The Unification Church yesterday lost an appeal against a Japanese court’s order to dissolve the sect, which came under investigation following the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
The Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order in March last year for the Japanese chapter of the Unification Church, saying it had caused “unprecedented damage” to society.
The church — which was founded in South Korea and nicknamed the “Moonies” after its late founder, Sun Myung Moon — is accused of pressuring followers into making life-ruining donations and blamed for child neglect among its members, although it has denied any wrongdoing.
Photo: AFP
The church in a statement yesterday said that “the Tokyo High Court had issued a ruling upholding the dissolution order against our organization,” calling the decision “unjust.”
The court confirmed the decision to reporters.
Abe, Japan’s longest-serving leader who had spoken at some of the church’s events, was shot dead on the campaign trail in 2022 by Tetsuya Yamagami, who resented the sect.
In January, Yamagami was jailed for life for the murder, although his defense team argued that the attack was triggered by his mother’s donations to the church that pushed his family into bankruptcy.
The 45-year-old appealed his life sentence last month.
Investigations after Abe’s murder revealed close ties between the sect and many ruling-party lawmakers, leading to the resignation of four ministers.
That prompted the Japanese government in 2023 to seek permission from the courts to have the group legally disbanded.
The church lodged an appeal in April last year.
Yesterday’s decision means that liquidation proceedings would begin and the sect would no longer benefit from tax exemption, although the group can still appeal to the top court.
“Many young people had their lives stolen” because of the sect, Eito Suzuki, a journalist who covered the church for decades and has been up against it in a series of lawsuits, wrote in a statement on X.
“Having witnessed this harm firsthand... I am relieved that the judiciary has now delivered an appropriate decision,” he said.
However, Suzuki warned that a probe into the structural issue of political ties had not been carried out.
The church rose to global prominence in the 1970s and 1980s after its foundation in 1954, becoming famous for mass weddings often held in stadiums.
Japan has long been a financial hub for the church, which told members they must atone for the occupation of the Korea Peninsula during World War II and sell expensive items to obtain forgiveness from sins.
Since Abe’s murder, the church has pledged to prevent “excessive” member donations.
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