$OKA GAKKAI'S MONEY COLLECTING ACTIVITIES

$OKA GAKKAI'S
MONEY COLLECTING ACTIVITIES

The Unification Church coerced its members to purchase
strange objects like pottery and miniature pagodas. A
court ordered them to pay compensatory reparations for
their "Inspirational Business." However, the Soka
Gakkai matches their perniciousness in taking advantage
of people's weaknesses. No, in fact, the Soka Gakkai's
money gathering techniques exceed those of the Unification
Church. Their money collections from believers
throughout the entire country, which are carried out under
the designation "zaimu," and which are conducted by
order of Honorary President Daisaku Ikeda, are absurd,
and their practice to efficiently collect money with "bank
transfers" is shameful.

Two women sought compensation against the Unification
Church, saying they had been coerced by the Church into giving
money. They say they were told, "Unless you make a
donation, more misfortune will occur. Your (deceased) husband hopes
for $500,000, or at the very least, $300,000." A decision
in the "Inspiration Business" trial in Fukuoka handed down on May
17 recognized the responsibility of those within the Unification
Church who had employed the coercion, and ordered a total
payment of $37,600,000. It was an epoch-making decision.

However, Hiro Yamaguchi, a lawyer with "The Nationwide
Liaison Association of Lawyers against the 'Inspiration
Business,"' says, "They engaged in coercion and were ordered
to pay the victims for the coercion that they used against them
by June 3, but the Unification Church immediately filed an
appeal, so we cannot yet breathe a sigh of relief. It is thought by
the lawyers in charge of the case that as a next step, if the
Unification Church cannot meet the payment, the Church will
declare bankruptcy in order to avoid revealing their hidden
assets. However, we are discussing the possibility of seeking their
dissolution before they can do so, based upon Article 81
of the Religious Corporation Act."

Article 81 of the Religious Corporation Act states that when
a religious corporation engages in conduct recognized as having
greatly harmed the public good, and when its conduct greatly
deviates from the goals of a religious body, it can be ordered to
disband. In the same manner, Article 79 states that when a
religious corporation engages in enterprises outside of its public
works (that is, its religious activities), in opposition to the goals
of a religious body, a halt to those enterprises can be sought.

Mr. Yamaguchi continues, "However, up until now there has
not been a single instance in which Articles 81 and 79 have been
put into practice. In order to win such an unprecedented decision
in a court of law, we must ac***ulate many lawsuit
victories such as the one in the current Fukuoka decision.
At the very least, in having a religious corporation disbanded on the
grounds of it engaging in anti-social behavior, we want to
have a clear court decision in which the religious corporation is
found guilty of illegal activities."

However, it could be said that he has in mind the money collection
activities of the Soka Gakkai, about which doubts about
its conduct being illegal are stronger than those of the Unification
Church. At any rate, the Soka Gakkai's tremendous money
collection activities, which they call "zaimu" (financial affairs), is
already common knowledge. Moreover, their current method
of collecting money consists of "bank transfers." It is extremely
efficient, organizationally. Such money collection activities are
of a distinctly deviant nature from the donations which religious
corporations collect from their believers for propagation
activities.

Journalist Isao Dan says, "To begin with, I have never heard of a
religious corporation which collects donations through bank
transfers. Whether the money covers operating expenses or organ
subscription costs, we're talking about offerings to
Buddhas and Buddhist deities. It is not at all the same as payments\0
by bank transfer for receiving the NHK TV signal, and it
would be extremely odd to say that it is.

One unit of Soka Gakkai zaimu is $100, and there is no limit to
how much may be given above that amount. In the last Upper
House election, Komeito received approximately 6,040,000 votes.
80% of those, or approximately 5 million, are thought to
be Gakkai members who earnestly participate in Gakkai activities.
Last year zaimu was conducted for three and a half
months, from September 13 until December 31. Zaimu collected by
the Gakkai for one year ranges from $2 billion to $3
billion. I have even heard the number estimated at $3,900,000,000."

Vastly Different from Other Religious Bodies

Zaimu was originally introduced into the Gakkai in the decade
between 1945 and 1955. At that time, only wealthy
households were zaimu members, and they each donated 4,000
yen a year. (With the post-war exchange rate of 360 yen to
one dollar, U.S., the amount would have come to just over 11
U.S. dollars.)

