Japan Parties Start Talks on Aid to Unification Church Victims

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japan's ruling and major opposition parties Friday started discussions to prepare legislation for aid to victims of the religious group known as the Unification Church.

At the first meeting of a joint a council on the issue, the four parties agreed to accelerate work to consider relief measures for those who were made to buy goods at exorbitant prices in so-called spiritual sales or pay huge donations by the group, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

The four are the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner, Komeito, as well as the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) in the opposition side.

Based on discussions at the council, the government aims to realize at least part of the legislation during the current session of the Diet, the country's parliament, running until December.

"There is no distinction between ruling and opposition parties when it comes to relief measures for the victims," said Komeito Diet affairs head Shigeki Sato, who took part in the meeting.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]