see this issue as being similar to the scandalous story of a politician being photographed alongside an anti-social person.

So, politicians meet with hundreds of thousands of people.

There are many times when I am asked to take a picture together.

Among them, there happened to be an anti-social person who was suspected of collusion.

Mr. Abe has also visited and sent messages to various other organizations in the past.

Perhaps the Unification Church was among them.

It means that among the many groups he has been involved with, there was a religious group that received social criticism.

I don't know why Mr. Abe dared to have a relationship with the Unification Church, which has a bad image, whether it was his open-mindedness, or whether it was a political strategy.

Mr. Abe was promoting the relief of North Korean abductees, so he may have feared further deterioration of relations by neglecting religions related to South and North Korea.

Personally, I think it's just about valuing relationships with people.

Given his political stance, it wouldn't be surprising if he chose to soften his opponents by actively engaging with them rather than antagonizing or excluding them.

The topic is different from religion, but in international relations, the government is also trying to build friendly relations with countries such as Russia and China that are destabilizing the international situation due to territorial disputes.

Isn't it easy to understand when you think of it as a politician's job?

Of course, if you look it up on the Internet, you'll find out about it right away, and it's not something that someone revealed or did an undercover investigation.

It's not that Mr. Abe or the Liberal Democratic Party were hiding it, just because they were not actively disseminating it.

Isn't it a bit too easy to count as a conspiracy theory?

(I wish the world was peaceful enough to uncover conspiracies through the Internet...)

So, I will end by reiterating that politicians, by the nature of their work, cannot disrespect voters.