334 prefectural assembly members had ties with Unification Church

At least 334 out of 2,570 prefectural assembly members in Japan have had dealings with the Unification Church or its affiliates, with over 80 percent of them belonging to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.The November survey shows that the influence of the religious group -- under increased scrutiny for questionable practices such as soliciting financially ruinous donations from members and for its links with the LDP -- is also widespread among regional politicians.Candidates' links with the contentious group are likely to be a major focus at unified loc…READ FULL ARTICLE