Edited articles on the "Foot Cult" of Japan
_______________________
Former cult executive gets 5 years in jail
(Kyodo News Service, Dec. 6, 2001)
TOKYO, Dec. 6 (Kyodo) - The Tokyo District Court on Thursday sentenced a
former executive of the Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo foot-reading cult to five
years in jail on charges of defrauding 31 people of money between 1994
and 1997.
Lee Gang Chon, 55, is the top-ranking member of the cult after group
founder and former leader Hogen Fukunaga. His sentence is the heaviest
of the nine cult defendants who have been sentenced at local courts.
Prosecutors had demanded six years in prison for Lee.
Presiding Judge Osamu Ikeda said the crime was ''premeditated and
vicious in taking advantage of the victims' weak positions'' and the
amount of money Lee fraudulently acquired with other cult members was
large.
Ikeda said Lee took part in establishing the group as a close aide to
Fukunaga, whose real name is Teruyoshi Fukunaga, and played a key role
in the fraud scheme in his position as a recruiter to the cult.
Moreover, the defendant had failed to compensate the victims, the judge
added.
According to the ruling, Lee conspired with Fukunaga, 56, and other
group members to swindle about 149 million yen out of 31 people who had
visited cult facilities for a ''foot-reading diagnosis'' of their
illnesses under the pretext of training fees.
Fifteen former cult members including Fukunaga were indicted in the
fraud case. The cult went bankrupt in March and was effectively
dissolved.
_______________________
Japanese foot-reading cult's 2IC jailed for five years
(AFP, December 6, 2001)
The number-two man of a bizarre Japanese foot-reading cult was sentenced
to five years in prison today for playing a key role in the group's scheme to cheat believers
out of cash.
The Tokyo District Court said Lee Gang-Chon conspired with other members
of the Ho-no-Hana Sanpogyo sect to swindle 31 people out of 149 million yen
($A2.33 million) between 1994 and 1997.
The cult's members "diagnosed" the problems of new adherents, mostly
middle-aged women, by reading the soles of their feet, and then urged
them to attend costly seminars to cure a variety of supposed ailments, such
as cancer.
Presiding judge Osamu Ikeda said that Lee, a 55-year-old ethnic Korean who
has adopted the Japanese name of Yasunori Hoshiyama, "actively took part in
the acts of organised fraud".
"He had been involved in organisation of the sect from its early period
and founded a publishing company to help disseminate propaganda books which
lay the ground for the crimes," he said.
Hogen Fukunaga, also 55, who founded the cult two decades ago, is among 15
senior cult members charged with the mass fraud and has been on trial at
the court. Nine of the 15 have been given verdicts with all of them convicted.
Lee's sentence was the heaviest so far. Prosecutors had demanded six
years in prison for him.
The cult was declared bankrupt by the court last March and was
effectively dissolved, as it faced huge claims for damages over the alleged fraud.
In May last year, prosecutors charged the sect founder with fraud for telling five
housewives they would get cancer unless they handed over thousands of dollars.
The sect allegedly extracted a total of Y25.02 million ($A392,102) from
the housewives, from December 1994 to August 1996.
The five victims had joined the cult separately seeking cures for
relatives' illnesses.
"Ho-no-Hana" roughly translates as the flower of law. "Sanpogyo" means the
three-law practice.
_______________________
Foot-reading cultist gets kicked into jail
("Mainichi Shimbun," September 10, 2001)
A former executive of foot-reading cult Ho-no-Hana who wrote a manual that
helped the cult swindle three housewives out of 10 million yen was Monday
sentenced to prison.
In handing down the Tokyo District Court ruling on the former executive,
Shigeru Hiraga, Presiding Judge Toshio Nagai said Hiraga had played a central
role in the cult's activities.
"He made up the (foot-reading) manual himself and lectured members of the
religious organization," Nagai said. "He played a central role in the foot
readings."
Hiraga was sentenced to four years behind bars. He is the fifth member of the
cult to be found guilty of fraud, but is the first to go to prison for the
crimes.
During the ruling, Hiraga tried to defend his actions, saying he had the
ability to read people's feet.
"At the time, I was able to find out about people's lives and future by
reading the soles of their feet," he said.
Nagai, however, dismissed the claims.
"The defendant was aware that reading people's feet, even if it meant fooling
people into believing a lie, was just a step to getting people to participate
in cult activities," he said.
Hiraga was convicted of conspiring with cult founder Hogen Fukunaga to play
on housewives fears and extort money from them. After reading the soles of
their feet, senior cultists would warn that they would develop cancer and die
-- unless they paid hefty consultation fees and attended cult-organized
training sessions.
The cult reportedly swindled about 10 million yen from three housewives alone
through the ruse.
_______________________
Bureaus put foot down over Honohana taxes
("Yomiuri Shimbun," March 17, 2001)
The Tokyo and Nagoya Taxation bureaus have discovered that Honohana-Sanpogyo,
a religious cult based in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, failed to report payment
of 850 million yen in salary over a five-year period to former leader, Hogen
Fukunaga, sources said.
The 55-year-old founder of the foot-reading cult is currently standing trial
on fraud charges.
According to the sources, the cult tried to avoid criticism of the
self-styled guru's high-rolling income by included his entertainment expenses
and rent on the cult's list of expense-account spending.
The taxation bureaus have ordered the cult to pay about 400 million yen in
income taxes withheld at source--including penalty taxes--because they
determined that the expenses and rent were in fact part of Fukunaga's salary.
Both Fukunaga and his cult were inspected by the bureaus in 1996. The bureaus
discovered that the group had paid 2.6 billion yen for its leaders' personal
expenses, including 700 million yen in rent for a luxury apartment rented by
Fukunaga and his family as well as for a one-month stay at a first-class
hotel. They determined that these perks in fact constituted salary and found
the cult guilty of failing to report part of the salary paid to Fukunaga.
According to the sources, this time around the bureaus decided that the
cult's action constituted intentional tax evasion because it had continued
trying to pass off entertainment expenses for Fukunaga and his family as
business expenses, despite the bureaus' warnings in 1996.
Since that date, the cult has been under fire by former believers who have
filed lawsuits against it demanding a return of fees donated for "religious
training."
Because Fukunaga has been criticized in these trials for his high personal
expenses, he tried to avoid further such criticism by having the cult use
inventive accountancy, the sources said.
_______________________
Foot
cult leader failed to declare 750 mil. yen in income
(Kyodo News Service, March 16, 2001)
TOKYO, March 16 (Kyodo) - The founder and former leader of the Ho-no-Hana
Sampogyo foot-reading cult failed to declare some 750 million yen in taxable
income for four years until 1999, sources close to the case said Friday.
Tax authorities have apparently ordered Hogen Fukunaga, born Teruyoshi
Fukunaga, 55, to pay a combined 400 million yen in income tax and penalties,
the sources said.
Of the 750 million yen judged by the authorities as his income, some 700
million yen was from the cult's money Fukunaga allegedly spent for personal
use, including stays at luxury hotels, dining at restaurants and purchases of
name-brand products, they said.
The remaining amount was his undeclared income from his ''foot-reading''
practices on people who consulted with the cult on their illnesses and other
troubles, the sources said.
Fukunaga is now standing trial on fraud charges but he has pleaded not
guilty.
Fukunaga started preaching in 1980, claiming to be the world's final savior
following Jesus Christ and the Buddha. He based his claim on what he called
the ''voice of heaven.''
He has claimed he can read people's past and future by examining the soles of
their feet. He resigned as the leader of Ho-no-Hana in January after the
police search.
