<figure id="attachment_261653" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2895px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261653"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="40764ed4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/aflo_162526564.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-261653" class="wp-caption-text">Toshihiro Nikai Continues to Hold Hidden Power in the LDP After Secretary General Change</figcaption></figure>
Amid daily reports of problems with his political ties to the former Unification Church, former LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai opened up in a speech on August 24.
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Many lawmakers say that they have unknowingly associated with Unification Church events or people related to the church, but Nikai said:
&#8220;If they ask me to send a telegram, I do. If they say, &#8216;Let&#8217;s support you,&#8217; I say, &#8216;Please take care of me,&#8217; which is a code word.
 It&#8217;s the same as when a businessman says, &#8220;Thank you for your patronage&#8221; when someone comes to buy something. If there is a problem, we should keep bringing it up, investigate it, and correct it, but the LDP will not be deterred.&#8221;
It is true that the DPJ was in power for three years from 2009, but other than that, the LDP has been in power since the end of the war. Nikai, a leading figure in the LDP, is probably convinced that the LDP&#8217;s &#8220;empire&#8221; will not be shaken by the mere mention of the LDP&#8217;s relationship with the Unification Church.
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 Many people may be offended by his tone, but there is no doubt that the LDP is in fact as strong as Mr. Nikai says. Even if the Unification Church were to rebel, it would not make much difference.
 Especially Mr. Nikai, who is 83 years old, has been elected in Wakayama&#8217;s 3rd Constituency from &#8217;83 to the present. He has contributed greatly to his hometown of Wakayama, so he will be elected no matter how old he gets because of the stable organizational votes he receives.
For example, when Nikai was Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry in fiscal 2009, the central government allocated 430 billion yen for public works projects in Wakayama. While Tokyo&#8217;s budget that year was 380 billion yen, Wakayama Prefecture, with only about 1/14th of the population, exceeded Tokyo&#8217;s. &#8220;The local people are saying, &#8216;Nikai, you are not a good person.&#8221;
 The locals say it was thanks to Mr. Nikai. There are many strong local politicians and the majority of voters are elderly, so politics will probably remain the same. This is probably why Nikai is able to remain bullish about the situation.
The difference in temperature between Mr. Nikai and the public is only widening. In the same speech, he also referred to former Prime Minister Abe&#8217;s state funeral. In the same speech, he also mentioned former Prime Minister Abe&#8217;s state funeral.
 &#8220;It is a matter of course, and we would be fools if we didn&#8217;t do it,&#8221; he said.
He said, &#8220;It is a matter of course, and we would be fools if we did not do it. With the public voicing their opposition to a state funeral, he has no regard for the fact that he may have offended them. However, since he was elected by the voters to be a member of the Diet, he cannot complain.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know how many more years Mr. Nikai will be a politician, but considering his age, retirement will not be far off in the future. However, Prime Minister Kishida, whose approval rating has plummeted to the 36% range even after his cabinet formation due to the Unification Church issue and other problems, must be feeling that he should keep quiet for a while without saying anything unnecessary now.&#8221;
 There is nothing to be gained by making statements that provoke the public. TV stations are willing to use such radical statements because they can get viewer ratings.
Is Mr. Nikai a reliable veteran member of the LDP, or is he a stumbling block who can&#8217;t read the situation?

 Yoshio Tsunoda/Afro

 One after another, members of the LDP have been found to be in "close contact" with the Unification Church. Despite this situation, Toshihiro Nikai, the former secretary general of the LDP, is saying, "It doesn't seem to matter...

Toshihiro Nikai: “The LDP won’t be scared off Just Because of Unification Church Issue”

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