Japan's judiciary is accelerating dissolution proceedings against the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, commonly known as the Unification Church.
On April 4, the Tokyo High Court ordered the dissolution of the Unification Church, reaffirming the Tokyo District Court's first-instance ruling. Japanese society is closely watching whether this decision will effectively expel the organization or if it will continue activities under a different organizational structure.
The Unification Church issue came to the forefront of Japanese society following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. The suspect stated during police questioning that "my mother made large donations to the Unification Church, which led to our family's ruin" and "I harbored resentment because I believed former Prime Minister Abe had deep ties to the Unification Church after he sent a congratulatory video message to their event."
The Japanese court stated regarding the dissolution order: "The Unification Church has violated the Religious Corporations Act, and there is a possibility that believers are still soliciting donations that constitute illegal acts. Even considering constitutional rights such as freedom of religion, a dissolution order is unavoidable." According to the Tokyo District Court, victims of high-value donations number at least 1,500, with damages totaling approximately 20.4 billion yen (about 190 billion won).
Following Abe's assassination, the relationship between Japanese political circles and the Unification Church became highly controversial. The revelation that politicians from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and other parties had engaged in exchanges and cooperation with Unification Church-affiliated organizations caused significant social repercussions.
The Unification Church was founded in Korea in 1954 and operates various businesses including media, tourism and leisure, and education and culture, in addition to missionary activities. While the number of Korean believers was initially reported at 300,000, a membership list obtained last year by the special counsel team investigating First Lady Kim Keon-hee showed 1.2 million domestic members. Japanese membership is estimated at approximately 600,000.
Although the Unification Church originated from Christian doctrine, it differs significantly from orthodox Christian denominations in doctrinal interpretation. The church designates its late founder Sun Myung Moon and his wife Hak Ja Han as "True Parents," the agents of humanity's salvation. While orthodox Christianity views Jesus as the Savior (Messiah), the Unification Church claims Jesus did not complete his mission of human salvation, and that the "True Parents" are the "returning Messiah" who inherited Jesus's mission to complete salvation. Orthodox Christian denominations classify the Unification Church as a cult.
Though founded in Korea, the Unification Church has exerted greater influence overseas, particularly in the United States and Japan. In Japan, where orthodox Christian populations including Catholics and Protestants remain at about 1% of the total population, the Unification Church built a relatively broad base of followers despite its Christian-based doctrine.
Experts point to political connections and organized proselytization methods as factors behind the church's expansion in Japan. The organization reportedly emphasized Korea-Japan historical issues and educated Japanese believers to feel a sense of atonement for past colonial rule.
This marks Japan's third dissolution of a religious corporation under the Religious Corporations Act, following Aum Shinrikyo (1995), which carried out the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack, and Myokakuji (2002), which orchestrated a large-scale cash fraud scheme. Unlike the previous two cases involving criminal matters, the Unification Church is the first to have illegal conduct recognized under civil law.
However, the court's dissolution order does not mean the immediate and complete elimination of the organization. In Japan, dissolving a religious corporation strips its legal status and tax benefits, but activities as a voluntary organization remain possible. Given the church's accumulated financial resources through various businesses and organizational activities, some suggest it may continue operating under a different name or structure.
Growing negative public perception of the Unification Church throughout Japanese society is considered a variable. Public opinion has soured as the church's ties to political circles have been intensively exposed since the Abe incident. Experts project that even if the church continues activities in Japan under a different form, its scale will likely diminish given the current atmosphere.
Japan's dissolution proceedings represent a critical turning point in weakening the legal foundation of the Unification Church organization. However, the prevailing analysis holds that whether the organization disappears entirely or persists in a new form depends on Japanese society's vigilance, institutional responses, and public awareness.