Japan enacts law to help Unification Church donation victims
The Hindu
The new law, approved at this year's closing parliamentary session, allows believers, other donors and their families to seek the return of their money
Japan's parliament on December 10 enacted a law to restrict malicious donation solicitations by religious and other groups, which mainly targets the Unification Church, whose fundraising tactics and cozy ties with the governing party caused public outrage.
The South Korean-based religious group's decades-long ties with Japan's governing Liberal Democratic Party surfaced after the July assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose support ratings tumbled, sought to calm public fury over his handling of the scandal and has replaced three Cabinet ministers - one over his church ties, another over a capital punishment gaffe and a third over political funding problems.
The new law, approved at this year's closing parliamentary session, allows believers, other donors and their families to seek the return of their money and prohibits religious groups and other organizations from soliciting funds by coercion, threats or linking donations to spiritual salvation.
Mr. Kishida, who has heard former adherents' experience, described their sufferings as “ghastly” and praised the law as a bipartisan effort to help the victims and their families.
The law's passage was one of Mr. Kishida's top priorities that also include Japan's new national security strategy and defense policy to achieve a substantial buildup of its military over the next five years.
Mr. Kishida, who earlier this week set five-year defense spending targets of 43 trillion yen ($316 billion), said his government will need an extra 4 trillion yen ($30 billion) annually. Of that, a quarter will have to be funded through tax increases, Kishida said.
On Saturday, Mr. Kishida said Japan needs to continue reinforcing military power beyond the next five years. He said a planned tax increase will be gradual from 2024 and that income tax won't be raised. He said he was against issuing government bonds to cover the defence increase.
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