Ruling, Opposition Parties Express Opinions That Govt Should Not Accept ¥10 Bil. Deposit From Unification Church

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:05 JST, November 7, 2023

The ruling and opposition parties both indicated Tuesday that it may be difficult to accept a ¥10 billion deposit that the Unification Church has proposed to compensate claimants against the group.

The religious organization announced Tuesday a proposal to deposit ¥10 billion with the government as a fund to compensate people who claim to have suffered as a result of making huge donations to the group, while requesting that the government establish a system to facilitate the deposit.

The government is prepared to look carefully at the proposal, but without a specific system in place, there is a growing sense within both the ruling and opposition parties that it would be difficult to accept the proposal.

“We have to have a legal examination by the parties concerned to see if such a thing is possible,” said Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Masahito Moriyama.

If the government were to actually accept the deposit, it is expected to require a revision of existing laws. A government officials said, “It is unlikely to be feasible and, for the time being, we have no choice but to wait and see.”

Opposition parties are also taking the position that the government should not accept the deposit.