Half of Japan's ruling LDP lawmakers had ties with Unification Church

Around half of the lawmakers belonging to Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party had connections with a contentious religious group believed to be a major reason behind the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the party said Thursday.The outcome of the LDP's internal survey sheds light on the deep-rooted relations between the party, headed by Abe for more than eight years, and the Unification Church, which has become the source of controversy since he was shot on July 8 during an election campaign speech.The LDP had been previously reluctant to carry out such a survey, but i…READ FULL ARTICLE