Photo/Illutration Lawyers explain politicians’ relationships with the former Unification Church at a news conference in Tokyo on July 12. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The three-way relationship among politics, government and business was once likened to a rock-paper-scissors game, in which each one has the upper hand over another.

Politicians control bureaucrats through appointments and promotions, and bureaucrats wield authority over industries through regulation. And industries exert influence over politicians through votes and donations.

Farmers and doctors come to mind as influential groups. But industry organizations appear to have lost much of the power they once had to gather votes, if not the power to raise money.

The once-common practice of casting ballots for candidates backed by employers or business partners and helping with their election campaigns is no longer the norm.

Under these circumstances, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formerly known as the Unification Church, must be an entity that some politicians can lean on.

A Liberal Democratic Party Upper House member was reportedly told by an intraparty faction chief that votes of members of the former Unification Church are sometimes distributed to lawmakers if they are not expected to secure sufficient votes in an election.

The remark seems to suggest that the religious group can mobilize a solid bloc of votes for the party.

Without exhibiting particular signs of feeling ashamed, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told a news conference that members of the religious group had telephoned voters to support his election campaign.

Many LDP lawmakers have attended events held by organizations related to the religious group in an apparent gesture of gratitude for its support in their election campaigns.

Tatsuo Fukuda, the chairman of the LDP’s General Council, said, “I cannot see exactly what is wrong with” all these things. But he should be able to understand the problem if he thinks about it just a little more.

At many trials, the group’s practice of selling pots and other items to followers at exorbitant prices by taking advantage of their weaknesses has been ruled illegal.

Diet members have contributed to the reputation of this religious group.

We must refer to the group as “the former Unification Church” because the Cultural Affairs Agency approved its application for changing its name seven years ago.

An exhaustive investigation is needed to determine whether the agency’s approval was not influenced by politicians who played a real-world rock-paper-scissors game.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 31

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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