Hagiuda and his team refused to answer questions from Tansa regarding his ties with the Unification Church.

A certain politician is avoiding answering questions from the press in the lead-up to the Diet’s lower house election that was announced on January 27, 2026.

This politician is Koichi Hagiuda, acting secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Hagiuda was appointed acting secretary-general by party president and current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. He was deeply trusted by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi’s political mentor, with Abe publicly stating that Hagiuda is “a future candidate for prime minister.”

The reason for Hagiuda avoiding questions from the press is clear: his ties to the Unification Church.

In the TM Report, Unification Church leadership in Japan depicted Hagiuda as a politician who served as a “hotline” between the Unification Church and the LDP.

Hagiuda “wanted to speak with Chairman Tokuno face to face”

On July 2, 2019, Prime Minister Abe and Acting Secretary-General Hagiuda met with Unification Church President Eiji Tokuno and Masayoshi Kajikuri, president of the International Federation for Victory over Communism (IFVC). The purpose of the meeting was to request that the Unification Church support Tsuneo Kitamura in an upper house election. Tansa reported on the particulars of the meeting in this series’ fifth article.

The Unification Church was able to get closer to Abe during this meeting, and it had been Hagiuda’s request that paved the way. Prior to this meeting, Hagiuda and other LDP officials had dined with Unification Church leaders.

On April 25, 2019, Tokuno submitted a TM Report titled “Dinner with senior officials of the Abe Administration and the LDP.”

To support Senator Tsuneo Kitamura in the upcoming upper house election this July, I had dinner with Koichi Hagiuda, acting secretary-general of the LDP, who has always served as a bridge between ourselves and Prime Minister Abe; Hiroyuki Hosoda, head of the Abe faction; Shinsuke Okuno, a member of the lower house and former deputy minister of Internal Affairs and Communications; and Diet member Tsuneo Kitamura himself.

 

Our side consisted of four members: myself; Kajikuri, head of Universal Peace Federation [UPF] Japan; Yokota, chairman of the Federation for World Peace; and Yasushi Matsumoto, secretary-general [of the Federation for World Peace]. Secretary-General Matsumoto is a former member of the University of Tokyo CARP [Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles, a Unification Church group] and, as a former national leader in Mongolia, is a highly capable leader fluent in English, Korean, and Mongolian.

 

We arranged this dinner meeting because we received a request from Koichi Hagiuda, acting secretary-general of the LDP, who expressed a desire to meet with the head of our organization in preparation for the July election and to speak with me face to face. I will provide a detailed report at a later date; for now, I am sending only the photos.

“In regular contact” with Hagiuda

With Hagiuda as his ally, Tokuno’s confidence grew.

In a TM Report dated June 12, 2020, Tokuno described how relations between Japan and South Korea had deteriorated after the South Korean Supreme Court issued a ruling in October 2018 ordering Japanese companies to compensate individuals forced to work as laborers during Japan’s occupation of Korea.

As you, True Mother, are aware, unfortunately, relations between Japan and South Korea have reached a low point in recent years.

 

The Japanese government says it will not back down on excluding South Korea from its white list [of countries with favorable trade status] if the South Korean government proceeds with liquidating Japanese companies’ assets and enforcing the compensation ruling in the wartime labor lawsuit. Meanwhile, the South Korean government says it will file another complaint against Japan with the WHO over this matter.

 

Japan’s Finance Minister Aso (a former prime minister and friend of Prime Minister Abe), citing South Korea’s stance, has occasionally expressed a negative view on issuing visas for South Korean travelers going forward. He has also repeatedly made remarks — which we must find concerning — regarding the issue of transferring money from Japan. However, it does not appear that stricter checks or regulations on transferring money are currently planned.

 

If tensions between Japan and South Korea escalate further, and the Abe administration takes strict measures not only regarding visas but also transferring money, I am prepared to meet with Prime Minister Abe in person to negotiate.

 

At this point, the situation is not serious enough to warrant that, so there is no need to worry. However, we are prepared for the worst-case scenario. Fortunately, I am in regular contact with Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Hagiuda, who has facilitated my meetings with Prime Minister Abe to date, and I am prepared to negotiate directly through that hotline should an emergency arise.

