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7. Sept. 2003 -- Supreme Court
dismisses appeal by Nichiren Shoshu and rules in favor
of the Soka Gakkai in US Government Records libel case |
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On September 9, 2003, Japan’s
Supreme Court ruled in Soka Gakkai’s favor in a
defamation suit against Nichiren Shoshu and its high priest
Nikken Abe. Soka Gakkai filed the suit in January 1996
after Nichiren Shoshu and Abe alleged that it had illegally
planted a fraudulent entry in US government records relating
to the so-called “Seattle Incident.”
The background to this is that a Soka Gakkai newspaper
had reported in June 1992 that when Abe visited Seattle,
Washington for religious purposes in 1963, he went out
at night and got involved in an altercation with local
prostitutes to which the police were called (the “Seattle
Incident”). Nichiren Shoshu brought a libel suit
against Soka Gakkai for reporting this. Tokyo District
Court found that the incident had in fact occurred and
the Soka Gakkai report was true, and dismissed Nichiren
Shoshu’s claims. After appealing to the Tokyo High
Court, Nichiren Shoshu withdrew the entire case in January
2002.
During the course of that case, when the Soka Gakkai newspaper
reported that there was a record about the incident in
U.S. government files, Nichiren Shoshu publicly claimed
at a press conference that the Gakkai had illegally planted
the record, calling the Soka Gakkai “international
criminals.” Further, Nichiren Shoshu published these
allegations in its publications and distributed more than
1.35 million copies, not only to its temples and associates
but to political, public and educational institutions,
as well as key individuals both in Japan and in the US.
High Priest Abe Nikken stated that the incident had been
a “conspiracy” and that the official US government
record regarding the Seattle Incident had been “fabricated.”
In turn, Soka Gakkai had filed a suit against Nichiren
Shoshu and Abe for libel in August 1996.)
In the current libel case, the Tokyo High Court had concluded
in February 2003 that there was no evidence of Soka Gakkai
planting a fraudulent record in any US government files.
It further found that Soka Gakkai did not illegally access
any US government database and ruled that Nichiren Shoshu’s
and Abe’s allegations were therefore unfounded and
defamatory and ordered them to pay Soka Gakkai 4 million
yen (about US$29,700) for damages. On September 9, the
Supreme Court dismissed the defendants’ appeal and
supported the High Court’s decision on the case.
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(From Seikyo Shimbun,
Sept. 11, 2003)
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