Japan Court Orders Unification Church Shutdown
Tokyo High Court upholds order to dissolve Japan’s Unification Church after ruling against appeal, ending its tax-exempt status amid Abe-linked controversy.
According to local media reports, a Japanese court has upheld an order to close the controversial Unification Church.
Last year, a Tokyo District Court ordered the church's closure after Japan's Ministry of Education and Culture accused the church of luring followers into making large donations.
On Wednesday, the Tokyo High Court rejected the church's appeal and its argument that the donations were part of legitimate religious activities.
The church, known as "Moonies," came under scrutiny after the shocking assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.
The man who shot Abe, Tetsuya Yamagami, said he was angry with the prime minister because his ties to the Unification Church had bankrupted his family.
Yamagami, 45, was sentenced to life imprisonment in January. He has appealed the sentence.
The Unification Church is the first religious organization in Japan to be ordered to close.
The Tokyo District Court's dissolution order stripped the church of its tax-free status and forced it to sell its assets, but it was still allowed to operate in Japan.
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Now that the church has lost its first appeal against the decision, the dissolution order will take effect immediately, local media reports. However, it could still take the case to the Supreme Court.
Even before Abe's assassination, the Unification Church had been embroiled in controversy over its teachings. At the center of this controversy is the church's late founder, Sun Myung Moon, whom followers worship as a messiah.
Following Abe's shooting, an investigation into the Unification Church revealed close ties to several conservative lawmakers.
Investigators also found that the church exploited followers' fears about their spiritual well-being to coerce them into purchasing expensive items.
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