Dec 25
As I did yesterday, I would like to continue to catch up on the current situation of “Unification Church” related issues in Japan. For today, I am going to focus on the press conferences and the announcements by the Church. It is a rare opportunity for us to grasp what they perceive and think about the problem, especially related to the “second generation.”
First Press Conference
- Held on July 11th, about an hour
- Describe the official view of Mr. Abe’s assassination of the Church
They excused themselves by explaining their doctrine and claimed their innocence for the assassination.
First Press Conference (7/11): script
Yokoyama, Kotaro, and Rio Nishiyama, eds. “旧・統一教会が会見｢動機だとすれば重く受け止める｣田中会長が語る【会見全文】.” BUSINESS INSIDER JAPAN. BUSINESS INSIDER JAPAN, July 29, 2022. https://www.businessinsider.jp/post-256503.
Second Press Conference
- Held on August 10th, about an hour
- Their claim for spiritual sales and their political activities
At the press conference, the president of the Japanese “Unification Church,” Tomihiro Tanaka, made it clear that they are no more committing to spiritual sales, which was once a social problem in Japan about 40 years ago. He also resorted to the Church getting unreasonable discrimination and hatred rooted in “biased reporting” by the media. He said the current environment surrounding the Church violates freedom of religion.
When he talked about “biased coverage,” he pointed out that the media only convey the thoughts of “ex-Moonies” while omitting the viewpoints or “success stories” of pious Moonies.
Second Press Conference (8/10): script
“【全文ノーカット】旧統一教会・田中富広会長会見「政治的介入や不正はない」: TBS News Dig (1ページ).” TBS NEWS DIG. TOKYO BROADCASTING SYSTEM TELEVISION, INC. , August 10, 2022. https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/120753?display=1.