Consumer Affairs Agency Panel Holds First Meeting On 'spiritual Sales'
Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency has held the first meeting of a panel to investigate measures against a dubious marketing practice known as "spiritual sales."
A religious group previously known as the Unification Church is in the spotlight for allegedly being involved in the practice.
The online meeting took place on Monday. The participants included lawyer Kito Masaki, who has worked on issues linked to the religious group, and Rissho University Professor Nishida Kimiaki, who is well-versed in cult issues.
At the beginning of the meeting, Consumer Affairs Minister Kono Taro pointed out that after spiritual sales were restricted by law, there were moves to modify such sales into forms similar to donations.
He said he would like the panel to review whether the agency was able to respond to such changes. He also said he wants the panel to discuss ways to prevent spiritual sales, help victims and deal with organizations using fraudulent business practices.
Agency officials then reported on cases of spiritual sales and other fraudulent practices, and responses to them.
They said consumer affairs centers and other offices across Japan have received around 1,200 to 1,500 complaints a year over spiritual sales and similar practices in recent years. They also said many of the people who want consultations are in their 70s or older.
Lawyer Kito said it is not possible for the centers and agency to deal with all of the cases, and called for consultation offices to be set up in the private sector.
The panel will hold online meetings every week. They are scheduled to be shown on the agency's YouTube page.