Japan's Lower House has passed a bill to provide relief to victims of the religious group previously known as the Unification Church.

The bill passed the chamber on Tuesday with a majority of votes from the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, Democratic Party for the People, the Constitutional Democratic Party, Nippon Ishin Japan Innovation Party, Japanese Communist Party and others.

It was sent to the Upper House and is expected to be enacted in the current session of the Diet.

Five of the parties had debated revisions to the bill until Monday. The LDP, Komeito and DPP had submitted a bill that would require religious corporations which had been asked to dissolve to inform administrative bodies about their assets. The CDP and Japan Innovation Party had submitted a bill that would allow courts to order the management and preservation of assets.

They failed to reach an agreement, but the LDP and some other parties submitted a revised bill to the Diet with an additional clause that said they would discuss how to preserve assets after three years.

In debates in the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee, the LDP indicated that it may consider preserving assets without waiting three years. The CDP and Japan Innovation Party then decided to approve the revised bill.
The revised bill was approved unanimously in the committee before a vote was held in the Lower House plenary session.