Offers of Excuse and ¥10 Billion

Family Foundation for World Peace and Unification, as known as former Unification Church, officially excused itself for its insufficient oversight in receiving excessive donations from its followers and their families and offered ¥10 billion of deposit to the government for the compensation. The religious organization refused to admit its legal responsibility for its activities. The government and the donators are reluctant to accept the offers.

The government demanded the court order last month to disband FFWPU on its decades-long illegal activities of requiring its followers for donations or purchasing spiritual goods. Concerning possible outflow of the organization’s money to foreign country, the opposition parties submitted the bills to the Diet for preserving the assets. The leading parties started discussion for seizing the assets. The lawyers requested the government necessary legislation to save the sufferers.

 

The offers from FFWPU are recognized as preemptive countermeasures against those political actions. “The instruction of us as a religious corporation was not sufficient and we have to sincerely excuse ourselves for the people who has been embracing painful feelings,” told the president of FFWPU, Tomihiro Tanaka, in the press conference. He did not use the word of “apology” or “sufferers,” because the illegality of the organization’s activities had not been confirmed in the court.

 

Tanaka also offered ¥10 billion of deposit to the government, explaining that the amount was calculated based on the requests by 124 sufferers amounting ¥4 billion and possible additional requests for returning the payments. He said he had no intention to sell the land or buildings possessed by FFWPU, and the legislation for preserving its assets would not be necessary because the organization had stopped any money transfer to foreign countries.

 

Even how FFWPU wants to deposit its assets, the government may not accept them. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said in his press conference that the government could accept the deposit only when it would fit the conditions prescribed in the laws. Regarding public negative sentiment against FFWPU’s decades-long coercive collection of donations, it is unlikely for the government to receive the offers from Tanaka.

 

 

The lawyers for the sufferers estimate that the total damage will amount to ¥120 billion. Tanaka’s offers of deposit was too little for them to make the compensation. They also regard the announce of Tanaka as a kind of performance, not as a sincere apology. It is likely that the offers were the measures to make the court decision on disbanding preferable, and to prevent the current followers leaving the organization.

 

The talking points are whether the court recognizes the organized involvement of FFWPU in the donations and political decision on seizing its assets. Liberal Democratic Party has been keeping close relationship with FFWPU before it was revealed by the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Komeito has strong support from a religious organization, Soka Gakkai. The sufferers are watching closely their responses on the issue.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amendment of Local Autonomy Law

The House of Representatives started discussion on revision of the Local Autonomy Law, which would vest the national government a power to instruct local government in an emergency. It may change the relationship between the national and local government, which has been recognized as equal. The opposition parties oppose the amendment, arguing that it would give the national government an excessive power.   With the Meiji Restoration, the national government abolished the feudal system, introducing modern governance. However, its autonomy was not sufficient. The governor of each prefecture was appointed by the national government. The local governments subordinated to the national government. It was as late as 2000 when  the Comprehensive Decentralization Law  was enacted and the relationship between the national and local government was defined as equal.   The national government found inconvenience in the relationship between the national and local government, when ...
Read more

Request for Final Nuclear Disposal Site

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry requested Genkai Town, Saga, to accept “literature survey” for building a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste. Genkai is going to answer within this month. If it accepts, it will be the third place to accept that survey, following two places in Hokkaido. Main reason to accept the survey is supposed to be subsidy from the national government.   Japan has no final disposal site. Among all 54 reactors in 17 nuclear power generation plant, 12 reactors of 6 plants are operating. The rest of them are not in operation, some of which are determined to be decommissioned. Used nuclear fuels are stocked in each plant, 　 or have sent to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori. There are two plans to stock nuclear wastes in the intermediate facility for disposal, one is already built and another is still in negotiation.   Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Act in 2000 determines to bury nuclear waste in the underground. Literature survey, ...
Read more

Not A Royal Wedding

The bride called her husband an indispensable existence and their marriage was necessary choice to protect their mind. The groom insisted on his life as only once and his right to be with his loved one. Her father wanted his daughter’s marriage to be celebrated by the people. The people were not sure whether the family was happy as a whole. Is this the traditional Japanese social system that makes no one happy? Mako Komuro, as known as Princess Mako during her life in one of the royal family Akishino, held on Tuesday a press conference with her husband Kei Komuro, right after submitting marriage report to local government. It was something different from ordinary Q&A session, because Mako was afraid of her mental uneasiness brought by some questions not based on truth. So, the event was actually one-sided speech to the reporters. Mako emphasized that the Kei’s decision of studying abroad five years ago had not been his original idea, but a result of her request to establish an over...
Read more