Mr. Isao continues. "However, this was gradually expanded, so
that money was collected from the households of general
members. From the early '70's, it extended beyond the aim of
kosen-rufu. They began what they called 'special zaimu,' under
the pretext of constructing facilities called Soka Culture Centers
and of donating temples to the sect. Then, from 1977, it took
the form of the current zaimu, where once a year they collect
at least $100 per person. They used to call the people who
collect zaimu, Zaimu Division members. They now call such
people Kofu (Kosen-rufu) Division members."

When the current Honorary President Ikeda was reinstated
as Sokoto (the General Head of the Hokkeko) in 1982, they
escalated their money collecting activities, calling it "a mad
dash forward." According to the journalist Masao Okkotsu (a
Soka University graduate), "Previously, one unit of zaimu
was $100 per person per year, but now there is no limit to how
much a person can give above that amount. Money is even
given in the name of children. It is not at all unusual for families
who are not the least bit wealthy to give $10,000 or $20,000.
Gakkai members who give more than $100,000 are called
'Diamond Members. Orders have been handed down from
the Headquarters for chapter leaders to see how many 'Diamond
Members' they can muster. There are even cases where the
Gakkai has learned of a father passing away, and they have
collected the money that he willed to the family."

From 1985, they instituted the "bank transfers" in big cities
such as Tokyo on an experimental basis. From 1990, this was
carried out on a nationwide basis. Mr. Okkotsu explains,
"Before the 'bank transfers,' Gakkai members would assemble at
the districts and chapters on the last Sunday of July and
make cash donations only on that day. They would stuff their money
into a cardboard box, and it would be conveyed to the Gakkai
Headquarters, but leaders would pilfer the cash enroute to the
Headquarters. This happened frequently. In addition, there was
the danger of transporting large amounts of cash in an
automobile, so they hit upon the idea of 'bank transfers.'"

However, as may be expected, there are no other religious groups
which employ such conspicuous techniques. Rissho
Koseikai, which has approximately 6 million believers, collects
one dollar when someone joins and one dollar a month for
operating expenses, as well as monetary donations they call "zaishi"
(monetary offerings). However, a spokesman says,
"When members come to one of our 239 churches throughout the
country, they place donations in a collection box, which we
refer to as a 'donation box.' But we do not set the amount a
person is to give, like the Soka Gakkai does. We do not set time
periods or distribute blank bank transfer forms. And of course,
there is absolutely never any coercion."

Seicho no Ie has approximately 800,000 believers. A
spokesman says, "Members give monetary donations, which we call
'kenshi' (donated funds), and which are classified according
to four rankings: $1 a month, $4 a month, $10 a month, and
more than $100 a month. Also, aside from that, those who
make a one-time donation of $1,000 or $10,000 are called
Seicho no Ie Special Members. This is the designation we give
to people who come with money and wish to donate it for
something other than operating expenses. Most members make
donations every month, but there is no donation amount
stipulated as being 'special.' Everyone comes to the churches and
each of them make their donations there."

The Soka Gakkai is referred to as a money collecting religious
body, but with the bank transfers, they have further increased
their efficiency. A former Gakkai district leader attests, "Officially,
there is no coercion in the Gakkai's zaimu activities, but in
actuality, they are quite skilled in collecting zaimu. First of all,
six months before payments are to commence, certificates of
merit acknowledging Kofu Division members are passed out in
each district. In addition, scarves used for wrapping prayer
beads in are passed out as commemorative items. The designs
on these scarves change every year, and the patterns have
opportunity to give their experiences. They take such forms as,
'I gave this much and received this benefit, and thanks to
zaimu, my business is prospering greatly.'

Members are given rankings of ABC, according to the extent
of their faith. Then, when the zaimu is collected, members are
made to write down how much they will donate this year and
by what date it will be paid. Blank bank transfer forms are also
passed out. If the proposed amount is paid, there is no problem,
but when the money is not paid in the designated time or
when the amount is less than proposed, distric leaders go
around to the members' homes and persuade them until the money
is collected. They are relentless, making no allowances."

A Lawsuit for Repayment Turned Away at the Door

Well, what becomes of the tremendous amount of money collected?
The previously introduced Mr. Dan says, "It is estimated
that the cash the Gakkai currently holds is $20,040,000,000.
Just the interest on that money is $70 million. Their primary
disbur*****ts are for real estate. They construct facilities and
training centers all over the country, but recently, they have
purchased castles in Italy and England. In addition, the personnel
expenses for the Gakkai's 3,000 employees is a pretty fair
amount. Aside from the above, they presumably also give
money to the Soka schools."

