With the ruling Liberal Democratic Party continuing to be dogged by controversy over lawmakers' links with the Unification Church, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday that members of the party will sever all ties with the religious group as part of party policy.
In a news conference, the prime minister acknowledged that revelations surrounding lawmakers’ ties to the Unification Church over recent months have eroded public faith in politics.
The Unification Church, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, has come under widespread scrutiny following reports that the suspected gunman in the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July had a grudge against the group and had drawn a link between Abe and the church.