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The Tokyo High Court ruled
on May 29 that freelance writer Masao Okkotsu and his
publishing company, Forum 21, were liable for defaming
the Soka Gakkai in an article that appeared in the May
1, 2002 issue. The court awarded the Soka Gakkai damages
after overturning a lower court decision handed down Dec.
18, 2002.
The article in question covered the case of a Buddhist
temple and its indictment two months earlier for tax evasion.
However, it also contained numerous comments from unattributed
sources insinuating that the Soka Gakkai had wielded influence
(through its affiliation with the New Komeito political
party, for example) to instigate the investigation.
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