Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has taken a major step toward achieving his main goal for this parliamentary session — passing a key bill that will aim to provide relief to followers of the controversial Unification Church and their families who have suffered financially after making large donations to the organization.
On Thursday, the Lower House passed a bill that bans organizations from using fear to solicit donations, paving the way for it to clear the Upper House on Saturday, the last day of the parliamentary session. Major opposition parties, including the largest Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), are also supporting the bill. The upper chamber started deliberations on the bill later in the day.
“Many of the issues over donations to the former Unification Church can be considered to have been made in a confused state (as stated in the bill) even though it may look like it was voluntary,” Kishida said during a committee session Thursday morning. “If they claim or prove that they were in a confused state, (the donations) could be canceled.”