Tokyo High Court to Deliver Key Ruling
The Tokyo High Court is scheduled to issue a significant ruling on March 4, 2026, concerning the dissolution order against the Unification Church, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. This upcoming decision follows an appeal lodged by the religious group after the Tokyo District Court ordered its dissolution in March 2025.
Background to the Dissolution Order
The initial dissolution order was requested by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in October 2023. This request came after a months-long investigation into the church's practices, intensified by public outrage and scrutiny following the July 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, reportedly held a grudge against the Unification Church, blaming it for his family's financial ruin due to his mother's large donations, and believed Abe had ties to the group.
Reasons for the District Court's Decision
The Tokyo District Court's ruling on March 25, 2025, found that the Unification Church engaged in illegal acts under the Civil Code. The court cited manipulative fundraising and recruitment tactics, including 'spiritual sales' and pressuring followers into making financially ruinous donations, often by accusing them of 'Ancestral Karma'. These practices were deemed to have caused significant harm to followers and their families, with at least 1,500 victims and total damages estimated at approximately 20.4 billion yen from coerced donations. The court concluded that the church's problems were extensive and continuous, making a dissolution order necessary as voluntary reform was unlikely.
The Appeal and Potential Outcomes
The Unification Church immediately appealed the District Court's decision, arguing that its dissolution was unnecessary and that it had agreed to collective mediation with donation victims. The appeal hearings concluded in November 2025. If the Tokyo High Court upholds the dissolution order, it will take effect regardless of any further appeal to the Supreme Court, and liquidation procedures for the church's assets would begin. While the group could continue its activities as a voluntary organization, it would lose its status as a religious corporation, thereby forfeiting its tax-exempt privileges.
Church's Response
The Japanese branch of the Unification Church has consistently criticized the government's request and the District Court's order, calling it 'regrettable and unjust' and a 'serious threat to religious freedom and human rights'. They have stated that the court's decision was based on a 'wrong legal interpretation' and is 'absolutely unacceptable'. The church maintains that it is 'not a malicious group that should be dissolved'.
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