TOKYO, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Japan's main opposition party on Monday submitted a no-confidence motion against education minister Masahito Moriyama amid allegations that he received election campaign support from an affiliate of the controversial Unification Church.
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) claimed that Moriyama attended a meeting of an organization related to the controversial religious group Unification Church and received a letter of recommendation for his candidacy for the 2021 lower house election.
The Unification Church is accused of soliciting financially ruinous donations from members, and engaging in dubious sales practices.
Japan's education and culture ministry has requested a court order for the removal of the group's religious corporation status. But the no-confidence motion said Moriyama's alleged close ties with the group would make it impossible to hold fair proceedings that would not raise doubts among the public.
"Unfortunately, we have no choice but to recognize that he had ties with the Unification Church. It's serious that he had been hiding" the relationship, Jun Azumi, the CDPJ's Diet affairs chief, told reporters.
The CDPJ presented the motion to the lower house of the Diet after holding an extraordinary executive board meeting earlier in the day.
The motion is expected to be put to a vote at a plenary meeting of the lower house on Tuesday. ■