Ho-no-Hana has said it once had about 30,000 members.
_______________________
Foot cult to pay defrauded believers
("Japan Times," February 21, 2001)
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) The Fukuoka High Court ordered the Honohana Sampogyo cult and
former leader Hogen Fukunaga on Tuesday to pay about 227.2 million yen in
damages for swindling money out of 27 believers in the name of training fees.
Upholding a lower court ruling, presiding Judge Takao Kondo said the fees
were illegal as the cult went beyond what society deems acceptable as
religious activity.
"It was obvious that the religious group intended to collect money," Kondo
said.
The plaintiffs demanded the sect, which professed the power to diagnose
people's woes by examining the soles of their feet, pay 237 million yen in
damages.
Kondo, however, told the court that he did not believe all Honohana members
recognized they were breaking the law when they recruited people to the sect.
"Each person has different views on donation (to religious groups). It could
be a legitimate religious activity, depending on circumstances," he said.
Fukunaga, 55, and senior cultists deceived the plaintiffs by claiming
payments of millions of yen would cure illnesses such as cancer, the ruling
said.
They defrauded each of the plaintiffs out of amounts ranging from 1.2 million
yen to 35.69 million yen between 1989 and 1997 by telling them to undergo
expensive training sessions and selling them bogus curative goods such as
hanging scrolls, it said.
The plaintiffs include housewives and workers from seven prefectures who
contacted Honohana, based in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, after reading books
by Fukunaga.
_______________________
Court orders foot cult, guru to pay 227 mil. yen for fraud
(Kyodo News Service, Feb. 20, 2001)
FUKUOKA, Feb. 20 (Kyodo) - The Fukuoka High Court on Tuesday ordered the
Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo cult and former leader Hogen Fukunaga to pay about 227.2
million yen in damages for swindling money out of 27 believers in the name of
training fees.
Upholding a lower court ruling, presiding Judge Takao Kondo said the fees
were illegal as the cult went beyond what society deems acceptable as
religious activity.
''It was obvious that the religious group intended to collect money,'' Kondo
said.
The plaintiffs demanded the sect, which professed the power to diagnose
people's woes by examining the soles of their feet, pay 237 million yen in
damages.
Kondo, however, told the court that he would not go as far to say that all
Ho-no-Hana members recognized they were doing something illegal when they
were recruiting people to become Ho-no-Hana followers.
''Each person has different views on donation (to religious groups). It could
be a legitimate religious activity, depending on circumstances,'' he said.
Fukunaga, 55, and senior cultists deceived the plaintiffs by claiming
payments of millions of yen would cure illnesses such as cancer, the ruling
said.
They defrauded the plaintiffs out of 1.2 million yen to 35.69 million yen
each between 1989 and 1997 by telling them to undergo expensive training
sessions and selling them bogus curative goods such as hanging scrolls, it
said.
The plaintiffs include housewives and workers from seven prefectures who
contacted Ho-no-Hana, based in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, after reading books
by Fukunaga, who founded it around 1980.
_______________________
Japan Foot-Cult To Pay for Fraud
(The Associated Press, December 25, 2000)
TOKYO (AP) - A court ruled Monday that a cult led by a guru who claimed to
see people's future by examining their feet had swindled followers and
ordered it to pay more than $1 million in damages.
The Tokyo District Court ordered the Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo cult to pay $1.33
million to a group of 31 former members, said a court official who declined
to be named.
It was the fourth time a Japanese court has found the neo-Buddhist sect and
its charismatic founder, 55-year-old Hogen Fukunaga, liable for defrauding
followers. Ho-no-Hana allegedly told people they would get cancer and other
fatal diseases unless they took part in high-priced ``training sessions.''
The 31 plaintiffs said that they paid a total of $1.15 million to participate
in various cult events between 1992 and 1996.
Judge Koichi Tsukuda was quoted Monday by public television broadcaster NHK
as saying that Ho-no-Hana's activities were ``clearly illegal'' and
``departed from social norms.''
A lawyer for the plantiffs told The Associated Press that the cult targeted
``people whose worries made them vulnerable.''
``They were lied to and intimidated,'' said Hidenori Kamai.
Ho-no-Hana, which means ``teaching of the flower,'' was founded by Fukunaga
in 1987. He claimed to have healing powers and to be able to see people's
past and future by examining the soles of their feet. He once boasted 30,000
followers around Japan.
Known for his expensive suits and silver pompadour, Fukunaga resigned as the
leader of Ho-no-Hana in January following a series of raids on cult
facilities and media revelations about his opulent lifestyle.
He is now on trial facing charges of criminal fraud.
Japanese police have been cracking down on fringe religious groups since late
last year, when a senior member of a doomsday cult involved in the 1995 nerve
gas attack on Tokyo's subways was released from prison.
More than 1,200 people across Japan have filed suits against Ho-no-Hana,
seeking a total of $57.6 million in damages. Three courts outside Tokyo have
already ordered the cult to pay compensation to the victims.
The damages awarded Monday were the second largest to date, following $2.01
million that a court in southwestern Japan ordered the group to pay 27
ex-followers in April, Kamai said.
Ho-no-Hana spokesman Toru Mafune said he could not comment on Monday's ruling
because he had not read it.
_______________________
Foot-reading cult ordered to pay 150 mil. yen in damages
(Kyodo News Service, December 24, 2000)
TOKYO, Dec. 25 (Kyodo) - The Tokyo District Court on Monday ordered the
Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo foot-reading cult and its founder Hogen Fukunaga to pay a
total of 150 million yen in damages to 31 people who it swindled out of money
by charging fees for ascetic training.
Presiding Judge Koichi Tsukuda said the cult ''concealed its religious nature
and lured people into severe training sessions fraudulently and with the use
of threats.''
He also pointed out that Fukunaga, 55, whose real first name is Teruyoshi,
and Ho-no-Hana members personally used a large amount of money the cult
forced the people to pay.
''The religious group's activities exceed conventional wisdom as it requested
trainees to pay a huge amount of money and thus it is clear that those
activities were illegal,'' Tsukuda said.
The plaintiffs had demanded a total of 157 million yen, saying the cult
intimidated them by falsely claiming that they would get serious diseases
such as cancer unless they participated in the group's expensive training
sessions.
According to the ruling, the 31 plaintiffs took part in the cult's events
between 1992 and 1996. The religious group inspected the soles of their feet
and intimidated them by predicting the illnesses based on the inspections.
The cult claimed that payments of millions of yen would cure the illnesses.
The suit was brought to the court in January 1997.
The plaintiffs' lawyers said the ruling was a ''complete victory'' because
the court acknowledged the cult's system of swindling people of money.
Altogether, more than 1,200 people across Japan have filed suits against
Ho-no-Hana, seeking a total of 6.5 billion yen in damages. Three courts in
Fukuoka, Osaka and Akita prefectures have already ordered the cult to pay
compensation to the victims.
The plaintiffs in those suits also demand the cult and Fukunaga himself be
declared bankrupt so that their funds would not be diverted.
Fukunaga is now standing trial on fraud charges.
Fukunaga started preaching in 1980, claiming to be the world's final savior
following Jesus Christ and the Buddha. He based his claim on what he called
the ''voice of heaven.''
He has claimed he can read people's past and future by examining the soles of
their feet. He resigned as the leader of Ho-no-Hana in January after the
police search.
Ho-no-Hana has said it once had about 30,000 members.
