Japan lower house passes bill to ban malicious donation solicitations

Japan's lower house on Thursday passed a bill to ban organizations from maliciously soliciting donations, following controversy over the fundraising practices of the Unification Church.After deliberations at the House of Councillors, or upper house, starting in the afternoon, the bill is likely to be enacted in favor of the ruling bloc and some opposition parties on the final day of the extraordinary parliamentary session on Saturday.Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government rushed to craft the bill in an apparent bid to curb a plunge in the approval ratings for the Cabinet, triggered by is…READ FULL ARTICLE