A reclusive cult that refused to return hundreds of million yen to a Yokohama woman was ordered to pay back 100 million yen, an appeal court ruled Wednesday.
Presiding Judge Kengo Ishii at the Tokyo High Court ruled that Kofukukai-Yamagishikai, a cult that operates farming communes, was acting unfairly in refusing to return the assets to the 53-year-old woman who left the organization in 1994.
"Refusing to return all assets she signed over to the group is invalid as it is against public order and morals," Ishii said. "The policy not to return assets to members makes it extremely difficult to leave the group. The group is forcing its own thought on members through the policy and that is against the Constitution."
However, the judge reduced the amount of the assets the group should return to the woman from 240 million yen to 100 million yen, saying that she agreed her assets were going to be used by Yamagishikai when she joined the group.
The Tokyo District Court ruled in February 2001 that the group must return 240 million yen. The woman joined the cult in 1989 and signed over 250 million yen of her assets.
Eleven similar suits against Yamagishikai are being heard at the district court level at the moment.
Yamagishi was created in 1953 and has led to the formation of over 40 communes, including some overseas. It advocates communal life and forbids personal wealth. Its largest commune, in Mie Prefecture, was set up in 1969, is home to over 1,000 residents and trades in farm produce, earning about 10 billion yen last year.
While on the commune, the woman served as a ham packer. However, she became disillusioned with life within the utopian community and by 1994 had left its ranks.