_______________________
Foot cult victims win damages suit
Ho-no-Hana Sanpogyo must pay the 16 plaintiffs 100 million yen.
("Asahi Shimbun," November 14, 2000)
The Osaka District Court on Monday ordered the Ho-no-Hana Sanpogyo foot cult
to pay 100 million yen to 16 people who were swindled by the cult.
Some of the victims, who live in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures, had been told
by cult members that their diseases would be cured if they paid for and
joined the cult's religious training session.
Presiding Judge Keisuke Hayashi handed down the ruling to the cult and its
founder Hogen Fukunaga, 55.
``Their foot-readings and training were beyond the realm of religious
activities and they are illegal,'' Hayashi said.
The cult was ordered by district courts in Fukuoka and Akita prefectures in
previous lawsuits to pay nearly all of the damages claimed by the victims.
Currently, some 1,200 cult followers are taking action against the cult at
eight other district courts, as well as at the Fukuoka High Court.
At the trial held at the Tokyo District Court on Monday, Fukunaga's mother
admitted in her affidavit that her son did not have supernatural powers and
that she knew the foot-reading was fraudulent.
In the affidavit, she said, ``When I was ill, he never cured me with his
powers. I always went to the hospital.''
She also said that Fukunaga complained about his own foot ailments and often
received foot massages from other members.
_______________________
Honohana must foot 100 million yen in damages
("Japan Times," Nov. 14, 2000)
OSAKA -- The Osaka District Court on Monday ordered the Honohana Sampogyo
foot-reading cult and its founder to pay some 100 million yen in damages to
16 people, mainly in the Kinki region, whom the cult allegedly bilked out of
millions of yen.
Judge Keisuke Hayashi handed down the sentence to the cult, based in Fuji,
Shizuoka Prefecture, and its founder and former leader Hogen Fukunaga, 55.
The ruling was the second in four days to go against the cult and Fukunaga,
whose real name is Teruyoshi Fukunaga. On Friday, the Akita District Court
ordered Fukunaga and the cult to pay 5.5 million yen in damages to an Akita
woman who claimed to have been swindled out of millions of yen in 1994.
The 16 plaintiffs said in the suit that they were pressured into paying 82
million yen after foot-readers told them they would get cancer and would not
be saved without attending the group's costly "training" sessions.
The 100 million yen in damages includes compensation, lawyers for the
plaintiffs said.
Fukunaga pleaded not guilty to fraud at his first criminal trial hearing Oct.
12.
_______________________
Japanese Cult Ordered To Pay $926K
(Associated Press, Nov. 13, 2000)
TOKYO (AP) - A Japanese court on Monday ordered a cult and its founder to pay
$926,000 to 16 people who said they were told they would get cancer unless
they joined the group.
The ruling by the Osaka District Court is the second against the Ho-no-Hana
Sampogyo group and founder Hogen Fukunaga, who claimed to cure diseases by
inspecting the soles of people's feet.
Another court on Friday ordered the cult to pay $51,000 to a woman who
claimed she was defrauded in 1994.
In Monday's ruling, Presiding Judge Keisuke Hayashi said the group and its
former leader used methods to solicit membership which were ``systematic and
beyond the socially acceptable level and unlawful.''
The 16 plaintiffs said that they were forced to pay $759,000 and that
Fukunaga said they would get cancer unless they joined him.
Fukunaga is charged with defrauding 31 people of $1.39 million between 1994
and 1997.
Japanese police have been cracking down on fringe religious groups since late
last year, when a senior member of a doomsday cult involved in the 1995 nerve
gas attack on Tokyo's subways was released from prison.
_______________________
Foot-reading cult ordered to pay 100 mil. yen to 16 people
(Kyodo News Service, Nov. 13, 2000)
OSAKA, Nov. 13 (Kyodo) - The Osaka District Court on Monday ordered the
Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo foot-reading cult and its founder to pay some 100 million
yen in damages to a group of 16 people mainly in the Kinki region it
defrauded out of millions of yen in the form of training fees and other
unlawful means.
Presiding Judge Keisuke Hayashi handed down the sentence to the cult, based
in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, and its founder and former leader Hogen
Fukunaga, 55.
The ruling was the second in four days to go against the cult and Fukunaga,
whose real name is Teruyoshi Fukunaga. On Friday, the Akita District Court in
northeastern Japan ordered the cult and him to pay 5.5 million yen in damages
to an Akita woman who claimed she was swindled out of millions yen in 1994.
Presiding Judge Hayashi said the cult's campaign to solicit membership was
''systematic and beyond the socially acceptable level and unlawful.''
The 16 plaintiffs said in the suit that they were ordered to pay a total of
82 million yen after being told through ''foot-reading exams'' that they
would get cancer or not be saved without training.
The 100 million yen in damages includes compensation, lawyers for the
plaintiffs said.
In total, Fukunaga has been charged with swindling 150 million yen from 31
people in conspiracies with other cult members from 1994 to 1997, mainly at
the cult's headquarters in Fuji.
He pleaded not guilty to the allegations at his first hearing of a criminal
trial at the Tokyo District Court on Oct. 12.
_______________________
Foot-reading cult ordered to compensate Akita woman
(Kyodo News Service, Nov. 10, 2000)
AKITA, Japan, Nov. 10 (Kyodo) - The Akita District Court on Friday ordered
the Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo foot-reading cult and its founder to pay 5.5 million
yen in damages to an Akita woman who claimed she was swindled out of millions
yen in 1994.
Presiding Judge Masaki Sugimoto said founder Hogen Fukunaga, 55, pressured
the woman in her 50s into paying a total of about 1.3 million yen to have her
foot read in June 1994, telling her, ''You will have a serious disease in
your 60s if you do not pay.''
Fukunaga also got her to pay 3.3 million yen the following month, telling
her, ''You are worth being happier,'' and, ''Money will solve your
problems,'' the ruling said.
Fukunaga has been charged with swindling a total of 150 million yen from 31
people in conspiracies with other cult members from 1994 to 1997, mainly at
the cult's headquarters in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.
He pleaded not guilty to the allegations at his first hearing Oct. 12 at the
Tokyo District Court. His real name is Teruyoshi Fukunaga.
_______________________
Honohana cultists admit to fraud
("Japan Times," Oct. 24, 2000)
Four former members of the Honohana Sanpogyo foot-reading cult on Monday
pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring with cult founder Hogen Fukunaga to
swindle 15 people out of 750 million yen.
In their first trial hearing before the Tokyo District Court, Kazuhisa
Kawamura, 45, Hiroko Kaneko, 50, Tsukiko Nozoe, 52, and Harue Matsumoto, 64,
also expressed remorse for the pain they caused the victims and offered their
apologies.
According to the indictment, Kawamura and Kaneko swindled about 100 million
yen each, Nozoe 190 million yen and Matsumoto 360 million yen.
In their opening statement, prosecutors said the four actively played
important roles with Fukunaga, 55, in defrauding the victims.
They told the victims, who visited the cult for counseling about physical or
family problems, that their problems would worsen unless they attended a cult
seminar, which cost 2.25 million yen, or donated up to 14.3 million yen to
the cult, prosecutors said.
To convince the victims, Fukunaga and the four insisted that the victims'
feet told of their ominous future, and a "voice from heaven," which only
Fukunaga could hear, urged that the victims attend the seminar or pay the
money.
Ten other Honohana members stand accused of fraud at the court in a separate
trial. That group includes Fukunaga, who denied the charges against him in
his first hearing earlier this month.
Michiko Ichinose, the 37-year-old former head of the cult's Urawa branch,
received a suspended 18-month prison term last week.
