Japan minister resigns after row over ties with Unification Church

Tokyo [Japan], October 24 (ANI): Daishiro Yamagiwa, Japan's minister in charge of economic security, became the first minister of Fumio Kishida's government on Monday to step down over his ties with the controversial Unification Church.
Yamagiwa submitted his resignation directly to the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a private meeting, reported Nikkei Asia.
The minister's ties with the church have been under intense scrutiny.
After his meeting with Kishida, Yamagiwa told reporters that it was a "last minute" decision to resign as he did not want to be a distraction during current parliamentary sessions and to deflect attention away from the formulation of economic policy during this time of turbulence, reported Nikkei Asia.
"I regret giving credibility to (Unification Church) by attending gatherings, and from now on, I will be careful not to do it again," Yamagiwa said.
Public criticism of the minister had grown as new information surfaced about his ties with the group.
Until last week, he had repeatedly claimed that he did not remember attending the gatherings of the Unification Church. He also claimed that he was unable to dig up details on meetings as he would discard such documents and materials at the end of each year, reported Nikkei Asia.
"In the past 20 years as a lawmaker, I attended thousands, or tens of thousands of gatherings, and it is hard to remember every one," Yamagiwa said. "I did not remember [attending gatherings of the Unification Church] because I didn't have a deep relationship with them."
Last week, Yamagiwa admitted that in 2019 he was photographed with Hak Ja Han, who has headed the Unification Church since its founder and her late husband Sun Myung Moon died in 2012. He had previously claimed that he did not remember meeting her in person, reported Nikkei Asia.
Kishida's Cabinet is fast losing popularity as ties between policymakers of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the church become clearer.
The approval rate for Kishida's Cabinet has fallen to 27.4 per cent, into the "danger zone" below the 30 per cent mark, where leaders could find it hard to maintain power, according to an opinion poll conducted Oct. 7-10 by Jiji press.
However, Yamagiwa will continue to serve as a lawmaker after his resignation as minister. His replacement will be announced on Tuesday, Kishida told reporters. (ANI)