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Life Space Movement

2001 UPDATES

"Japan Foot-Cult To Pay for Fraud"
(The Associated Press, December 25, 2000)

"Foot-reading cult ordered to pay 150 mil. yen in damages"
(Kyodo News Service, December 24, 2000)

"Honohana must foot 100 million yen in damages"
("Japan Times," November 14, 2000)

"Foot cult victims win damages suit"
("Asahi Shimbun," November 14, 2000)

"Japanese Cult Ordered To Pay $926K"
(Associated Press, November 13, 2000)

"Foot-reading cult ordered to pay 100 mil. yen to 16 people"
(Kyodo News Service, November 13, 2000)

"Foot-reading cult ordered to compensate Akita woman"
(Kyodo News Service, November 10, 2000)

"Honohana cultists admit to fraud"
("Japan Times," October 24, 2000)

"Foot cult member gets suspended term for fraud"
("Japan Times," October 18, 2000)

"Japan "foot cult" leader gets suspended jail term"
(Reuters, October 17, 2000)

"Former foot-reading cultist gets suspended jail term for fraud"
(Kyodo News Service, October 16, 2000)

"400 Million Yen in compensation sought"
("Japan Times," October 14, 2000)

"Foot-reading guru denies bilking flock"
("The Japan Times," October 13, 2000)

"Head of foot cult pleads not guilty in swindle case"
("Asahi Shimbun," October 13, 2000)

"Ex-followers sue foot-reading cult, demanding 400 mil. yen"
(Kyodo News Service," October 13, 2000)

"Fraud trial of cult leader Fukunaga, 9 others begins"
(Kyodo News Service, October 12, 2000)

"Foot-reading cult leader Fukunaga denies fraud charges"
(Kyodo News Service, October 12, 2000)

"Foot cultist admits fraud during first trial hearing"
("Japan Times," September 2, 2000)

"Gov't gets 150,000-signature petition to dissolve foot cult"
(Kyodo News Service, August 30, 2000)

"Gov't gets 150,000-signature petition to dissolve foot cult"
(Kyodo News Service, August 30, 2000)

"Cult foots bill for family's splurge"
("Asahi Shimbun," July 11, 2000)

"Ho-no-Hana collected 95 bil. yen from '84 to '99"
("Yomiuri Shimbun," July 8, 2000)

'"Feet sect' officials held"
by Robert Whymant ("London Times", June 22, 2000)

"Nine more foot cultists nabbed"
("Mainichi Shimbun," June 21, 2000)

"Japan Police Arrest Cult Members"
by Eric Prideaux (The Associated Press, June 20, 2000)

"Police crackdown on foot cult"
("South China Morning Post", June 20, 2000)

"Foot cultists ranked, paid for recruiting effort"
("Asahi Shimbun," June 20, 2000)

"9 more Ho-no-Hana cult members arrested in fraud case"
(Kyodo News Service, June 20, 2000)

"Ho-no-Hana members admit fraud"
("Yomiuri Shimbun," June 13, 2000)

"Ghosts join skeletons in arrested foot cult leader's closet"
by Kathleen Morikawa ("Asahi Shimbun," June 10, 2000)

"Foot cult bigwigs admit to fraud"
("Mainichi Daily News," June 8, 2000)

"Honohana cult facing 500 million yen lawsuit"
("Japan Times," June 4, 2000)

"100 people to file 500 mil. yen suit against Ho-no-Hana cult"
(Kyodo News Service, June 2, 2000)

"Foot cultists marched to jail"
("Mainichi Shimbun," May 31, 2000)

"Founder of Ho-no-Hana indicted on fraud charges"
("Yomiuri Shimbun", May 30, 2000)

"3 nabbed for fraud in Ho-no-Hana foot cult"
(Kyodo News Service, May 30, 2000)

"Foot cult founder Fukunaga, 7 senior members indicted"
(Kyodo News Service, May 29, 2000)

"Fuji mayor urges ministries to dissolve Honohana cult"
("Japan Times", May 27, 2000)

"Fuji mayor urges ministries to dissolve Ho-no-Hana cult"
(Kyodo News Service, May 26, 2000)

"End of the road for 'sole-searcher'"
by Ryann Connell ("Mainichi Shimbum", Sunday, May 21, 2000)

"Cult used Unzen to solicit followers in Nagasaki"
("Japan Times," May 21, 2000)

"Ho-no-Hana probed over donations"
("Yomiuri Shimbun," May 12, 2000)

"Honohana leaders questioned about millions in kickbacks"
("Japan Times," May 12, 2000)

"Ho-no-Hana offered 5 mil. yen to assemblyman, police say"
("Yomiuri Shimbun," May 11, 2000)

"Foot-cult head spent big on meeting Pope"
("Mainichi Shimbun," May 11, 2000)

"Ho-no-Hana allegedly got construction kickbacks"
(Kyodo News Service, May 11, 2000)

"Duped family tells of contempt for cult"
("Yomiuri Shimbun," May 10, 2000)

