The Japanese Government Finally Draws the Sword Against the Unification Church... "Moving Toward a Dissolution Order Request"

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Holds Review Meeting for Former Unification Church Religious Corporation on the 6th

The Japanese government is reportedly planning to file a dissolution order with the court in mid-next month regarding the issue of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church), drawing attention to the background. Following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, it became known that the former Unification Church and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are intertwined in politics and society, intensifying controversy and leading to a full-scale move to dissolve the Unification Church.

On the 5th, NHK reported that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is scheduled to hold a Religious Corporation Review Board meeting on the 6th concerning the former Unification Church. MEXT is expected to demand the imposition of a fine on the church through this review board.

Since November last year, MEXT has exercised its right to question the former Unification Church seven times. This right allows the ministry to request the submission of materials on over 600 items, including the church’s operational system, financial status, and offerings. However, the church refused to answer about 100 items citing "freedom of religion and belief." According to a MEXT official quoted by Mainichi Shimbun, "The investigation based on the right to question has been facing difficulties because the church did not properly submit the materials."

Former Unification Church members are holding a press conference on the 4th, urging the dissolution of the church. (Photo by NHK)

At the Religious Corporation Review Board, MEXT Minister Keiko Nagaoka is expected to request the Tokyo District Court to impose a fine based on the Religious Corporations Act. The Japanese Religious Corporations Act stipulates that if a religious organization does not respond to questions or submits false reports when the right to question is exercised, the representative may be fined up to 100,000 yen (approximately 900,000 KRW).

Minister Nagaoka told reporters on the day, "At this stage, we are not deciding whether to file a dissolution order. Please do not pre-judge our future response," but the prevailing view is that this review board is part of the dissolution procedure for the former Unification Church. NHK reported, "Based on the investigations so far, MEXT plans to consider whether to file a dissolution order with the court."

The issue of the former Unification Church surfaced following the assassination of former Prime Minister Abe. The assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, revealed his motive by stating that "his mother donated a large sum of money to the Unification Church, which ruined the family." This sparked controversy over issues such as "second-generation religion," where parents impose their religion on their children, and the problem of "inspiration sales practices" (영감상법), where believers are forced to buy ordinary items at exorbitant prices.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Moreover, scandals involving election funds with the ruling LDP and the former Unification Church caused a stir, revealing the church’s entanglement in Japanese society and politics. In response, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed Minister Nagaoka in October last year, following the Abe assassination, to exercise the right to question with consideration of filing a dissolution order and to decide whether to proceed with the filing.

This is also related to the ruling party’s situation ahead of upcoming cabinet reshuffles and general elections. At that time, as the ties between the LDP and the Unification Church became controversial, key ministers such as Minister of Reconstruction Kenya Akiba were forced to resign one after another. The LDP appears to be trying to resolve the Unification Church issue, which could pose a risk to the administration, through this opportunity.

Meanwhile, compensation claims from victims of the former Unification Church continue. Mainichi announced that the National Lawyers’ Group for Victims of the Unification Church sent a fifth document to the church demanding compensation of 370 million yen (approximately 3.348 billion KRW) for 15 victims and applied for collective negotiations. The total amount claimed so far is 3.9 billion yen (approximately 35.3 billion KRW) for 124 people.

If the Supreme Court makes a final decision to issue a dissolution order, the former Unification Church will lose its status as a religious corporation and be classified as a voluntary organization, losing tax benefits. However, religious freedom will not restrict the activities of the religious group. Until now, cases of religious corporations being dissolved in Japan include two instances: Aum Shinrikyo, which carried out the sarin gas attack in the subway in 1995, and Myokakuji Temple, which embezzled money under the name of offerings.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.