Japan’s lower house passes law to curb Unification

The law passed by Japan's lower house of parliament has made it a crime for religious and other organisations to maliciously secure donations from members a move seen as an attempt by the ruling party to defuse the controversy over its ties to the Unification Church.

Since the coup between the Liberal Democratic Party LDP and the church was exposed in the summer of Japan's former leader, Shinzo Abe, his approval ratings have plummeted as a result of the assassination of his prime minister, Fumio Kishida.

The LDP has been under increasing pressure to address allegations that the group whose members are known as Moonies pressure followers into giving huge sums that have left them ruined financially.

The bill passed in the lower house on Thursday with support from the LDP's junior coalition partner Komeito and some opposition parties. Media reports said that the lower house is expected to pass the legislation before the current parliamentary session ends on Saturday.

Tetsuya Yamagami, the only suspect in Abe's killing on July 8th, told investigators he targeted the politician because of his connections to the church, which he blamed for bankrupting his family.

Abe was not a member of the church but had sent a congratulatory video message to a church affiliate last autumn in which he praised it for its commitment to traditional family values.

His grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, was instrumental in helping the church, founded in 1954 in South Korea, establish a presence in Japan. Kishi, who served as the prime minister in the late 1950s, viewed Sun Myung Moon as a key ally in his campaign to rid Japan of communist influences and crush trade unions.

Abe's death and his alleged killer's motives triggered a wave of revelations of links between the church and a large number of LDP politicians, as well as a smaller number of MPs from other parties.

MPs had spoken at church events in Japan and overseas, while followers had helped campaign for LDP candidates. Critics believe that the party's opposition to same-sex marriage and other progressive causes has been influenced by the church in Japan, where it claims to have between 50,000 and 70,000 followers.

Kishida's attempts to distance himself from the church known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification have failed to improve his political fortunes, with recent polls showing his approval ratings at their lowest level since he took office last October.

The church has been criticised for its use of spiritual sales to raise money. Followers are usually told that buying items such as vases and other ornaments at hugely inflated prices will relieve their families of bad ancestral karma Yamagami, said his mother had destroyed their family after paying more than 100 m 600,000 about 20 years ago.

The Kyodo news agency said that the new law prohibits organisations from using scare tactics and gaslighting, as well as making unreasonable spiritual claims, to secure donations.

Members of groups that have been unfairly soliciting donations could face a prison sentence of up to a year or a maximum fine of 1 m 6000, according to Kyodo. It will allow the donors spouses and children to cancel financial contributions on their behalf, it added.