A bill that aims to prevent a religious organization's assets from being transferred overseas so that it can be set aside to provide relief to potential victims passed the Lower House on Tuesday after days of negotiation between ruling and opposition lawmakers.

The ruling coalition — the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — along with the opposition party Democratic Party for the People submitted amendments to their special bill based on discussions with other opposition parties, namely the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Nippon Ishin no Kai.

The bill was sent to the Upper House, paving the way for it to pass both chambers in the current parliament session that ends on Dec. 13.

The bill submitted by the LDP, Komeito and the DPP focuses on keeping better tabs on religious groups that may be at risk of losing its religious corporation status.

The revised bill added a clause that says that it will be reconsidered within three years after its enforcement, including how the assets should be preserved, in consideration of the opposition parties.

The CDP and the Nippon Ishin, meanwhile, had proposed a separate bill that would have allowed the court to order the comprehensive preservation of all assets when a request to revoke the status of a religious corporation is made to the court. That bill, however, was rejected at the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee.

The CDP, Nippon Ishin and the Japanese Communist Party decided to only support the amended portions.

In previous discussions between the ruling and opposition parties, the CDP and Nippon Ishin had raised concerns about the ruling coalition’s bill, which required victims to seek the preservation of individual assets through civil lawsuits.

LDP lawmaker Masahiko Shibayama said at the judicial committee meeting that if issues arose, a review would be conducted without needing to wait for three years, gaining the support of opposition parties for the amendment in the proposed bill. 　

“If there are signs of asset dissipation or concealment, it is necessary to start discussions on asset preservation at any time when needed,” said Chinami Nishimura, a veteran CDP lawmaker.

The House of Representatives’ Judicial Affairs Committee voted on two bills aimed at preventing the outflow of assets before a court is ordered to strip a religious corporation of its status, as part of relief efforts for victims of the Unification Church and other religious corporations.

The bill submitted by the LDP, Komeito and the DPP states that when a court has been requested to strip a religious corporation of its status, it is mandatory for the group to notify relevant government authorities before disposing of its assets, including real estate.

Former followers of the Unification Church and their families, who are seeking compensation for the large donations they made to the religious organization, have been asking ruling and opposition lawmakers to draft a law so that the refunds will continue to be made in the future.

“For us (those seeking refunds from the church), the biggest concern is that there won’t be financial resources left” once the court rules that the Unification Church needs to repay the donations, a man in his 70s, who did not disclose his name due to privacy reasons, told a news conference in Tokyo last week.

He and his wife donated about ¥10 million to the church between 2008 and 2013.

Staff writer Kanako Takahara contributed to the report.