On July 27, Happy Science filed a defamation lawsuit against Bungeishunju and a former believer.

On July 27 (Friday), the religious corporation Happy Science filed a 300 million yen defamation lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against Bungeishunju Ltd., which publishes Weekly Bunshun, and a former believer (Mr. Osamu Tanemura) because their honor was damaged by headlines and articles that were completely unfounded.

In the July 19, 2012 issue of Weekly Bunshun, Bungeishunju Co. included a headline that made it seem as if our organization had dubious rituals, and in the main text, they published fabricated articles that falsely suggested there were women's issues or sexual harassment within our organization.

Our organization has been able to confirm that the content of the article is not factual, and particularly, we have confirmation from Mr. Y, who was mentioned in Mr. Tanemura's story in the article, stating, "I have never met Mr. Osamu Tanemura or had any conversation like the one described in the article. The events described in the article are not my experiences." Additionally, regarding other stories mentioned in the article, our organization has conducted verification and confirmed that the article is completely unfounded.

Nevertheless, the headline and article published this time are based on falsehoods and speculation, severely damaging the honor and credibility of our organization, and at the same time,considering that the content is extremely dubious, that it contains unforgivable content that defames our founder, Master Ryuho Okawa, and the maliciousness of the reporting process, such as not conducting background research, our organization has decided to significantly increase the initially considered 100 million yen to 300 million yen for the defamation lawsuit to restore our honor.

Furthermore, the interview from the Bunshun side was based on a letter from Mr. Osamu Tanemura, who caused various problems within our organization and was expelled. The Public Relations Division, which responded to the interview, repeatedly informed the Bunshun side, with materials, that Mr. Tanemura is a suspicious person who fabricated and published counseling content with more than 50 people he never met on the blog of a general incorporated association he belongs to, that he originally demanded the return of donations from other believers along with the letter (an act akin to extortion), and that our organization has been able to verify that the content of the letter is unfounded. In addition, we warned the editorial department that if they published articles contrary to the facts, we would immediately take legal action.

We will thoroughly reveal justice and truth in court against Weekly Bunshun and Mr. Osamu Tanemura. We also encourage many people to read the scripture 'Is There a Future for Bunshun? The Spirit Message of Founder Kan Kikuchi open_in_new' to expose the reality of malicious journalism to the world and advance the cause of righteousness.

Director of Public Relations, Happy Science Group, Nobuyuki Watanabe