When Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made an announcement Tuesday that the government would propose new legislation aimed at helping people who were financially exploited by religious groups, observers were caught by surprise.

“I have privately met with victims of the former Unification Church, and directly heard about their horrifying experiences,” Kishida told reporters. “As a politician, I felt my heart almost burst with grief.

“Based on progress we have made within the government on legislative planning and discussions among ruling and opposition parties, we will try our best to submit the bills during the current session of parliament.”

Kishida said he and Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi agreed to ban donations that are solicited in a malicious manner. They also agreed to allow the cancellation of donations if they were solicited in such a manner, and ensure support for children and the spouse of the follower.

For the past few weeks, four parties — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito as well as the opposition’s Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Nippon Ishin no Kai — have been discussing ways to hammer out their differences so that once relevant bills are drafted they can be passed quickly.

So for Kishida to come out and say that it will be a government-sponsored bill while the discussions were ongoing startled lawmakers on both sides.

CDP policy chief Akira Nagatsuma said he will wait and see the content of the government-drafted bill before proceeding further, expressing concern "that (Kishida) didn’t say he will have the bill passed in the current Diet session.”

Kishida’s comment came after ruling coalition lawmakers had expressed hesitation over quick passage of the bill, saying it’s not possible to pass such legislation during the current Diet session, which ends on Dec. 10, since it will take time to draft.

The two opposition parties, which have already submitted their version of the relief bill in the Lower House, were frustrated by what they saw as the ruling parties’ slow pace. In a meeting on Friday, ruling party lawmakers used an hour to read out 54 questions about the opposition’s bill.

On the same day, CDP leader Kenta Izumi said that if both sides can’t come to an agreement during the discussions, then it will be “worth submitting a no-confidence motion against the (Kishida) Cabinet.”

Izumi’s remark put pressure on the ruling coalition and Kishida in particular, as he is already suffering from plunging approval ratings.

In a Yomiuri Shimbun poll conducted from Friday through Sunday, Kishida’s support rate fell to 36%, down from 45% the previous month and the lowest since he took office. Support for the LDP also fell to 33% from 40%.

Kishida and the LDP have also been worried that the nonpartisan discussions would only benefit the opposition.

“It was apparent that if we come to an agreement, they will take all the credit, and if we don’t, it will be all on us,” a ruling coalition lawmaker said.

Since the opposition has already submitted their relief bill, the ball was in the the ruling parties' court to put forward their own version. But they have yet to do so — partly due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Ruling and opposition parties have largely agreed that victims of “spiritual sales” tactics can be supported by revising the consumer contract law and that a new law is needed for victims of large-sum donations.

Spiritual sales refers to the practice of talking people into buying jars or other items — which they are told possess supernatural benefits — for exorbitant prices, often through coercion.

But what they haven’t been able to agree on is whether to define the mental conditions of followers making such donations, defined as maindo kontorōru (mind control) in Japanese.

The CDP-Nippon Ishin bill defines maindo kontorōru as a state where making decisions freely has been rendered extremely difficult. But ruling coalition lawmakers are skeptical that it is possible to judge whether or not a person has been psychologically manipulated.

Another point of contention is whether to allow family members to seek the return of donations — a clause included in the opposition’s bill. The ruling coalition is hesitant, fearing it would be in violation of property rights enshrined in the Constitution.

In the bill, the government is reportedly planning to allow it to issue orders for groups soliciting donations in a malicious manner to stop and impose fines and criminal punishment if they don’t comply.

Lawyer Katsuomi Abe, a member of a lawyers’ group helping victims of spiritual sales, said during a Lower House committee session on Wednesday that if a bill is passed based on opinions of the ruling coalition, it may be able to help only a small portion of the victims.

"I’m concerned that it won't be able to help many victims" if it is based on the ruling parties’ version, said Abe. “I’m not sure how much it can be used on the ground.”

Kishida and the LDP also need to take into account the concerns of Komeito, which is backed by Soka Gakkai, Japan’s largest lay Buddhist group.

“Religious groups and other public interest groups are supported with funds like donations,” said Komeito’s Yamaguchi during a news conference on Nov. 1.

Yamaguchi highlighted the need to take them into consideration while also addressing problems arising from victims of the Unification Church.

“It’s important to maintain the balance and hold discussions calmly,” he said.

Information from Kyodo added