Tokuno had hoped that Hagiuda would become chief cabinet secretary. The following is a TM Report from September 2020.

Should Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga become the new prime minister and form his administration, my current hope is that Koichi Hagiuda — the current minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology — will be appointed to that position, as he is being mentioned as a potential candidate. If that were to happen, it would be the best scenario I could possibly hope for.

 

This is because Minister Koichi Hagiuda has consistently facilitated our meetings with Prime Minister Abe. I have met with Prime Minister Abe five times so far, and Minister Hagiuda consistently arranged these meetings and has always been by Prime Minister Abe’s side during them.

Kajikuri also relied on Hagiuda

IFVC President Masayoshi Kajikuri also relied on Hagiuda.

The following is a TM Report written by Kajikuri, dated March 30, 2022. “IAPP” stands for the “International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace,” a group founded by a Unification Church-affiliated organization.

In Japan, Diet member Hiroyuki Hosoda, who previously served as honorary chairman of the IAPP, was appointed speaker of the lower house following last year’s general election. He shares the closest ties to us out of all the lower house speakers to date.

 

In accordance with the general rule that serving speakers must remain non-partisan and resign from all other positions to ensure impartiality, he was required to step down from his role as honorary chairman of the IAPP. However, Diet member Hosoda, who has a strong commitment to our parliamentary league, has recommended Minister Koichi Hagiuda — a close aide to Prime Minister Abe — as the next league chairman, while retaining his position as honorary advisor.

 

As Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Hagiuda is very active — he is one of the busiest cabinet members in the Kishida administration, and it’s rare for a day to pass without seeing him on TV.

 

Regulations stipulate that lawmakers appointed to senior government roles such as minister cannot serve as heads of private organizations; therefore, while he remains a sitting cabinet minister, Minister Hagiuda cannot concurrently serve as chair of the IAPP. However, Hagiuda himself has promised that once his term as minister ends, he will gladly accept the position of chair of our parliamentary league.

Asahi Shimbun revealed Kishida’s connection to Unification Church

On December 4, 2023, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper revealed that on October 4, 2019, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida — at the time serving as chairman of the LDP Policy Research Council — met with former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The article stated that Kajikuri was present at the meeting.

After Abe was assassinated, the LDP released a list of its lawmakers who had ties with the Unification Church. However, Kishida’s name was not among them. The Asahi Shimbun article showed just how perfunctory the LDP’s investigation had been.

In response to questions from the Asahi Shimbun, Kishida’s office stated, “We do not know the details, but our understanding was that it was a meeting with Mr. Gingrich.” They did not explain why Kajikuri had also attended the meeting.

However, in a TM Report dated September 7, 2021, Tokuno revealed that Hagiuda had arranged the meeting between Kishida, Gingrich, and Kajikuri. It’s highly unlikely that Kishida would not have known the background leading up to the meeting.

On October 4, 2019, just before a major event in Nagoya Nagoya, former Policy Research Council Chairman Kishida met with former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich and UPF head Kajikuri, a meeting arranged by current Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Hagiuda.

Reporting from Hagiuda’s campaign headquarters

Hagiuda served as the Unification Church’s liaison with the LDP. He has been entrusted with the role of acting secretary-general by Party President Takaichi and ran in the lower house election in early 2026.

On January 27, 2026, the day the election was officially announced, Tansa requested a comment from Hagiuda regarding the information in the TM Report.

However, his staff did not respond by our deadline. Perhaps they were busy with the election campaign? On January 31, Tansa reporters Mariko Tsuji and Nanami Nakagawa visited Hagiuda’s campaign headquarters in Hachioji City, Tokyo. In Japan, it is common for politicians to campaign on the streets, but Hagiuda had not even made public his schedule for giving public speeches.

One of Hagiuda’s secretaries, Rika Akiyama, spoke with Tsuji and Nakagawa, beginning by saying, “Thanks for your work. You’re both very young. I’m currently handling media inquiries.” The following is a transcript of their exchange.

Tsuji: Where will Mr. Hagiuda and his team be campaigning?