The cult reportedly collected about 95 billion yen, mainly from its
followers, between 1987 and 1999.
_______________________
Foot cult member gets suspended term for fraud
("Japan Times," Oct. 18, 2000)
A former member of the Honohana Sanpogyo foot-reading cult was sentenced
Tuesday to a suspended 18-month prison term for swindling about 4 million yen
from two women who consulted the cult about issues related to illness and
child-rearing.
It was the first ruling handed down against 15 Honohana members charged with
fraud.
Michiko Ichinose, the 37-year-old former head of the cult's Urawa branch, was
found guilty of defrauding the women after urging them to undergo religious
training to overcome their troubles, the Tokyo District Court said.
Conspiring with Honohana guru Hogen Fukunaga, Ichinose advised the women to
undergo training after "diagnosing" their woes by reading the soles of their
feet at a cult facility in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in August 1996 and February
1997, the court said.
"It was a vicious crime as it took advantage of the unstable emotional
condition of the victims, who had serious worries," said presiding Judge
Toshio Nagai.
"The victims suffered serious psychological pain as they lost a large sum of
money without having their problems resolved," he added.
The judge, however, said he suspended the sentence because the defendant was
not a senior cult leader, had to follow her superiors' orders and did not
receive any of the money she helped swindle. Ichinose had also donated her
own assets to the cult.
Prosecutors had demanded a two-year prison term.
Ichinose told the court in previous hearings that she had also been deceived
by Honohana. She also apologized to the victims for causing them great
suffering.
On Oct. 12, 55-year-old cult founder Fukunaga pleaded not guilty in the first
hearing of his fraud trial. He is accused of swindling believers out of 149
million yen.
Fukunaga and three others are accused of bilking 31 people out of money from
1994 to 1997. The 31 had consulted the cult about illness and other troubles.
"They were relief works, and I have never deceived people," he told the court.
Born Teruyoshi Fukunaga, he started preaching in 1980, claiming to be the
world's final savior, following Jesus and Buddha. He based his claim on what
he called a "voice from heaven."
He has claimed the power to read people's past and future by examining their
soles. He quit as leader in January amid the police probe.
_______________________
Japan "foot cult" leader gets suspended jail term
(Reuters, Oct. 17, 2000)
TOKYO, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A former leader of a Japanese "foot cult" that
charged huge fees to diagnose ailments by examining soles of people's feet
was given a suspended jail sentence on Tuesday.
Michiko Ichinose, the former head of a local branch of Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo
(Flower of Law and Three Law Practice), was handed an 18-month suspended jail
term, a court official said. That means Ichinose will not be required to
serve the sentence as long as she is not convicted of any crime over the next
three years.
The court found Ichinose, 37, guilty of swindling about four million yen
($37,010) from two women by telling them, after reading the soles of their
feet, that unless they trained at the cult their children would be
short-lived, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper said.
Domestic media reports said the cult, headed by Teruyoshi Fukunaga, is
believed to have defrauded some 30,000 followers of 81 billion yen ($749.4
million) since 1987, when it was officially recognised as a religious group.
In April, a Japanese court ordered the cult and Fukunaga to pay 227.2 million
yen ($2.10 million) to 27 former followers.
Fukunaga, 55, is also being tried for fraud, and last week pleaded not guilty
in his first court hearing.
A number of bizarre religious cults have sprung up in Japan over recent
years, including the doomsday cult Aum Shinri Kyo (Supreme Truth), which is
accused of carrying out the 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system
which killed 12 people and injured thousands.
($1-108.08 Yen)
_______________________
Former foot-reading cultist gets suspended jail term for fraud
(Kyodo News Service, Oct. 16, 2000)
TOKYO, Oct. 17 (Kyodo) - A former member of the Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo
foot-reading cult was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison, suspended for
3 years, on a charge of swindling about 4 million yen out of two women who
consulted the cult over illness and child-rearing.
Michiko Ichinose, the 37-year-old former head of the cult's Urawa branch, was
found guilty of defrauding the women after urging them to undergo religious
training to overcome their troubles, the Tokyo District Court said in a
ruling.
Conspiring with Ho-no-Hana guru Hogen Fukunaga, Ichinose told them to train
when she diagnosed their woes by reading the soles of their feet at a cult
facility in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in August 1996 and February 1997, the ruling
said.
''It was a vicious crime as it took advantage of the unstable emotional
condition of the victims, who had serious worries,'' said Presiding Judge
Toshio Nagai.
''The victims suffered serious psychological pain as they lost a large sum of
money without any getting any solution to their problems,'' he added.
But Nagai said the court gave Ichinose a suspended sentence as she was not a
senior cult leader and had to follow her superiors' orders.
It was the first ruling handed down against 15 Ho-no-Hana members indicted in
connection with the fraud case.
Ichinose told the court in previous hearings that she had also been deceived
by Ho-no-Hana. She also apologized to the victims for causing them suffering.
On Oct. 12, 55-year-old cult founder Fukunaga pleaded not guilty in the first
hearing of his fraud trial. He is accused of swindling believers out of 149
million yen.
Fukunaga and three others are accused of bilking 31 people out of the money
from 1994 to 1997. The 31 had consulted the cult about illness and other
woes.
''They were relief works, and I have never deceived people,'' he told the
court.
Born Teruyoshi Fukunaga, he started preaching in 1980, claiming to be the
world's final savior following Jesus and Buddha. He based his claim on what
he called a ''voice of heaven.''
He has claimed the power to read people's past and future by examining the
soles of their feet. He resigned as leader of Ho-no-Hana, based in Fuji,
Shizoka Prefecture, in January after a police investigation.
_______________________
400 MILLION YEN IN COMPENSATION SOUGHT
Foot-cult followers file damages lawsuit
("Japan Times," Oct. 14, 2000)
A group of 46 people filed a lawsuit Friday against the Honohana Sanpogyo
foot-reading cult, demanding the sect pay around 400 million yen in
compensation for allegedly swindling money from them.
The plaintiffs claimed that the cult and its founder, Hogen Fukunaga, told
them to pay between 1.3 million yen and 33 million yen each for training
between 1987 and 1999.
According to the suit, the cult performed foot-reading diagnoses on group
members who sought help for health and family problems, warning them that
they would experience trouble if they did not take action.
The 46 are from Hokkaido, Tokyo, and the prefectures of Aomori, Iwate,
Fukushima, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa, according to the
group's lawyers.
The suit brings to about 1,220 the number of people who have lodged damages
suits against the cult, based in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, the lawyers said.
Fukunaga, 55, is currently standing trial for fraud. He pleaded not guilty
Thursday in his first hearing at the Tokyo District Court.
Fukunaga told the court that he has been engaged in religious activities,
which he described as authentic, for 20 years.
Fukunaga, whose real name is Teruyoshi Fukunaga, began preaching in 1980,
claiming to be the world's final savior following Jesus Christ and the
Buddha. He based his claim on what he called the "voice of heaven."
He claims to be able to read people's past and future by examining the soles
of their feet.
The cult, which once claimed to have 30,000 followers, collected 95 billion
yen between 1987 and 1999, of which 85 billion yen was taken directly from
cult followers as donations or fees for goods and seminars, according to
police.
Aum sites searched
The Public Security Investigation Agency on Friday inspected Aum Shinrikyo
facilities in Tokyo and Nagoya in line with a law aimed at cracking down on
the religious cult.
It was the first search by the agency of the cult's facilities since Sept. 14
and the 11th since the searches commenced.
