NICHIREN SHOSHU NEWS UPDATES

Chief Priest in Shimonoseki Arrested for Alleged Lewd Behaviour, Mainichi Daily, Sept 28, 2004

On September 27, the Ori-o Police Station in Fukuoka Prefecture arrested Taketomi Doshin (aged 39), chief priest of a temple in Shimonoseki city, for the alleged violation of the Article for the Healthy Upbringing of Juvenile through his lewd behaviour.

According to investigations, at around 2 pm on September 10, Taketomi allegedly made lewd advances on a third year high school female student (aged 17) from Okagaki-cho at a hotel in Onga-cho. Taketomi was fully aware of the fact that she was under-aged. The two got to know one another through "Two-shot Dial" at the end of July. Taketomi admitted "having intimate relations with the student on 4 or 5 occasions".

The student's mother found her daughter acting rather suspiciously and found out the truth when she confronted her daughter. The mother made her daughter arrange a meeting with Taketomi near her residence. When Taketomi noticed the mother, he tried to run away in his car but accidentally knocked into the mother. The police officer discovered the truth about Taketomi's lewd behavior during his investigation of this accident report.

"Two-shot Dial": A telephone service where a computer arranges members of the opposite sex to meet. It has been misused and has become a cause for social concerns as it has become the cause of many sexual crimes recently.

BRAZILIAN HIGH COURT REJECTS NICHIREN SHOSHU APPEAL FOR THE SECOND TIME, May 19, 2004

On April 1, the Sao Paulo State Appellate Court dismissed an appeal filed by Nichiren Shoshu over rightful ownership of the former Ichijo-ji temple, now called the SGI-Brazil Josho (ever-victorious) center. The appeal followed an earlier decision by the same appellate court, which upheld the Brazilian Supreme Court ruling rejecting the priesthood's claims that it was the rightful owner of the facility.

Nichiren Shoshu has argued that the facility's executive director, an SGI-Brazil member, was replaced by a Nichiren Shoshu believer in a June 1991 board of directors meeting. Although the Supreme Court and other lower courts have since ruled that the termination of the executive director's position was wrongful and invalid, Nichiren Shoshu is granted the right to appeal the decisions under Brazilian law if a suit is filed within two years of the final court decision.

TOKYO COURT THROWS OUT LAWSUIT AGAINST SOKA GAKKAI

On March 25, the Tokyo District Court dismissed a civil suit filed by Toshimitsu Ryu, a former Komeito Tokyo Assembly Member, and seven other plaintiffs against the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The eight plaintiffs charged that the Tokyo government should levy taxes on Soka Gakkai culture centers because the lay Buddhist organization, having been excommunicated by Nichiren Shoshu in 1991, was no longer entitled to tax exemptions as a religious corporation.

The plaintiffs also claimed that it was illegal for the Soka Gakkai to use its facilities for the purposes of political campaign activities.

Tokyo District Court presiding judge Masayuki Fujiyama rejected their claims as legally flawed and inadmissible.

It should also be noted that the Soka Gakkai has been registered as an independent religious corporation since 1952. Also, Japanese law does not prohibit religious groups to use their facilities for electoral activities.

SUPREME COURT DISMISSES NICHIREN SHOSHU APPEAL ON ‘GEISHA PHOTO’ CASE
March 8, 2004

On Feb. 24, the Japanese Supreme Court, presided by Judge Toshihiro Kanatani, dismissed an appeal filed by Nichiren Shoshu, ending the legal battle over the so-called ″Geisha Photo Case″ in favor of the Soka Gakkai.

The priesthood claimed that the publication of photographs taken in 1986 in several articles in the Soka Shimpo, a Soka Gakkai newspaper, showing Nichiren Shoshu High Priest Nikken Abe in the company of paid female escorts, constituted defamation. The plaintiff (Nichiren Shoshu and Taiseki-ji Main Temple), naming the Soka Gakkai and SGI President Ikeda as defendants, sought excessive monetary damages. The photographs in question were taken at an expensive Japanese restaurant in Tokyo and provided to Soka Shimpo by reformist priest Rev. Hosho Shiina (who passed away last year) to question the high priest’s integrity as a spiritual leader. Some of the photos were modified to protect the identities of those unrelated to the matter at the request of Rev. Shiina.

Although the Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff’s partial claims and ordered the defendants to pay damages, the Soka Gakkai filed an appeal with the Tokyo High Court, which overturned the lower court’s decision in 2000.

The High Court stated that: ″Throughout the history of Nichiren Shoshu, there have been cases where the qualification of the high priest of the time was challenged by priests and lay believers and the high priest was asked to resign because of his doctrinal deviation or improper conduct. It was thus a matter of fact that such high priests were removed from their position. Argument or actions against the current high priest to question his competency were undertaken with the intention of protecting the correct Buddhist teachings and Nichiren Shoshu. Consequently they should not be construed as being targeted against Nichiren Shoshu.″


Nichiren Shoshu and Taiseki-ji then sought a final decision from the Japanese Supreme Court, which upheld the appellate court’s ruling by dismissing the priesthood’s appeal.

