Shinzo Abe’s Shooter and the Unification Church: A Debate Between Suzuki and Takeda

Eito Suzuki, a journalist who has been pursuing religious issues such as the former Unification Church for more than 20 years, appeared on the October 15 broadcast of  Say That’s the Committee NP (Yomiuri TV). When he introduced his book, he got into a battle with author Tsuneyasu Takeda over Tetsuya Yamagami, who was indicted for shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

 

Mr. Takeda said of Mr. Suzuki

“I feel nothing but discomfort. He is trying very hard to build a relationship with Mr. Suzuki, even though they have nothing to do with each other, and it looks like he is trying to enhance his reputation as a journalist.”

He also claimed that the incident in which Prime Minister Kishida was attacked was the appearance of a second Yamakami. In contrast, Suzuki said,

“The straw man argument and just what you want, the argument that you are talking about, has already been used up. They are completely baseless.”

After that, the two continued to engage in a heated exchange of views on the social networking site X.

“I would like to hear Mr. Suzuki’s thoughts, so I would like you to appear on the program again.”

 

On the other hand, there are controversial voices wondering about the connection between Mr. Takeda and the Unification Church. In the reply column of Mr. Takeda’s X, a general user wrote

April 9, 2011. Tsuneyasu Takeda speaking at the Unification Church dummy’s World Strategic Studies Institute. Let’s take a look at what he says and does after getting this background.

The post was accompanied by a photo.

The title of the lecture held by the organization was

Why is Japan the most popular country in the world?

And the name of the lecturer, Tsuneyasu Takeda, is prominently displayed. Takeda is in the center of a group photo of several dozen people. When this was posted, Mr. Takeda wrote

 

“I will give lectures to political parties, political organizations, and religious organizations when asked to do so in order to ensure the succession to the throne by a male lineage,” he said.

He proudly countered that as a constitutional scholar, he gives lectures wherever he is asked to do so.

In addition, other users of the site said,

“You have been featured in the Washington Times, which was founded by Sun Myung Moon, haven’t you?”

and pasted a page with an image of an article in the Washington Times Japan, which was founded by Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, in which Mr. Takeda is introduced. In addition, according to this website, in 2015, Mr. Takeda sent a congratulatory message to Sekai Nippo, a newspaper established in 1975 under the direction of Mr. Moon and financed by the Unification Church and the International Union for Victory, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the church.

“In recent years, we have seen some disrespectful expressions toward the Imperial Family, and I respect Sekai Nippo’s reporting attitude of respecting the Imperial Family.”

“I hope that Sekai Nippo will continue to provide accurate coverage and commentary on these important topics.” he said.

 

However, in page 96 of volume 381 of The Book of Words, Sun Myung Moon writes,

“I thought of destroying the Nijubashi Bridge (at the Imperial Palace) with my own hands.”

What respect does this show for the Imperial Family? In fact, Mr. Takeda is in league with the group that was trying to destroy the Imperial Family. 

“The shade of the relationship is unknown, but the followers of the Unification Church will recognize Takeda’s endorsement as the grandson of the Meiji Emperor. It is no wonder that he was used as an unwitting billboard, so to speak.”

“It is possible that they will push new believers to join the church. This is the same structure that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a message video to a related organization, and the defendant Yamakami decided to kill him.” (reporter from a national newspaper)

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has filed a request for a dissolution order against the former Unification Church with the Tokyo District Court. In order to keep this issue from fading away, we look forward to a heated debate between Suzuki and Takeda.