- 26 Sep 2015
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Japan-Korea tunnel? Not heard of that idea before! Apparently there has been discussion on it for over 100 years.
There have been other cases involving such agreements made for donations to the group and the ruling may affect lawsuits involving such pledges. In this lawsuit, the eldest daughter of a former Unification Church follower, who is deceased, is seeking 65.8 million yen ($407,000) in damages from the church and a church follower who solicited her mother to donate. The daughter, who is in her 60s, stated that the church and the follower "made her mother to donate money by stoking her anxiety that she would be unhappy if she did not donate." Lower courts ruled that the memorandum was "valid" and that no claim for compensation could be made against the church. Lower courts also rejected the daughter's appeal, finding no illegality in the solicitation of donations by the follower. The Tokyo High Court is expected to hear the case on the illegality of the solicitation. Since the Supreme Court's ruling invalidated the letter, there is room to hold the church liable.
100,000 JPY is not a fine, it is a fee.I believe the judge forgot to add a few zeros...
Yesterday, the Tokyo High Court upheld a 100,000 JPY (USD 690) fine against the Unification Church for failing to cooperate with a government inquiry into its alleged illegal donation practices. The court rejected the controversial religious organization's appeal, affirming a lower court decision. The church has faced increased public scrutiny since the assassination of former PM Abe in July 2022, which was linked to the group. In March, the Tokyo District Court fined Tanaka Tomihiro, the head of the church's Japan branch, for the organization's refusal to cooperate with government authorities. The court ruled that the government had the right to question the church and obtain relevant documents.
Unification Church hit with fresh fines for impeding government inquiry
A Japanese court on Tuesday fined the Unification Church with a 100,000 yen ($690) penalty for refusing to respond to the government's inquiry into its alleged illegal donation solicitations.english.kyodonews.net
Japan would deal a massive blow to the universal principle of religious freedom, could deeply damage its relationship with the US and would hand a major win to communist China if it follows through with an effort to punish the Unification Church, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich warned. Mr Gingrich and other prominent political and spiritual figures Tuesday night told this week's International Religious Freedom Summit 2025 in Washington that the Japanese government's push to dissolve the Unification Church and seize its assets is the most recent communist-backed attack on the church, which has operated in the country since the late 1950s. [...] "This is going to have grave consequences for the United States' relationship with Japan and our view of what is happening with Japanese politics," he said. "It's vital that Japan remain pro-freedom. Japan must follow its constitution.
Just another useful idiot bought and paid for.What sort of ties does Newt Gingrich have with the Moonies?
Unfortunately those in power don't represent the majority of the U.S. They just happen to be in power. (They got about 50% of the vote of which about 65% of the electorate voted which means about 1/3 of the electorate actually voted for them.) I just hope the U.S. can survive.I can't stand all this hypocrisy about 'freedom' by the US, especially while it is busy shutting down any opinions and organisations that don't match the worldview of those in power.
It's hard to care about waste when the country and Democracy itself is at stake. If anybody really believes this administration cares about government waste they've got their heads up their a**. Hint: they care about personal power and money. That's pretty much it.You're lucky I don't post political things here or I'd enlighten you on the unbelievable waste and money laundering of taxpayer's hard earned money.
GF - On the subject of waste, USAID accounts (accounted) for 0.2 percent of US government spending and managed to create an enormous amount of goodwill worldwide (I used to work through a development organisation and with Americans doing similar jobs). Never mind, the Chinese will happily step in at a small cost to themselves. In contrast, the military accounts for 40 percent of US government spending.Unfortunately those in power don't represent the majority of the U.S. They just happen to be in power. (They got about 50% of the vote of which about 65% of the electorate voted which means about 1/3 of the electorate actually voted for them.) I just hope the U.S. can survive.
It's hard to care about waste when the country and Democracy itself is at stake. If anybody really believes this administration cares about government waste they've got their heads up their a**. Hint: they care about personal power and money. That's pretty much it.
This is getting a bit off-topic now.GF - On the subject of waste, USAID accounts (accounted) for 0.2 percent of US government spending and managed to create an enormous amount of goodwill worldwide (I used to work through a development organisation and with Americans doing similar jobs). Never mind, the Chinese will happily step in at a small cost to themselves. In contrast, the military accounts for 40 percent of US government spending.
Still, I'm sure you know what you're doing, voting in a felon to sort out that waste. Enjoy your freedom.
Japan's Supreme Court has ordered a religious group formerly known as the Unification Church to pay a fine for failing to respond to government inquiries appropriately. It also addressed for the first time as the Supreme Court that a civil law violation meets the requirement for a disbandment order. The Education and Culture Ministry had requested a court order to disband the group in October 2023. The ministry had exercised its authority to question the group seven times. Then, it asked the Tokyo District Court to impose an administrative penalty on the group, claiming it refused to answer some questions. The Tokyo District and High Courts ordered the group to pay fines. The group filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday ordered the Unification Church, heavily criticized for its coercive tactics in soliciting donations, to be stripped of its religious corporation status that exempts it from taxes. The legal procedure triggered by the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to an end after 1½ years of closed-door hearings, pending an appeal. The court order is expected to damage its credibility as a religious group, which is formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and affect it financially as it needs to dispose of its assets and won't be exempt from taxes. It will, however, be allowed to continue its activities.