LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY APOLOGIZES FOR ROLE IN ATTACKS ON SOKA GAKKAI
April 22, 1998
In a statement released on April 21, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) accepted responsibility for its role in attacks on the Soka Gakkai, Japan's largest religious minority. In the April 28 issue of Jiyu Shimpo, Kaoru Yosano, head of the party's public relations headquarters, stated: "We must acknowledge the inappropriateness of having in effect cooperated in the spreading of falsehoods. For this we apologize and express our profound regret."
The apology referred to a series of articles, carried between January 1996 and October 1997, dealing with allegations made by Mrs. Nobuko Nobuhira against Soka Gakkai honorary president Daisaku Ikeda.
Soka Gakkai International spokesperson, Rie Tsumura, commented, "We are gratified by this long-overdue apology. The ruling party has acted in a highly irresponsible manner as it has exploited these sensational charges for clearly political purposes. We consider this a victory for all those who value fairness and truth."
Nobuhira and her husband are former Soka Gakkai leaders who were dismissed from their positions for borrowing and failing to return money from fellow members. To date, Mr. Nobuhira has been ordered by Japanese courts to repay a total of more than ¥50 million (US$380,000) in such debts and a number of cases are still outstanding. Many commentators believe that her charges, of having been sexually assaulted by Mr. Ikeda, were motivated by financial distress and resentment over her dismissal.
With a membership of more than 8 million families, the Soka Gakkai is seen as an increasingly important "swing vote" in Japan's rapidly changing political landscape. In the 1996 lower house elections, the organization endorsed the opposition New Frontier Party (NFP). In addition to the articles carried in Jiyu Shimpo, the LDP distributed tens of millions of fliers and leaflets repeating Mrs. Nobuhira's accusations.
The dubious nature of the civil suit-in which the Nobuhiras have become increasingly vague about concrete details of their allegations-and the failure to offer any factual evidence was touched on in a letter of protest addressed by the Soka Gakkai's lawyers to the LDP leadership on April 13, 1998. Regarding the Nobuhiras' civil suit, the letter states: "a reasonable person could easily determine their lack of substance and falseness. ... Had your Party conducted even a minimal factual investigation before printing the above-mentioned articles in Jiyu Shimpo, the exercise of common-sense judgment would have made clear the actual nature of this case." The full text of the Soka Gakkai's protest was carried in Jiyu Shimpo together with the LDP apology.
The Soka Gakkai is part of the Soka Gakkai International, which was established in 1975 and which includes more than ten million members in 128 countries. Its peace, cultural and educational activities are based on the long-standing traditions of Buddhist humanism.