岸田首相、教団関係者と面会「承知せず」

　岸田文雄首相は４日、自身が自民党政調会長を務めていた２０１９年、ギングリッチ元米下院議長とともに世界平和統一家庭連合（旧統一教会）の友好団体トップと面会したとの朝日新聞の報道について「承知していない」と述べた。首相官邸で記者団の質問に答えた。
　首相は「元米下院議長と会った。その際、大勢の同行者がいたと記憶しているが、その中にどなたがいたかは承知していない」と説明。「名刺交換をしたかどうか、今覚えていない」とも語った。
　松野博一官房長官は記者会見で「岸田政権の閣僚らが旧統一教会、関係団体との関係を断つことを徹底する方針は、従来申し上げている通りだ」と強調した。（2023/12/04-11:47）

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that he is not aware of whether he met a leader of a group associated with the controversial religious group Unification Church in 2019.
   Daily newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported Monday that Kishida met with former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich and the group chief at the headquarters of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo in 2019, when he was serving as LDP policy chief.
   "I met the former U.S. House speaker," Kishida told reporters at the prime minister's office. "I remember there were many people who accompanied him, but I don't know who were among them."
   "I don't remember whether we exchanged business cards," he added.
   Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan's top government spokesman, said at a press conference, "As we have said before, the cabinet members of the Kishida administration plan to sever ties completely with the Unification Church as well as related organizations."