A bill was passed by the lower house of TOKYO Kyodo Japan on Thursday to ban organizations from maliciously soliciting donations, following controversy over fundraising practices of the Unification Church.
After deliberations in the House of Councillors or upper house starting in the afternoon, the bill is likely to be enacted in favor of the ruling bloc and some opposition parties on the final day of the extraordinary parliamentary session on Saturday.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government rushed to craft the bill in an attempt to curb a plunge in approval ratings for the Cabinet, which was triggered by issues surrounding the religious group established in South Korea in 1954.
Some lawyers supporting people who have suffered financial ruin by giving large donations to the Unification Church have criticized the bill for having many deficiencies, saying it may not go far enough in rescuing the group's victims.
At a House of Representatives committee meeting on Thursday, Kishida said the government will try to improve its consultation with victims of the Unification Church so that the envisioned law can be more effective. The premier expressed his readiness to meet with victims of the religious group after the bill is enacted, with Kishida already having closed-door meetings with them last month.
The bill was prepared after the Unification Church's fund-raising practices, including claims about spirits, had been called into question, but the planned legislation would cover all organizations, not just religious ones.
The bill seeks to prohibit organizations from stoking fear by using unreasonable spiritual claims, as well as manipulating people to solicit donations through tactics such as stoking fear.
Members of groups that are engaged in unfair solicitation could face a prison sentence of up to a year or a fine of up to 1 million yen $7,300. It would also allow spouses and dependent children of donors to cancel donations on their behalf.
One of the contentious points in arranging the bill was how to deal with donations from people who are under the influence of brainwashing.
Some opposition parties and lawyers wanted a clause that would allow the cancellation of donations and the punishment of members of suspicious organizations if the money was paid under brainwashing conditions.
The government rejected the request, saying it would be hard to define such a state of mind in legal terms.
The Kishida administration incorporated a clause in the bill that obliges groups not to suppress the free will of donors to dissuade them from receiving malicious donations.
The clause would allow the government to make public names of organizations that don't abide by the rule, although it wouldn't involve prison terms or fines.
People who are affected by brainwashing will be able to cancel their donations because of the new legislation, according to Kishida.