Japan’s Kishida Dumps Ministers With Ties to Abe-Linked Church
TimeSep 09, 2022
The Facts
On Wed., Japan's PM Fumio Kishida reshuffled his cabinet and removed ministers linked to the Unification Church following public outrage over ties between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the religious group, which critics have deemed a cult.
Seven ministers were replaced, including former defense minister Nobuo Kishi. Although at least five new ministers reportedly had past relations to the church, Kishida argued that the cabinet members will review their ties with the organization.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
This reshuffle is clearly an attempt to distract the people of Japan from central issues involving the LDP and the Unification Church, and the measure blatantly falls short of actually tackling the problem. Changing some cabinet names won't make any difference in Kishida's administration.
Pro-establishment narrative
It was in the public interest that links between politicians and the Unification Church were disclosed. Kishida rightly responded to these concerns by reshuffling his cabinet to exclude those members associated with the cult and by forcing others with ties to the group to reexamine their relationships to it.
Cynical narrative
This move was anticipated after Abe's death; Kishida was able to use the outcry over the Unification Church to promote changes to purge his predecessor's loyalists from his cabinet. Without having to worry about pandering to Abe's concerns, Kishida is now free to exert his leadership in the LDP.