"Culture Agency Eyes Court Foot Cult Ban"
("Asahi Shimbun," May 10, 2000)

"Foot cult guru busted"
("Mainichi Shimbun," May 10, 2000)

"Ho-no-Hana sells fake papal-blessed rings to followers"
(Kyodo News Service, May 9, 2000)

"Japan 'foot cult' leaders held for suspected fraud"
(Reuters, May 9, 2000)

"Cops to stamp on cult heads"
("Mainichi Shimbun," May 9, 2000)

"Fukunaga, Cultists Arrested"
("Asahi Shimbun," May 9, 2000)

"Japan police issue arrest warrants for foot cult"
(Reuters, May 8, 2000)

"Foot Cultist Heard a Committee's Voice"
("Asahi Shimbun", May 8, 2000 )

"Ho-no-Hana 'paid assemblyman several mil. yen'
(Kyodo News Service, May 7, 2000)

"Police set to grill ex-leaders of Ho-no-Hana cult"
(Kyodo News Service, May 6, 2000)

"MPD to charge cult members with swindling"
("Yomiuri Shimbun," May 5, 2000)

"Ho-no-Hana appeals ruling over fee swindle damages"
(Kyodo News Service, May 1, 2000)

"Cult told to compensate ex-members"
("Asahi Shimbun", April 29, 2000)

"Ho-no-Hana to foot the bill"
("Mainichi Shimbun", April 29, 2000)

"Court orders Ho-no-Hana to pay 227.2 mil. yen damages"
(Kyodo News Service, April 28, 2000)

"Japan cult told to pay followers for false cures"
by Kazunori Takada (Reuters, April 28, 2000)

"Police question senior members of Ho-no-Hana cult"
(Kyodo News Service, April 25, 2000)

"Police to grill Ho-no-Hana cult leaders in fraud case"
(Kyodo News Service, April 21, 2000)

"Police question senior Ho-no-Hana cult member"
(Kyodo News Service, February 23, 2000)

"Fraud scandal-mired 'Ho-no-Hana' reshuffles leaders"
(Kyodo News Service, January 15, 2000)

"Ho no Hana leader to step down"
("Asahi Shimbun", January 7, 2000)

"Foot-cult head hands in resignation"
("Mainichi Shimbun", January 7, 2000)

"How Mister Sakurai put his foot in it"
by Richard Lloyd Parry ("The Indipendent", January 6, 2000)

"Leader of 'foot sole reading' group will quit"
(Kyodo News Service, January 6, 2000)

"Ho-no-Hana founder spent 1 bil. yen to meet leaders"
("Kyodo News Service", December 23, 1999)

"Ex-followers finger Fukunaga for false foot findings"
("Japan Times", December 7, 1999)

"Cult interested 'only in greed'"
("Asahi Shimbun", December 7, 1999)

"Ho-no-Hana selling 'cosmic energy,' police allege"
(Kyodo News Service, December 5, 1999)

"Cult cans huge fund-raiser"
("Mainichi Shimbun", December 5, 1999)

"32 more cult facilities targeted by authorities"
("Asahi Shimbun", December 5, 1999)

"Ex-assemblyman raided over sole cult"
("Mainichi Shimbun", December 5, 1999)

"Police carry out 2nd raid on Ho-no-Hana facilities"
(Kyodo News Service, December 4, 1999)

"Sole man gladhanded rich and famous"
("Mainichi Shimbun", December 3, 1999)

"Strange Bedfellows: Ho no Hana and President Clinton"
(by Massimo Introvigne, December 2, 1999)

"'Ho-no-Hana' says it's not fraudulently collecting money"
(Kyodo News Service, December 2, 1999)

"4 'Ho-no-Hana' followers died while training"
("Kyodo News Service", December 2, 1999)

"'Ho-no-Hana' group had manual targeting the sick: police"
("Kyodo News Service", December 2, 1999)

"Police raid foot-reading cult"
("Mainichi Shimbun", December 2, 1999)

"Foot-reading cult raided over scam to fleece flock"
("Japan Times", December 1, 1999)

"Police raid offices of Japanese 'foot cult' "
("Reuters", December 1, 1999)

"Fukunaga may have started group out of vengeance"
("Kyodo News Service", December 1, 1999)

"Japanese Police to Search Cult Facilities, Japan Times Says"
("Bloomber", December 1, 1999)

"Police search religious group: Ho no Hana Sanpogyo is suspected of swindling billions from its followers"
("Asahi Shimbun", December 1, 1999)

"Japan police Raid Religious Group"
(Associated Press, November 30, 1999)

"New religious cult under fire for fraud"
("Mainichi Shimbun", November 30, 1999)

"Followers file fraud suit against Shizuoka cult"
("Japan Times", November 14, 1996)

 

Mainichi Shimbun
Investigators enter Ho no Hana headquarters in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2


CESNUR reproduces or quotes documents from the media and different sources on a number of religious issues. Unless otherwise indicated, the opinions expressed are those of the document's author(s), not of CESNUR or its directors.


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Revised last: 6-01-2001