It was also the first agency inspection of the Nagoya branch since Aum
resumed activities at its rented premises in Nishi Ward, agency sources said.
The cult moved into the Shin Senju facility in Tokyo's Adachi Ward and the
Nagoya branch in August.
Police believe Aum uses the Tokyo facility for training, as followers are
frequently seen entering and leaving it.
Several Aum-related facilities are located in the ward, including a building
where senior Aum member Fumihiro Joyu, 37, lived until Sunday, when he moved
to an apartment in neighboring Kita Ward.
Aum vacated the Nagoya building in December and resumed renting it in August,
with a promise to the landlord that it would stop holding religious seminars
there. Investigators suspect, however, that the activities have resumed as
Aum followers are again frequenting the building.
The agency has been monitoring the branch, suspecting that it may become
Aum's new headquarters for central Japan.
Under the law, enacted in December, occupants of Aum facilities who refuse or
hinder police searches can face up to one year in prison.
_______________________
Head of foot cult pleads not guilty in swindle case
("Asahi Shimbun," Oct. 13, 2000)
Hogen Fukunaga, founder and former leader of the Ho-no-Hana Sanpogyo foot
cult, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he swindled money from cult
followers.
His attorneys also denied the charges at the first hearing at the Tokyo
District Court.
Fukunaga, 55, said Ho-no-Hana never tried to swindle money from people, but
instead aimed to relieve their souls.
In their opening statement, public prosecutors called Fukunaga ``the central
figure in the organized-fraud group.'' They also accused him of instructing
cult staff to gather large sums of money from followers by preying on their
vulnerability.
Staff allegedly told followers their diseases would be cured if they joined
Ho-no-Hana Sanpogyo training sessions.
Four of the nine co-defendants, including second in command Yasunori Lee,
admitted the charges.
The five who pleaded not guilty claimed they had no intention of deceiving
people.
Fukunaga said, ``I have never heard `the voice from the heaven' telling me to
defraud money. Labeling Ho-no-Hana a fraudulent organization shows a lack of
understanding. Ho-no-Hana will prevail for ever.''
Fukunaga's attorneys also maintained his innocence, saying that rather than
being acts of fraud, Fukunaga's teachings are based on ``the voices of the
heaven'' and are protected by the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of
religion
_______________________
Foot-reading guru denies bilking flock
("The Japan Times," Oct. 13, 2000)
Hogen Fukunaga, founder of the Honohana Sanpogyo foot-reading cult, denied in
his first trial hearing Thursday that he conspired with other members of the
sect to defraud 31 people out of about 149 million yen.
Fukunaga, 55, told the Tokyo District Court that he has been engaged in
religious activities, which he described as authentic, for 20 years. He said
this would have been impossible had he committed fraud.
"I have never heard a voice from heaven that instructed me to swindle
somebody," he said. "Therefore, I have never told anybody to swindle somebody
else."
In their opening statement, prosecutors said Fukunaga and his cohorts
conspired between 1994 and 1997 to cheat 31 people out of about 149 million
yen by telling them their health or family problems would worsen unless they
attended the cult's seminars, which cost 2.25 million yen per person.
In some cases, the accused demanded more than 10 million yen, claiming their
targets' problems were very serious, they said.
Fukunaga and the other defendants convinced the victims that they could
predict ominous events by reading the soles of their feet, the prosecutors
said.
They said Fukunaga told the victims to resolve their problems by attending
the seminars or donating to the cult, as instructed by a "voice from heaven"
only he could hear.
During the hearing, Fukunaga's lawyer said Honohana's activity did not
constitute fraud because the organization is purely religious and its freedom
to engage in religious activity is guaranteed by the Constitution.
Nine others charged in the case also appeared at the hearing. Four of them,
including the cult's No. 2 man, Yasunori Hoshiyama, whose real name is
Yasunori Lee, admitted the fraud charges in court but claimed they fully
believed Fukunaga had religious power at the time.
The five others denied guilt and claimed their actions stemmed from their
religious beliefs.
Five other Honohana members also accused of fraud are standing trial
separately.
On Tuesday, the court is slated to hand down a ruling against Michiko
Ichinose, 37, former head of the cult's Urawa branch in Saitama Prefecture.
Ichinose stands accused of defrauding followers out of about 4 million yen,
and prosecutors are demanding she be given a two-year prison term.
The other four will have their first trial hearings on Oct. 23.
Fukunaga, whose real name is Teruyoshi Fukunaga, started preaching religion
in 1980. He claims to be the world's final savior.
The cult, which once claimed to have 30,000 followers, collected 95 billion
yen between 1987 and 1999, of which 85 billion yen was taken directly from
cult followers as donations or fees for goods and seminars, police said.
The rest of the money came from the cult's affiliated companies.
The cult used 30 billion yen to purchase real estate and construct cult
facilities and 20 billion yen for religious activities and personnel fees.
Fukunaga and his wife are believed to have used more than 1.8 billion yen for
personal expenses.
During police questioning, Fukunaga admitted that he swindled money from his
followers by telling them he could cure illnesses, despite knowing he has no
such power.
He also apologized to the victims and said he wished to repay them, the
investigators said.
About 1,200 people have filed lawsuits against the cult at eight district
courts across the country, demanding it repay more than 5.8 billion yen.
In April, the Fukuoka District Court ordered the cult to pay 227 million yen
in damages to former followers.
_______________________
Fraud trial of cult leader Fukunaga, 9 others begins
(Kyodo News Service, Oct. 12, 2000)
TOKYO, Oct. 12 (Kyodo) - The Tokyo District Court held the first hearing
Thursday in the trial for fraud of Hogen Fukunaga, founder of the Ho-no-Hana
Sampogyo religious group, and nine of its senior members.
The defendants will make their pleas in the afternoon. Fukunaga, 55, is
expected to plead not guilty but some of the other defendants will plead
guilty, according to their counsel.
Asked by Presiding Judge Toshio Nagai to identify himself at the outset of
the hearing, Fukunaga said, ''I'm a man of religion.'' The public prosecutors
then read out the indictment.
Fukunaga and three of the other defendants are accused of defrauding 149
million yen from 1994 to 1997 from 31 people who consulted the cult about
illness and other troubles.
According to the prosecutors, Fukunaga examined the soles of their feet and
told them they must undergo training to avoid contracting cancer. The money
was taken as training fees, according to the indictment.
The remaining six defendants are charged with conspiring with Fukunaga to
perpetrate fraud.
Police believe Ho-no-Hana, based in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, has defrauded
at least 30,000 people out of 95 billion yen. The police searched the group's
facilities for evidence in December and arrested Fukunaga in May.
Five other members of Ho-no-Hana have been indicted for fraud. One of them is
standing trial and the trial of the remaining four will begin Oct. 23.
Fukunaga, born Teruyoshi Fukunaga, started preaching in 1980, claiming to be
the world's final savior following Jesus Christ and Buddha. He based his
claim on what he called the ''voice of heaven.''
He has claimed he can read the past and future of people by examining the
soles of their feet. He resigned as the leader of Ho-no-Hana in January after
the police search.
Ho-no-Hana has said it once had about 30,000 members.
About 1,200 people across Japan have filed damages suits against Ho-no-Hana,
demanding more than 5.8 billion yen. In one of the suits, the Fukuoka
District Court in April ordered Ho-no-Hana to pay 227 million yen in damages
to 27 people.
