The Unification Church denies any direct business link with the women's federation. Last week in Washington, another group led by Hak Ja Han Moon, the Family Federation for World Peace, attracted Bush, Ford and entertainer Bill Cosby to speak at its Inaugural World Convention. Oe, the Unification Church's chief spokesman in Japan, denied that there was any impropriety in the church's activities here. He denied the allegation that the church had shifted its recruitment efforts toward older people with assets, and he said the church never pressures anyone into donating money. Those who donate do so of their own free will, Oe said.
Japanese law prohibits religious organizations from owning for-profit businesses.
Still, Oe said, the church ultimately benefits from those companies' success. Although Oe stressed that there is no formal ownership connection between the church and the Washington Times, even he seemed to blur the line somewhat as he described why the Washington Times is important to the Unification Church. Since Washington is the center of the world, we think the ideology should be balanced and fair, so we thought it was necessary to have a paper that supported Republican policies. Church spokesman Isao Mizutani said the Washington Times is an important counterbalance to The Washington Post and other U.S. news media, which the church considers to have a liberal bias. Oe said Unification Church doctrine requires Japan to bankroll church activities.