This is an important ruling from the Tokyo District Court. It directed the Unification Church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, to dissolve. In 2023, Japan’s Education Ministry asked for this decision. They feared that the church would use manipulative tactics to fundraise and recruit. These practices allegedly spread terror in congregants and led to grievous physical, emotional and spiritual abuse of their families.
Based in South Korea, the Unification Church is now the first religious organization in Japan to face revocation of its legal status under the country's civil code. To date, those are the only actions like this taken against any religious groups in history — both for engaging in criminal activity. The Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult is most known for its 1995 sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system. In parallel, top executives from the Myokakuji pact were found guilty of racketeering bankruptcy fraud.
With the Tokyo District Court's ruling, the Unification Church will lose its tax-exempt status and be required to liquidate its assets. This is a huge, albeit unsurprising, legal and financial blow to the league. It had gotten its legal code status as a religious organization in Japan all the way back in 1968.
The dissolution order is in fact partly connected to the investigation of the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. The church's connection became apparent when it was revealed that the accused assassin harbored resentment towards the Unification Church, blaming it for his family's financial distress. The brand new disclosure only intensified the public and legal turmoil surrounding the church to hold it responsible for its employment processes and connections to local clergy.
