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SGI Office of Public Information
February 6, 2001
On January 31, 2001, Tokyo High Court Chief Judge Masayoshi Seto upheld the Tokyo District Court ruling of May 30, 2000 which rejected Junko Nobuhira's claims against Daisaku Ikeda, honorary president of the Soka Gakkai, for damages linked to his wife Nobuko's allegations of sexual assault. Junko Nobuhira, who appealed the May 2000 ruling, had claimed that his right to a tranquil married life had been infringed.
The court found that there was “no factual evidence” to support Mrs. Nobuhira's allegation of sexual assault and that “her own statements lacked credibility.” It held that the couple's actions clearly stemmed from a grudge harbored against Soka Gakkai following their dismissal from leadership positions in the organization. [They were dismissed from their positions over failure to repay large sums of money they borrowed from local people including Soka Gakkai members. Junko Nobuhira has to date been ordered to repay a total of more than 50 million yen (approx. US$435,000) in seven court cases brought against him in this regard.]
The court noted that the Nobuhiras have changed their allegations several times in the proceedings when confronted with evidence that refuted the possibility of any sexual assault. Date, times and places of alleged incidents had been changed as Mrs. Nobuhira's original claims were disproved, and additional alleged incidents added one after another as she claimed to have suddenly recalled them. The court concluded that the couple's intention was to prolong the legal process in order to cause further damage to Mr. Ikeda's reputation, stating, “[The case] was intended to lower society's assessment of the respondent.”
The judgment reads: “The only possible conclusion is that the prolonging of the legal process was aimed at dealing further blows to the respondent [Ikeda] and making him bear the burden of answering the case.”
Accordingly the court ruled that the case was an abuse of the right of action and dismissed Junko Nobuhira's appeal.
Back to The Accusations of Nobuko Nobuhira >>
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