Japan’s Orders Dissolution of Unification Church

A Japanese court on Tuesday ordered the dissolution of the Japanese chapter of the Unification Church, a controversial religious sect that came under scrutiny after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, Agence France-Presse wrote.

The Tokyo district court ordered the government to revoke the church’s tax-exempt status, force it to liquidate its assets, and brand it as a harmful entity. However, the church is allowed to continue its religious practices in Japan.

“Its reputation will decline, and the number of followers will decrease,” said Katsuomi Abe, a lawyer who has represented former church members seeking compensation after making huge donations. “I don’t think any other organization has caused such damage (to Japanese society).”

Church officials said in a statement that they “take the decision very seriously” but “cannot accept it,” and plan to appeal.

Since Abe’s assassination, officials have been investigating the church.

Abe’s assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, 44, confessed that he targeted Abe because of the politician’s ties with the church: Yamagami blamed it for bankrupting his family after his mother had donated $1 million to the church. He also blamed the church for neglect – his mother, he said, left him alone at home without food to attend church gatherings.

The church has faced repeated allegations of forcing its congregants to make enormous donations. It has also come under scrutiny for child neglect within its community, according to the BBC.

Founded in South Korea, the Unification Church, whose followers are nicknamed “Moonies” after its late founder, Sun Myung Moon, has denied the accusations and said the donations were legitimate. Even so, following Abe’s murder, church officials promised to curb “excessive” member donations.

Nearly 200 people interviewed by Japanese investigators say they were victimized by the church and forced to donate money. They have asked officials to retrieve for them compensation worth $38.5 million.