TOKYO: Dealing another blow to a Japanese guru who claimed to see people's future by examining their feet, a Tokyo court yesterday ruled his cult had swindled followers and ordered it to pay damages.

The Tokyo District Court ordered the Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo cult to pay 150 million yen (US$1.33 million) in damages to a group of 31 former members, said a court official.

It was the fourth time a Japanese court has found the neo-Buddhist sect and its charismatic founder, 55-year-old Hogen Fukunaga, liable for defrauding followers. Ho-no-Hana allegedly told people they would get cancer and other fatal diseases unless they took part in high-priced "training sessions."

The 31 plaintiffs said that they paid a total of 130 million yen (US$ 1.15 million) to participate in various cult events between 1992 and 1996.

Judge Koichi Tsukuda was quoted yesterday by public television broadcaster NHK as saying that Ho-no-Hana's activities were "clearly illegal" and "departed from social norms."

A lawyer for the plantiffs said the cult targeted "people whose worries made them vulnerable."

"They were lied to and intimidated," said Hidenori Kamai, who has been representing former sect followers in court for the last four years.

Ho-no-Hana, which means "teaching of the flower," was founded by Fukunaga in 1987. He claimed to have healing powers and to be able to see people's past and future by examining the soles of their feet. He once boasted 30,000 followers around Japan.

Known for his expensive suits and silver pompadour, Fukunaga resigned as the leader of Ho-no-Hana in January following a series of raids on cult facilities and media revelations about his opulent lifestyle. He is now on trial facing charges of criminal fraud.

Japanese police have been cracking down on fringe religious groups since late last year when a senior member of a doomsday cult involved in the 1995 nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subways was released from prison.

More than 1,200 people across Japan have filed suits against Ho-no-Hana, seeking a total of 6.5 billion yen (US$ 57.6 million) in damages. Three courts outside Tokyo have already ordered the cult to pay compensation to the victims.

Agencies via Xinhua
(China Daily 2000/12/26)