Japan enacts new law to curb fundraising abuses by religious groups – National | 24CA News
Japan’s parliament on Saturday enacted a legislation to limit malicious donation solicitations by non secular and different teams, which primarily targets the Unification Church, whose fundraising ways and comfortable ties with the governing celebration brought about public outrage.
The South Korean-based non secular group’s decades-long ties with Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party surfaced after the July assassination of former chief Shinzo Abe. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose help rankings tumbled, sought to calm public fury over his dealing with of the scandal and has changed three Cabinet ministers– one over his church ties, one other over a capital punishment gaffe and a 3rd over political funding issues.
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The new legislation, authorised at this 12 months’s closing parliamentary session, permits believers, different donors and their households to hunt the return of their cash and prohibits non secular teams and different organizations from soliciting funds by coercion, threats or linking donations to non secular salvation.
Kishida, who has heard former adherents’ expertise, described their sufferings as “ghastly” and praised the legislation as a bipartisan effort to assist the victims and their households.
The legislation’s passage was one in every of Kishida’s high priorities that additionally embody Japan’s new nationwide safety technique and protection coverage to attain a considerable buildup of its navy over the following 5 years.
Kishida, who earlier this week set five-year protection spending targets of 43 trillion yen ($316 billion), mentioned his authorities will want an additional 4 trillion yen ($30 billion) yearly. Of that, 1 / 4 should be funded by way of tax will increase, Kishida mentioned.
On Saturday, Kishida mentioned Japan must proceed reinforcing navy energy past the following 5 years. He mentioned a deliberate tax improve will likely be gradual from 2024 and that earnings tax received’t be raised. He mentioned he was in opposition to issuing authorities bonds to cowl the protection improve.
“We must secure the source of funding to reinforce our defense power for our future,” Kishida mentioned. “To do so is our responsibility for the future generations.”
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A revised nationwide safety technique, which is anticipated to be launched later this month, would permit Japan to develop a preemptive strike functionality and deploy long-range missiles. It marks a serious and contentious shift away from Japan’s self-defense-only coverage adopted after its World War II defeat in 1945.
“Our ongoing project will involve a major change to our national security and finance policies,” Kishida mentioned.
The suspect who fatally shot Abe at an outside marketing campaign rally in July instructed police he focused the previous prime minister due to his hyperlinks to the Unification Church. A letter and social media postings attributed to the suspect mentioned massive donations by his mom to the church bankrupted his household and ruined his life.
A police investigation led to revelations of widespread ties between the church and members of the governing celebration over shared pursuits in anti-communist and conservative causes.
The case additionally make clear the struggling of kids of church followers, together with some who say they had been pressured to affix the church or had been left in poverty or uncared for by their mother and father’ devotion. Many critics take into account the church to be a cult due to monetary and psychological hardships skilled by followers and their households.
The Education Ministry, which is in control of non secular points, formally began an investigation into the church. It may probably result in a courtroom resolution revoking the group’s authorized standing, although the church can nonetheless proceed its non secular exercise.
The Health and Welfare Ministry is individually investigating questionable adoptions involving lots of of kids amongst church followers.
Opposition lawmakers who proposed harder measures have accused Kishida of being lax and sluggish as a result of his celebration’s coalition associate, Komeito, is backed by the Buddhist sect Soka Gakkai.
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Some specialists say the legislation lacks enamel, together with donation limits, safety for kids of church members and consideration for these believed to be brainwashed into becoming a member of the group and making massive donations.
Kishida has mentioned he has no hyperlinks to the church and has pledged his celebration will lower all such ties.
The Unification Church, based in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, obtained authorized standing as a spiritual group in Japan in 1968 amid an anti-communist motion supported by Abe’s grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi.
Since the Nineteen Eighties, the church has confronted accusations of devious business and recruitment ways, together with brainwashing members into making big donations to Moon, usually ruining their funds and households.
The group has acknowledged circumstances of “excessive” donations however says the issue has since been mitigated for greater than a decade and not too long ago pledged additional reforms.
Experts say Japanese followers are requested to pay for sins dedicated by their ancestors throughout Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, and that almost all of the church’s worldwide funding comes from Japan.
© 2022 The Associated Press