Akiyama: They tend to go to places where people happen to be gathering at the moment, to hand out flyers and such, so there isn’t really a specific location we can point to or announce in advance. Even today, you’d basically just have to stumble upon them by chance.

Nakagawa: Do you have a rough idea of the route yet?

Akiyama: The overall image —

Nakagawa: Could you share it with us?

Akiyama: I’m sorry, we only know the general route, like going from this area to that one.

Nakagawa: The other day, we sent a request for comment to your office. Our deadline for a response was noon yesterday, but we haven’t received a reply.

Akiyama: Ah yes, the matter regarding the former Unification Church. We did receive it. Um, the person in charge… someone else is in charge of that.

Tsuji: Is that person also a member of the secretarial staff?

Akiyama: It’s someone from the secretarial staff and one of the members here. I’m sorry, but I’m not at liberty to give their names.

Nakagawa: When does Mr. Hagiuda plan to explain his relationship with the Unification Church?

Akiyama: Soon after Mr. Abe passed away, we received various questions from many people, starting with whether Mr. Hagiuda had any connection [with the Unification Church]. We have already answered those questions. We explained that while he has no direct connection to the Unification Church as an organization, he may have met individuals from one of its affiliate groups, the Family — I forget — the Family something. I don’t quite remember exactly how he put it, though.”

Nakagawa: Is our understanding correct that Mr. Hagiuda has no plans to provide a proper explanation regarding his relationship with the Unification Church, including whether or not such a relationship exists, during this election campaign?

Akiyama: I’m afraid I can’t really say, as I’m not the person in charge.

Nakagawa: Who is in charge?

Akiyama: I’m sorry, but I’m not at liberty to name them.

Nakagawa: Come now, voters should get a say during an election campaign, and yet you can’t even give the name?

Akiyama: On the contrary, precisely because it’s election seasons, things could change if biased information starts circulating, don’t you think?

For example, we have received questions about this strange report from various people — you know, claims that Mr. Hagiuda was given a Hermès necktie or something like that. We’ve gotten all kinds of inquiries. For instance, if [the media] says something about us — there are other candidates in the race too, right? If, during the election campaign, the only stories circulating in the 24th district [part of Hachioji City, where Hagiuda is running] are the ones linking Mr. Hagiuda to the Unification Church, then — for better or worse — it’s only Mr. Hagiuda in the spotlight.

For example, media outlets that are members of major press clubs are bound by an agreement to treat all candidates fairly. For instance, if they cover our campaign on TV, they are required to cover other candidates as well.

Nakagawa: What agreement are you referring to specifically?

Akiyama: Is “agreement” the right word?

Nakagawa: No such agreement exists.

Akiyama: I guess it’s more like a gentlemen’s agreement. I don’t really know.

Tsuji: I believe this is a topic the Japanese media is currently doing some soul-searching on. During the Hyogo governor election, the mainstream media used “fairness” as an excuse for not reporting on the issues of a specific candidate, so there is now a declaration that they will be more aware of this issue going forward. The current trend among the media is that they should properly report information that will contribute to voters making informed decisions at the ballot box.

Akiyama: Doesn’t that mean it becomes a factor in voters’ decisions if, for example, voters decide not to vote for Hagiuda because he’s connected to the Unification Church, or conversely, decide to vote for him because they themselves are members of the Church and think that he will work for their benefit? If you’re going to report that Mr. Hagiuda has some connection to the Unification Church, wouldn’t it be unfair not to report whether other candidates have such connections as well?

Nakagawa: We’re also properly looking into that. Right now, rather than worrying about the other candidates, the question is whether Mr. Hagiuda himself will properly address this question publicly.

Akiyama: It’s all about the timing. If, for example, you were to release an article about Mr. Hagiuda today — if it were something that would cause voters’ behavior to change, then the same information regarding the other candidates should be released concurrently. For example, if there were no articles saying that the former leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party was involved with the Unification Church, and that this same former leader — who repeatedly attacked Mr. Hagiuda over the Unification Church during the last election — was actually involved himself, if there were no articles saying that, then wouldn’t that be unfair?

