Two members of a Buddhist group were arrested Thursday on suspicion of confining a university student in Yokohama in May to force him to join the group, police said.
The two are Hideki Ishikawa, 20, a university student, and Yuichi Gyotoku, 28, a temporary worker. The two belong to Fujitaisekiji Kenshokai, an officially registered religious organization based in Saitama. Police said the two owned up to the allegations.
The two, both from Yokohama, allegedly invited a 20-year-old university student to the home of an acquaintance in Yokohama on May 5 and asked him to join the group.
After the student refused to join and tried to leave, they dragged him back and confined him, police said. He was freed later that night after giving them his address.
The two became acquainted with the student after meeting at a video arcade in Tokyo in March, police said.
The group has offices and halls nationwide.