Temple head and TV personality Mudo Oda was dealt a suspended prison sentence Thursday after a court found him guilty of fraudulently attempting to take over a religious organization.
Oda, whose real name is Reisuke Oda, was sentenced by the Yokohama District Court to 2 1/2 years imprisonment, suspended for four years, after being convicted of submitting forged documents to legal authorities.
Oda conspired with a former secretary of a Diet member to take over a religious organization in Tokyo's Nakano-ku in June 2001, according to the ruling.
In addition to submitting forged documents saying the head of the religious organization had resigned, he attempted to change the organization's legal status, the court ruled.
He also forged the minutes of an organization meeting to make it appear as if he had been elected as representative of the organization and submitted the documents to the Nakano branch of the Tokyo District Legal Affairs Bureau, the ruling said.
Oda, who works as head priest at Enkoji Temple, is well known in Japan because of his regular television appearances.