_______________________
Foot-reading cult leader Fukunaga denies fraud charges
(Kyodo News Service, Oct. 12, 2000)
TOKYO, Oct. 12 (Kyodo) Hogen Fukunaga, founder of the Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo
religious group, pleaded not guilty at the first hearing Thursday of his
trial, in which he is accused of swindling believers out of 149 million yen.
Fukunaga, 55, made the plea at the outset of the afternoon session of the
hearing at the Tokyo District Court, where he is being tried with nine other
senior members of the cult.
Asked during the morning session by Presiding Judge Toshio Nagai to identify
himself, Fukunaga said, ''I'm a man of religion.'' The public prosecutors
then read out the indictment.
Fukunaga and three of the other defendants are accused of defrauding 149
million yen from 1994 to 1997 from 31 people who consulted the cult about
illness and other troubles.
According to the prosecutors, Fukunaga examined the soles of their feet and
told them they must undergo training to avoid contracting cancer. The money
was taken as training fees, according to the indictment.
The remaining six defendants are charged with conspiring with Fukunaga to
perpetrate fraud.
Police believe Ho-no-Hana, based in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, has swindled
at least 30,000 people out of 95 billion yen. The police searched the group's
facilities for evidence in December and arrested Fukunaga in May.
Five other members of Ho-no-Hana have been indicted for fraud. One of them is
standing trial and the trial of the remaining four will begin Oct. 23.
Fukunaga, born Teruyoshi Fukunaga, started preaching in 1980, claiming to be
the world's final savior following Jesus Christ and Buddha. He based his
claim on what he called the ''voice of heaven.''
He has claimed he can read the past and future of people by examining the
soles of their feet. He resigned as the leader of Ho-no-Hana in January after
the police search.
Ho-no-Hana has said it once had about 30,000 members.
About 1,200 people across Japan have filed damages suits against Ho-no-Hana,
demanding more than 5.8 billion yen. In one of the suits, the Fukuoka
District Court in April ordered Ho-no-Hana to pay 227 million yen in damages
to 27 people.
_______________________
Foot cultist admits fraud during first trial hearing
("Japan Times," Sept. 2, 2000)
A former member of the Honohana Sanpogyo foot-reading cult on Friday admitted
during the first session of her trial that she conspired with cult leader
Hogen Fukunaga, 55, to defraud two women of nearly 4 million yen.
Appearing before the Tokyo District Court, Michiko Ichinose, 37, of Urawa,
Saitama Prefecture, told the session that she swindled 3.94 yen million in
1996 and 1997 in conspiracy with Fukunaga and other cult members.
Prosecutors said in their opening statement that the defendant swindled 1.69
yen million from one of the women by telling her that her child would commit
suicide unless she attended an August 1996 Honohana Sanpogyo seminar, which
cost 2.25 million yen.
She swindled 2.25 million yen from the other woman by telling her that her
health would improve after attending a February 1997 seminar, the prosecution
said.
In both cases, Fukunaga and other cult members insisted that the victims'
feet reflected their ominous futures. The prosecutors said fraud was
committed as the cult members knew the foot reading and seminars were bogus.
Ichinose said she deeply regrets causing "huge agony" to the victims and will
strive to repay the money she swindled from them. Friday's session was the
first of the court hearings that involve 15 cultists accused of obtaining 149
million yen by fraud. The first hearing of cult leader Fukunaga, who was
indicted on three separate fraud charges, is slated for Oct. 12.
Upon Fukunaga's orders, the cult examined the soles of its followers' feet
and told them that unless they attended the cult's seminars or purchased
expensive goods, their own lives and their relatives' would be endangered,
prosecutors said.
According to police, the group collected around 95 billion yen, 90 percent of
which was collected from the estimated 30,000-strong cult membership.
Fukunaga, born Teruyoshi Fukunaga, claimed that he was the world's final
savior after Jesus Christ and the Buddha. He reportedly spent 1.83 billion
yen that the cult collected on personal matters.
About 1,100 former followers of the cult have filed suits at eight district
courts across the country demanding the cult return money it swindled from
them.
_______________________
Gov't gets 150,000-signature petition to dissolve foot cult
(Kyodo News Service, August 30, 2000)
TOKYO, Aug. 30 (Kyodo) - The Cultural Affairs Agency on Wednesday received a
petition with more than 150,000 signatures calling for court dissolution of
the foot-reading cult Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo, agency officials said.
Along with citizens opposed to the cult, Kiyomi Suzuki, mayor of the city of
Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture where the cult is based, and Motoi Ogura, chief
of Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, handed the petition to the agency's Director General
Masamine Sasaki.
Ho-no-Hana's founder Hogen Fukunaga, now on trial for fraud charges, has a
residence in Shibuya. The agency has jurisdiction over religious groups.
Koichi Shida, who led the signature campaign in Fuji, told Sasaki, ''We
obtained about 147,000 signatures out of the city's electorate of roughly
180,000. That shows how people hope for the dissolution,'' according to the
officials.
''We want you to request the dissolution of the group to prevent more fresh
victims as its believers are still active,'' Shida was quoted as saying.
''I accept the signatures as the opinion of local residents,'' replied
Sasaki. ''I would like to discuss the matter with the Justice Ministry and
other related organizations.''
Sasaki also said he wants to witness the first hearing of Fukunaga's trial,
slated to be held in mid-October at the Tokyo District Court.
Fukunaga and several other senior members of the cult were arrested and
indicted for swindling victims out of money in several cases in May and June.
Cult leaders claimed the power to diagnose illness through foot examinations,
and demanded large sums from victims in return for ''curing'' their
relatives.
According to the Religious Corporation Law, the agency, parties concerned and
public prosecutors can ask courts to dissolve cults.
_______________________
Cult foots bill for family's splurge
("Asahi Shimbun," July 11, 2000)
The family of former cult leader Hogen Fukunaga spent 1.83 billion yen of the
95 billion yen the Ho no Hana Sanpogyo foot cult swindled from its followers,
police sources said Monday.
The sources said police have managed to account for nearly all of the 95
billion yen in revenue the cult collected between 1987 and 1999. The group
was recognized as a religious organization in 1987.
Tokyo prosecutors indicted 14 cult staff members on charges of fraud at the
Tokyo District Court on Monday, having wrapped up their investigation of the
cult. A total of 19 cult members have been arrested.
The cult gathered 85 billion yen from followers in the form of training fees
and from sales of hanging scrolls and other expensive cult items. It raised
an additional 10 billon yen from its 24 affiliates, the sources said.
The cult's largest expenditure was the 30 billion yen it spent on buying land
and building its headquarters in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, and on its
facility in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward. That was followed by 20 billion yen spent
on staff wages and in the operation of facilities, including rent for
Fukunaga's apartment.
Police sources said Fukunaga and his wife spent 490 million yen from cult
revenue over six years to buy hundreds of bags, about 300 shoes and brand
products.
The couple spent about 250 million yen staying at expensive hotels, paying as
much as 500,000 yen a night.
The cult paid for karaoke lessons for Fukunaga's wife and the rent of his
girlfriend's home.
One cult staff member received a 380 million yen reward for luring in many
followers
_______________________
Ho-no-Hana collected 95 bil. yen from '84 to '99
("Yomiuri Shimbun," July 8, 2000)
The Ho-no-Hana Sanpogyo religious group was discovered to have amassed 95
billion yen from 1984 to 1999, of which as much as 3 billion yen was
appropriated by the group's founder, Hogen Fukunaga, and his family members
for private use, a source close to police said Friday. ...
