Japan Press Weekly

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2023 December 13 - 19 [POLITICS]

Law to monitor Unification Church assets enacted

A bill to increase the monitoring of the assets of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (the former Unification Church) became law on December 13 at the House of Councilors plenary session with majority votes, including of the Japanese Communist Party, in order to cover compensation costs for victims who seek damages from the ex-Unification Church.

The government has already filed with the court a request to issue a dissolution order to the Moonies.

Japanese Communist Party member of the Upper House Nihi Sohei in support of the bill said, “Our party has decided to vote for the bill because we believe that it will encourage individual victims to claim compensation for damages caused by the cult.”

Nihi also said, “The government should proactively take the initiative in preventing the organization from dissipating or hiding its assets and not leave the issue related to the securing of compensation funds to the legal team of the victims, so that measures to provide relief to the victims will become more effective.”

He criticized the Liberal Democratic Party for having long taken advantage of the Unification Church for political ends and winked at serious human rights violations. He added, “The successive LDP governments which gave support to this antisocial cult are responsible for the spread of the damage.”

Nihi demanded that the LDP, based on a sincere remorse over its longstanding ties with the cult, cut its connection with it completely and prepare legal grounds for relief of the victims.

He once again demanded that the government, while asking the victims and their lawyers for their opinions, search for an effective and comprehensive way to ensure that compensation for damages caused by the Moonies is provided.