Japanese lawyers say more than 100 people are now demanding that the religious group widely known as the Unification Church repay them around 3.5 billion yen, or about 24 million dollars.

The national network of lawyers started negotiating with the group in February on behalf of people who claim they were duped into making large donations, or buying expensive items.

The lawyers told a news conference on Thursday that 10 people, including former followers, have recently joined their campaign for refunds, and are demanding about 6.6 million dollars in compensation. A total of 109 people are seeking the return of about 24 million dollars.

The lawyers say that most of these people were persuaded to join the religious group without being informed of its true identity.

The group's members are said to have urged them to donate money by telling them their families would suffer otherwise.

The lawyers say that one person is demanding compensation for domestic violence committed by a former spouse who was selected through a mass wedding organized by the group.

Murakoshi Susumu, who heads the lawyers' network, says the group has not owned up to the damage it inflicted on its followers, and its responses continue to be insincere. He says the lawyers' group will consider legal action, if the negotiations do not resolve the refund issue.

The religious group says it has started looking into the facts of the claims that it received earlier, and has begun responding to some of the cases. The group insists that individual negotiations will be a better way of achieving early resolutions.