A joint investigation squad of the Metropolitan Police Department and the
Shizuoka prefectural police recently discovered that Fukunaga, 55, used group
funds to pay his hotel bills and his wife's shopping expenses, according to
the source. ...
According to police, the group's total income since 1984 through November
last year, recorded in the group's accounting books and other documents,
totals as much as about 95 billion yen, of which 80 percent--or about 76
billion yen--was collected after 1994.
Of the total, about 85 billion yen was accumulated through training fees and
proceeds from the sales of high-priced items, such as scrolls, to followers.
The remaining 10 billion yen was amassed through business profits, including
sales of publications, of affiliated companies.
Meanwhile, group funds used by members of Fukunaga's family totaled about
2.96 billion yen between January 1994 and late last year.
Fukunaga spent about 2 billion yen on himself, which included 2 million yen
per month to rent a luxurious condominium in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, hotel bills
for executive suite rooms costing 500,000 yen per night and monthly
condominium rental fees for his mistress, according to the source.
Money earned by the religious group was also used to pay for karaoke lessons
for Fukunaga's wife, 41, who was hoping to release a compact disc, the source
said.
In addition, about 27 billion yen was spent to purchase property, including
prime real estate in Shibuya Ward, and 18 billion yen was offered to
affiliates as loans. In addition, about 480 million yen was spent to produce
a promotional film for the group, the source said.
_______________________
"Feet sect" officials held
by Robert Whymant ("London Times", June 22, 2000)
JAPANESE police yesterday pursued their crackdown
on a bizarre cult that promises to cure illness
diagnosed by "reading" the soles of the feet.
Nine officials of the Honohana Sanpogyo cult were
arrested on suspicion of fraudulently amassing a
fortune by persuading followers that they could escape
illness by making large donations to the cult.
The latest round-up brought to 24 the number of
Honohana leaders under arrest over a fraud said to
have netted more than £560 million. The cult's guru,
Hogen Fukunaga, 55, who claims supernatural powers,
was arrested last month after four years of
investigation. ...
_______________________
Nine more foot cultists nabbed
("Mainichi Shimbun," June 21, 2000)
Police arrested nine members of the Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo religious group
Tuesday for allegedly swindling 14 people out of about 57 million yen by
falsely telling them that they would suffer cancer unless they participated
in its training program.
The total number of arrests made among those linked to the cult now stands at
19.
Atsushi Yamaguchi, 36, a high-ranking member of the foot-reading cult, and
Machiko Sato, 47, an adviser to the cult, were among the nine members
arrested Tuesday on suspicion of fraud. ...
A joint investigative force of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and
Shizuoka Prefectural Police also raided four locations linked to the cult the
same day, including the homes of Yamaguchi and Sato in Tokyo's Meguro-ku and
Shibuya-ku, respectively.
A day earlier, police served new arrest warrants on 10 people linked to the
cult on suspicion of fraud, including the cult's former head, Hogen Fukunaga,
55, whose real first name is Teruyoshi.
According to police, Yamaguchi and other suspects allegedly conspired with
Fukunaga in defrauding the massive amount of cash out of the 14 people
between January 1995 and January 1996.
In the large-scale scam, the cult members threatened that the victims would
"contract cancer" if they did nothing about it.
The members further solicited the victims to join training sessions that the
members falsely asserted would heal the participants' illnesses.
All in all, the foot-reading cult, based in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, is
suspected of defrauding at least 30,000 people out of more than 87 billion
yen.
____________________
9 more Ho-no-Hana cult members arrested in fraud case
(Kyodo News Service, June 20, 2000)
TOKYO, June 20 (Kyodo) - Nine members of the Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo religious
group were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of defrauding 14 people out of about
56.8 million yen in 1995 and 1996, police said.
The nine include Atsushi Yamaguchi, 36, a senior member of the cult, whose
leader Hogen Fukunaga was served a fresh arrest warrant in the case Monday
along with nine other members.
The arrests bring to 24 the number of Ho-no-Hana members arrested in a series
of fraud cases, police said.
The arrests of Fukunaga and other members followed some four years of police
investigations into the group, which is suspected of defrauding at least
30,000 people out of more than 87 billion yen.
Fukunaga and other senior members used to read people's feet and tell them
they had serious illnesses which could be cured by means involving paying
large sums of money, according to the police.
A group of lawyers representing people allegedly defrauded by Ho-no-Hana
earlier this month said some 100 victims will sue the group in August at the
earliest, seeking 500 million yen in damages.
_______________________
Foot cultists ranked, paid for recruiting effort
("Asahi Shimbun," June 20, 2000)
The Ho no Hana Sanpogyo foot cult, accused of bilking members out of millions
of yen, paid top staff members salaries according to the number of new
followers they recruited, police sources said Monday.
Some of the cult's top leadership now under arrest told police they wanted to
acquire new followers because it was their major source of income, according
to the sources.
The foot-cult founder, Hogen Fukunaga, 55, and 11 other senior cult members
were arrested May 9 on suspicion of swindling enormous amounts of money from
a number of followers as payment for cult-related seminars and the purchase
of religious items. Fresh charges of fraud were issued against them Monday.
In addition, nine more members were arrested today on suspicion of cheating
14 people in a similar manner.
The cult's payment system came to light from confessions by some leaders now
under arrest, the police sources said.
Cult leaders ``read'' the soles of prospective followers' feet and frightened
them with stories of illness and bad luck that might strike them if they did
not attend seminars or buy cult-related items.
At one point, about 250 staff members employed by the cult were categorized
into as many as 18 different ranks. A 1995 internal document revealed there
were 12 ranks. Monthly remuneration, ranging from 70,000 yen to 1 million
yen, was paid according to a member's status within the cult, according to
the sources.
Cult headquarters imposed quotas to recruit new followers at the
organization's branches at 47 locations nationwide.
The leaders were to lure at least 70 percent of an allotted target figure of
new cultists over a two-month period in order to earn a higher rank, the
sources said.
Senior members told police they knew illnesses would never be cured at the
cult's seminars and Fukunaga had no special power, the sources said.
Staff members claim they recruited new recruits without feeling guilty
because they said they wanted to gain Fukunaga's favor.
_______________________
Japan Police Arrest Cult Members
by Eric Prideaux (The Associated Press, June 20, 2000)
TOKYO (AP) - Nine members of a religious cult that claimed to cure diseases
by inspecting the soles of people's feet were arrested Tuesday for allegedly
defrauding believers and their families out of hundreds of thousands of
dollars, police said.
Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo senior cult member Atsushi Yamaguchi, 36, and the eight
other members are believed to have tricked 14 believers out of $538,000 in
1995 and 1996, according to Tokyo police.
The suspects are thought to have told believers suffering from cancer that
their condition would not improve unless they and their families attended
retreats run by the cult.
Police believe the cult has swindled as many as 30,000 people out of $822
million, police said.
More than a thousand former Ho-no-Hana members have sued the cult seeking a
total of $51 million in damages. The members claim they were swindled by
being told they would get cancer or other diseases unless they handed over
exorbitant fees.
A total of 24 cult members have been arrested on charges of fraud, the
spokesman said. He said it was too early to speculate on what penalties they
may face. ...
Fukunaga founded the neo-Buddhist cult in 1987, claiming that he was privy to
the ``voice of heaven.'' ...
_______________________
Police crackdown on foot cult
("South China Morning Post", June 20, 2000)
Nine members of a religious cult that claimed to cure
diseases by inspecting the soles of people's feet
were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding
believers and their families out of tens of millions of
yen, police said. ...