However, a financial expert says that most of the money
collected is invested in financial markets. "In the case of last year,
money transferred to authorized accounts at banks in Tokyo
was added up twice between September and November. The
three extra months' worth of zaimu was received as 'pennies
from heaven' and kept idle in the usual accounts. They thought it
would be profitable if they lumped it all together and invested the
large amount at fixed intervals. The money from the banks in
Tokyo was amassed together at the Yotsuya branch of Mitsubishi
Bank, the Gakkai's main bank and then invested in the
zaimu department of each of the Tokyo banks. Then, in
accordance with instructions from Mitsubishi Bank, the money was
returned to the Yotsuya branch, and then remitted to banks and
securities firms which pay high interest. Then it was deposited
in a fixed account in the Postal savings system. There is also a
recent report that it is being invested as a hedge fund for
overseas, where they are speculatively vigorous."

Of course, a sufficient amount of money is converted into
maneuvering capital and traveling expenses for when Daisaku, who
loves honors and decorations, meets with overseas VIP's.
This is not just talk to make the believers, who have submitted their
savings, believing them to be offerings, feel like fools.

In response to this illegitimate usage of funds, lawsuits seeking
repayment have occurred before now. There is the example of
a suit being filed in a Tokyo court in 1979, where approximately
530 plaintiffs sought repayment of approximately $1,000
each, for a total of $500,000. However, according to a representative
of the plaintiffs at the time, "Zaimu should be collected
based upon the spirit of offerings, but it was not, so they wanted
their money back. Our stand did not mesh with the Gakkai
insistence that zaimu is capital used for kosen-rufu activities.
In the end, the court decided that a courtroom is not the place to
settle a religious problem, and they dismissed the lawsuit."

There is an instance which occurred after that, in 1982 in Kochi,
where 72 people selected three people to represent them as
plaintiffs in a lawsuit. In that instance, the Gakkai was ordered to
repay approximately $7 million. Though the Gakkai
appealed the decision, the very best they could do was reach a
compromise to pay back $10,000 per person. According to
one of the people involved at the time, "In that case, the Gakkai
had at one time agreed to pay back the money, but they
never paid it back, so the suit was not over a doctrinal problem.
It was a fight against only a broken promise for repayment,
so the lawsuit concluded in a victory for the plaintiffs. If the
lawsuit had from the very beginning focused on doctrine, it
probably would have been turned away at the door of the courthouse."

Its Very Existence Is Unconstitutional

However, there is no doubt that the Soka Gakkai's very existence is
anti-social, seeing that it takes advantage of people's
weakness, the same as the Unification Church. A Gakkai
observer notes, "No. The Unification Church takes people's money,
but at least they leave a pot to cook in. The Gakkai takes until
there is nothing left. It's existence is evil from beginning to end."

Professor Hirohisa Kitano of the Legal Department of
Nihon University says, "The Soka Gakkai has been formally
excommunicated from their Head Temple. They have no
object of worship or anything else. They are nothing more than a
collection of believers. Furthermore, their zaimu and bank
transfers have no religious significance at all. Despite all of that, the
Gakkai is recognized as a religious corporation. That in itself
is strange, and it is clearly in violation of the Constitution.
Concretely speaking, it is first of all in violation of Article 20
of the Constitution. That is the article which stipulates the
freedom of religion, but it also states that religious bodies
are not to receive special rights from the State, and that those
bodies are not to exercise governmental authority. They
originally did not have tax exempt status, but now they do so this
shows that they receive special rights from the State. In addition,
they are in violation of Article 89, which stipulates that
religious bodies are not to receive disbur*****ts of public moneys.
Not paying taxes which should be paid is the same as
receiving disbur*****ts of public moneys. Taxes of 35 -37%
should be levied against the Gakkai's zaimu activities, the same
as for enterprises in general. Even making a tremendous
compromise and (hypothetically) acknowledging that the Gakkai is a
religious corporation, still taxes of 27% percent should be
levied against a non-profit organizations for- profit enterprises."

If we deal with the issue of separation of Church and State,
it is impossible to consider as taboo the matter of the Gakkai's
existence. Liberal Democrat (LDP) Diet member Yoshinobu
Shimamura is following up on the Gakkai problem. He states,
"Until now, we have wanted to avoid making the LDP and the
Soka Gakkai enemies. We have emphasized peace at any
price, but now no one is saying anything like that." If that is the
case, then Honorary President Ikeda should either be
summoned to appear before the Diet or the Gakkai should be
forced to disband.

Famous quote of the month:

"As an eternal principle, the Soka Gakkai will never ask for even the tiniest contribution of offering from the members."

Daiskau Ikeda Seikyo Shimbun, June 16, 1962

Soka Gakkai Senior Leader Reformist