Parliament approves law to limit requests for donations to religious organizations
Japan’s parliament has passed a law to limit donation solicitations by religious groups, a move aimed primarily against the Unification Church, which has garnered attention after the confessed assassin of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe linked him to the organization.
The law has been approved with the support of the government bloc and the majority of the opposition, five months after Abe’s murder at the hands of the son of a follower of the Unification Church, whom he accused of ruining the family through these donations.
The legislation prohibits organizations from “misleading” the public to solicit donations through “scare” tactics. Thus, it is forbidden to ask donors to obtain money through the sale of real estate and other assets and provides for penalties of up to one year in prison and fines of one million yen (about 7,200 euros).
In addition, if donations are made in any of the ways prohibited by the new law, spouses or dependent children of donors will be able to cancel them on their behalf through legal proceedings.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, stressed that he had met with victims of this religious organization and acknowledged that their problems are “very serious”, and promised to “take the necessary measures” to implement the law “efficiently”.
However, several parliamentarians who support people ruined by these donations have criticized the legislation, considering that it has been drafted quickly and has shortcomings, so it would not help most of them, according to the Japanese news agency Kiodo.
The legislation was drafted after relatives of former Unification Church followers sent complaints to the government claiming that the group has bankrupted their families due to the large donations requested.
Kishida’s approval rating has fallen largely due to government inaction in addressing these issues. The Unification Church, founded in the country in 1954, is known for its “spiritual sales” and pressuring followers to buy exorbitantly priced items.
The Japanese government launched an investigation into the management of the controversial Unification Church in November to discern whether it has engaged in violations of the Religious Organizations Law in gaining followers and managing donations received.
