Public broadcaster NHK announced on Monday that Japan's minister for economic revival would resign as a result of mounting public outrage over what some people perceive to be his reluctance to adequately explain his affiliation with a church group that some have compared to a cult.
The departure of Daishiro Yamagiwa, the first member of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet, would deal a serious blow to the leader, whose popularity has plummeted to all-time lows as a result of information about the ties between the Unification Church and nearly half of the lawmakers in his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Later on Monday, Yamagiwa is anticipated to address the media, according to the Kyodo news agency.
The suspect in Abe’s shooting bore a grudge against the church, alleging it bankrupted his mother and he blamed Abe for promoting it, according to his social media posts and news reports.
Since the killing, evidence has come to light of deep and longstanding ties between the church and LDP members.
The LDP has acknowledged that many individual lawmakers have ties to the church but have said there was no organisational link to the party.
Kishida last week ordered an investigation into church. read more
Calls from the opposition for Yamagiwa to resign have risen in recent days but he has said he would stay and carry out his duties.
This month, a Jiji news agency poll showed that approval for Kishida’s government had fallen below 30% for the first time, a danger level below which his government might find it hard to carry out his political agenda.
Critics say the church built ties with politicians in Japan to attract followers and gain legitimacy while politicians gained access to church members for help with campaigns.
The Unification Church was founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, an anti-communist and self-declared messiah.
Critics have for years vilified his ministry as a dangerous cult and questioned its finances and how it indoctrinates its followers, often derided as “Moonies”.