More than a thousand former Ho-no-Hana members
have filed lawsuits against the cult seeking a total of
5.4 billion yen (HK$397 million) in damages. They
paid an average of 4 million yen (HK$294,000) to join
the group, according to a lawyer handling their
claims. ...
Following a four-year investigation into Ho-no-Hana,
police in early May arrested charismatic cult founder
Hogen Fukunaga, 55, on suspicion of fraud.
Fukunaga was indicted later that month. ...
Fukunaga drew national attention because of the
opulence of his lifestyle and the lavishness of cult
facilities. ...
____________________
Ghosts join skeletons in arrested foot cult leader's closet
by Kathleen Morikawa ("Asahi Shimbun," June 10, 2000)
When police last month arrested Hogen Fukunaga, the head of the Ho no Hana
Sampogyo foot-reading cult, and began rummaging through the skeletons in his
closet, they also found a ghost-a ghostwriter, that is.
Fukunaga is accused of bilking 87 billion yen from his followers. One of his
most powerful weapons were the 109 books he authored. He has since admitted
that all of them were ghostwritten. (The ghostwriter is also allegedly being
questioned by police.)
The case has spotlighted one of the nation's least talked about professions,
says the June 7 issue of SPA!. The magazine sets out to unearth the truth
about hidden authors and finds Japan is a heaven for ghostwriters who pen
everything from entertainment and sports celebrity autobiographies to new
religion tracts and political speeches.
SPA! quotes an ``industry source'' who estimates 99.9 percent of celebrity
books are ghostwritten and recalls the famous words of entertainer Iyo
Matsumoto, who appeared on a TV program to promote her new book and admitted
she hadn't read it yet herself.
SPA! says most of the writings of Diet members are also ghostwritten.
Bureaucrats write most of their Diet pronouncements, their secretaries write
most of their speeches and friendly journalists, who may receive anywhere
from 100,000 yen to 1 million yen for their assistance, write books for them.
SPA! notes some political correspondents have even moved on to become
secretaries to Diet members.
The magazine claims a ghostwriter usually gets 3 percent to 4 percent in
royalties, or 30 yen to 40 yen for a 1,000 yen book. This was not bad in the
days when a typical print run was 30,000 copies, but nowadays seldom more
than 10,000 to 15,000 copies are printed.
SPA! notes part of the thrill of ghostwriting is the hope of one day hitting
upon a bestseller. Although the profession is full of tales of those who were
not paid at all or received only 100,000 yen for a project that made someone
else millions, there are also Cinderella tales of ghostwriters who hit it big
earning windfalls as large as 200 million yen.
How can one tell if a book has been ghostwritten?
SPA! claims those who can make money by talking or lecturing probably are not
going to bother writing a book and if the style of the language used does not
sound like the way the celebrity talks, suspect a ghostwriter. Also look at
the names of the people who have been thanked for their assistance in the
acknowledgment section. An unfamiliar name could be that of a ghostwriter.
One ghostwriter told SPA! he puts a note of gratitude to himself in the books
in recognition of all the sleepless nights he spent on them. (Often
ghostwriters are called on to create a book in a matter of days.)
SPA! also talked to Kazuhiro Nakahara, perhaps Japan's most prolific
ghostwriter. In his 20-year career, he has written more than 200 books that
sold 20 million copies. SPA! estimates he must have made over 800 million yen
by now. His luckiest break was a baseball series that sold 6.5 million copies
and for a short while was providing 10 million yen a month in royalties.
His habit is to accept any job and write 100 pages a day or about three books
a month. For example, he has written over 50 books about cars but has never
bothered to get a license himself.
Still being constantly behind-the-scenes has its downside. Nakahara recounted
the letdown he felt when he was introduced recently at a wedding reception as
``the famous ghostwriter.'' No matter how famous he was, none was going to
know him.
He advised those who thought of starting out as a ghostwriter not to do it
and noted ironically his own autobiography ``The Ghostwriter was a Keio
Boy,'' published in 1996, did not even sell 10,000 copies.
Renowned worldwide, Tenko Hikita is Japan's most famous magician and
illusionist. The June 11 issue of Sunday Mainichi claims to have the scoop on
Hikita's April trip to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North
Korea), but the article, like Tenko's performances, is cloaked in mystery and
illusion.
It has been widely rumored that Hikita had four audiences with Kim Jong Il
during her stay and even dined with his family.
If the reports are true, Tenko is one of the few outsiders to have had access
to Kim's family, about whom even North Korean watchers know very little.
(Kim's wife is a second generation Korean born in Kyoto and repatriated in
the early 1970s.)
When asked whether Tenko had met Kim, her manager replied vaguely:
``officially she has never met him.'' Tenko herself just laughed and fluffed
off such questions.
It is also rumored Kim may have learned Japanese from his wife and that Tenko
could have talked to him without an interpreter present.
The reporter notes that when asked if Kim can speak Japanese, Tenko's
demeanor changed. She looked perplexed and answered hesitantly: ``He might be
able to speak Japanese, I wonder...''
All that she would confirm was that she had heard he has seen all her videos
and is very much interested in magic, illusion and movies.
Tenko did frankly talk about the stalkers who have hounded her since April
1999. She told Sunday Mainichi it was an indescribably frightening experience
that began after she canceled a scheduled performance in North Korea in 1999
because of a leg injury.
She got anonymous phone calls day and night. The caller would say: `` Kim
Jong Il is waiting for you'' and then hang up. No matter how many times she
changed her phone number, still the calls came.
There was also other harassment. She described one incident during a trip to
Yamanashi Prefecture. Her manager left the car for a moment to buy something
when two men dressed as police pulled up, flashed IDs at her and asked her to
get out of her car and get into their car to answer some questions. She
refused and later found out the Yamanashi police had not sent anyone.
____________________
Police question senior Ho-no-Hana cult member
Kyodo News Service
TOKYO, Feb. 23 (Kyodo) - Police have questioned a senior member of the
Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo cult on suspicion the group defrauded thousands of
followers by predicting nonexistent illnesses through ''readings'' of the
soles of their feet, police sources said Wednesday.
The member in question is the director of ''Ningen Yuin'' (Human Healing
Clinic), a cult facility in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, the sources said.
The member, who holds a medical doctor's license, served until last year as a
member of the board of the certified religious group, they said, adding he
had been in charge of questionable ''religious training'' at the Atami
facility over the past several years.
Police raided the group's facilities twice in December and have questioned a
member in charge of accounting and some other members. The latest questioning
was the first by police of a senior group member, the sources said.
A number of people who had their soles read by the group's founder, Hogen
Fukunaga, and other members had been ordered to take part in training
sessions at the Atami facility, which usually lasted four nights and five
days, during which the participants were virtually not allowed to sleep, the
sources said.
They were required to pay a few million yen in cash in advance to take part
in such sessions.
When their physical and mental fatigue peaked during the sessions, the group
forcibly persuaded them to pay a few more million yen to purchase articles
such as a hanging scroll, the sources said.
Fukunaga, 54, announced his resignation as chief and named a new leadership
in January, an act seen as an attempt to deflect public hostility against the
group.
But Fukunaga said at the time the group ''will continue to be run based on
'tensei' (the voice of the heaven),'' which group members believe only
Fukunaga can hear, indicating he intends to continue running the
organization.
Fifteen people filed a 61 million yen damages suit in early January against
Fukunaga and the group, arguing it got the plaintiffs to pay between 700,000
yen and 10 million yen each to buy articles or participate in training from
1994 to 1999 under fraudulent pretexts.
____________________
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