Press banned from Hagiuda-Kishida rally

Tansa has, of course, noted references to Japan’s opposition parties in the TM Report. We plan to report on them as well.

However, the TM Report reveals a close relationship between the LDP and the Unification Church far beyond that of any other political party.

As a senior official in the ruling party, Hagiuda has a duty to respond to questions from the press. Tansa will report whatever statement he makes. We strongly urge Hagiuda to accept our request for an interview.

But for now, it seems he doesn’t have any intention of doing so.

On February 1, 2026, Hagiuda posted to X that he would hold a rally featuring Fumio Kishida, the same LDP politician who had joined the meeting with former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich and IFVC President Kajikuri arranged by Hagiuda himself. Although Tansa hoped to report on what Kishida and Hagiuda would say at the rally, the announcement included the following disclaimer.

“We kindly ask members of the media to refrain from reporting on or filming/photographing the event.”

(Korean–Japanese translation: Minju Kang)

Reporting on the “TM Report”

Regarding the TM Report, the Unification Church has refuted it, while the LDP has turned a blind eye.

On January 16, 2026, the Unification Church’s Public Relations Department of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification published “Our Organization’s View on the ‘TM Special Report’.”

Within their announcement, there is a report by a staff member who is said to have worked under Yun Young-ho, a former World Headquarters director who compiled the TM Report. It points out that the report is highly likely to contain deliberate omissions, alterations, and additions, concluding that it is “extremely lacking in credibility.” The report’s author remains anonymous, and no details regarding their position or role are disclosed.

It also states that, regarding the relationships with Japanese politicians described in the TM Report, “it cannot be ruled out that the expressions within the report go beyond the established facts, that the context has been embellished, or that the report includes content that cannot be verified as factual.”

From the Unification Church side, on January 8, 2026, former Chairman Eiji Tokuno also posted a statement on X. He acknowledged that “it is true that it includes a report I sent to the former World Headquarters Director to report to leader Han” while adding that “it also contains many personal opinions and wishful predictions.”

In September 2022, two months after the assassination of former LDP President Shinzo Abe, the LDP conducted an investigation into its ties with the Unification Church and concluded that “the party has no organisational relationship with the Church.” The investigation was severely inadequate, relying solely on self-reporting by lawmakers. Despite this, current party president Sanae Takaichi has shown absolutely no intention of evaluating the TM Report. On January 26, 2026, she appeared on TBS’s news23. When Akiko Oishi, co-chair of the Reiwa Shinsengumi, pointed out that Takaichi’s name appears in the TM Report, Takaichi called it a “document of unknown origin” and went so far as to say “that would amount to defamation”.

Tansa reviewed the entire 3,212-page Korean version of the TM Report.Making use of AI-based analysis, examining the document together with translators and our reporting partner, the Korean investigative journalism organization Newstapa.

Extensive research has been conducted on the Unification Church and a vast body of investigative findings has been accumulated by journalists and researchers, as well as by lawyers and religious scholars who have worked on victim support and countermeasures. Tansa respects the work of its predecessors and has utilised their findings to examine the TM Report.

As a result, we have determined that the TM Report is a crucial document in unraveling the longstanding codependency between the Unification Church and the LDP.

While continuing to report on the TM Report, we will pursue further investigation. If you have internal information regarding undisclosed ties between the Unification Church and the Liberal Democratic Party, we encourage you to contact Tansa. We will responsibly protect and keep confidential the identity of our sources.

For those wishing to provide information, please refer to the page below. It contains details on contact methods, points to note, and key aspects of the Whistleblower Protection Act.

https://en.tansajp.org/whistleblower/

The Unification Church changed its name to the “Family Federation for World Peace and Unification” in 2015, and the media refers to it as the “Former Unification Church.” However, because there is continuity in the fundamental problems inherent to the Church, Tansa will refer to it as the “Unification Church.”

 

January 27, 2026

Tokyo Investigative Newsroom Tansa

 

(Originally published in Japanese on February 1, 2026. )

The True Mother Files: How a Cult Religion Infiltrated Japan's Ruling Party: All articles