The Fukuoka District Court (Mainichi)

       FUKUOKA -- A class action lawsuit was filed against two individuals involved in businesses that charged customers for admission to seminars claiming participants would learn ways to "cure illness with the power of one's hands" for damages totaling around 21.77 million yen (about $198,000).

       In all, 27 men and women aged in their 20s to their 70s from seven prefectures including Aichi, Saga and Miyazaki are suing seminar firm Earth Heart, based in the city of Fukuoka's Higashi Ward, and its apparent successor organization Saint Mother, a general incorporated association. The claimants say they were tricked into paying participation and attendance fees.

       According to the complaint filed with the Fukuoka District Court on Sept. 22, the 27 people each took part in seminars by Earth Heart and Saint Mother from 2009 onwards concerning curing illness with the power of a person's hands, among other subjects. The complainants each paid between 500,000 and 700,000 yen (about $4,600 to $6,400) to take the courses.

       In all cases, the plaintiffs or their relatives had an illness, and the complaint states that "their earnest desire to cure (the conditions) was exploited, and they were made to buy a number of 'power-containing products' including water and books."

       In 2011, Earth Heart was hit with a similar claim for damages launched via the Fukuoka District Court. It was recognized that the company engaged in "fraudulent promotions with no scientific or medical basis." In 2015, the Supreme Court finalized a ruling ordering the company pay a total of 64.69 million yen (about $589,000) to 43 people.

       In a separate case the same year at the Fukuoka District Court, a settlement was reached ordering a total of around 200 million yen (about $1.8 million) be paid to 198 people. But even after this, the activities continued.

       Rie Nishioka, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said, "Unfortunately there are still countless people who believe their stories." She called for anyone affected to consult with the legal team by calling 092-735-4777 (Japanese language only).

       The Saint Mother website has closed following accusations from a consumer group that its content infringes on the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, and the phone number that was on it has been out of use.

       (Japanese original by Yuta Hiratsuka, Kyushu News Department)

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