BRAZILIAN COURT REJECTS NICHIREN SHOSHU APPEAL

The Federal Supreme Court of Sao Paulo state recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by Nichiren Shoshu seeking to overturn a March 2000 Supreme Court ruling that evicted the priesthood from Ichijo-ji temple, returning it to the possession of its rightful owners, SGI-Brazil.

According to the Feb. 13, 2004, Sao Paulo Court Registrar, the Superior Court ruled ″there exists no legal basis for an appeal.″

The legal battle over Ichijo-ji temple building, which has since been renamed Josho Kaikan (Ever Victorious Center), began in 1991, when Nichiren Shoshu attempted to replace an SGI-Brazil trustee of the facility with an individual associated with the priesthood. The SGI trustee then filed suit against the move, which was declared to be illegal by three Brazilian courts. Under Brazilian law, however, parties are entitled to contest any verdict within two years of its ruling. Nichiren Shoshu filed its suit on April 24, 2002, but with the recent dismissal, has lost legal recourse to the contested facility.


TOKYO DISTRICT COURT DISMISSES ANTI-SOKA GAKKAI SUIT

On Jan. 26, the Tokyo District Court dismissed a civil suit against the Soka Gakkai and the sales distribution and advertisement commissioning agencies of three major Japanese newspapers.

The lawsuit, filed by Hozumi Yano, Daito Asaki and his daughter, Naoko, in 1997, alleged that the defendants illegally denied distribution of the Higashi Murayama Shimin Shimbun, a newsletter published by the plaintiffs.

District Court Judge Toshiko Kobayashi ruled that there was no evidence that members of the Soka Gakkai pressured the agencies to exclude the newsletter from the ad supplements of such national dailies as the Yomiuri and Asahi, absolving the lay Buddhist group of any involvement. The judge further stated that the decision not to distribute the newsletter, which contained libelous allegations against the Soka Gakkai, did not constitute a breach of contract between the plaintiffs and agencies being sued.

The Seikyo Shimbun describes Hozumi Yano -- who, along with the two Asakis, is a legislator of the Higashi Murayama City Assembly -- as ″litigation-happy.″ He has sued a shop owner of a clothing store that pressed for a shoplifting charge against Akiyo Asaki (a fellow assemblywoman who jumped to her death in 1995), and the various emergency medical services involved in the incident. He and the two surviving Asakis later claimed in tabloid magazine interviews that the Soka Gakkai was involved in Akiyo’s death, despite the fact that the police as well as the public prosecutor’s office have determined her death to be a suicide. The Soka Gakkai has won all five court cases related to the so-called Asaki incident. (For further details, see JUSTICE CHRONICLE No. 158 and 160.)
 

February 2001

 High School Acolyte Leaves Head Temple

Recently, an acolyte who is a third-year student in a high school, seceded from the Nichiren Shoshu Head Temple.  His parents are members of the Hokkeko Group.  He began to harbour doubts about the integrity of the head temple from the physical abuses he suffered at the Dai-bo.  He has decided to leave the head temple as he wants to pursue his studies in an ordinary university.   The acolytes at the head temple study at the Fuji Gaku-bayashi University.  However, the certificate from this university is not officially recognized in the Japanese society.  The acolyte submitted his letter of secession to Nikken on February 8.

Nikken Loses Three Lawsuits Consecutively

1.                   Lost the Seattle lawsuit last March.

2.                   Lost the "Geisha photo" lawsuit last December

3.                   Lost libel suit last December (Nikken was sued by a priest who seceded from the head temple for defamation.  This was because of Nikken commented that the priest "seceded because he wanted money.")

Because of his consecutive defeats, Nikken is said to be crying out,  "Why is it that it's always ME who lose!"

Nikken denied the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism

On January 1, Nikken said the following at the New Year Gongyo Meeting :

"Even if we attain kosen-rufu, we will never establish the actual High Santuary of True Buddhism.  We will never do something as nonsensical as that."  Alas, Nikken has come to a stage where he has completely denied the importance of establishing the actual High Santuary of True Buddhism, which is the will of Nichiren Daishonin.  

This has given rise to new doubts among the Hokkeko members -- If this is the case, then why is the priesthood collecting such a huge amount of donation from the members to build the Hoan-do?  For what purpose is the priesthood building the Hoan-do.

No Progress In the Priesthood's Shakubuku Campaign

In Japan, there are some 500 temples.  Last year, only 10%, that is 50 temples achieved their shakubuku target.

At a meeting for danto leaders, one senior leader called forth to the crowd,   "If we do not carry out shakubuku to increase our danto membership by 2 or 3 times, it will be impossible to realize the 300,000 Pilgrimage to the Head Temple next year."  Through this comment, it has become clear that the priesthood is facing great difficulty in realizing the 300,000 Pilgrimage to the Head Temple scheduled for next year.