Photo/Illutration A building that houses the Unification Church (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The Unification Church has acknowledged that it made arrangements for childless followers to “adopt” the children of other members without following the proper procedures.

It said the in-church adoption practice ended 20 years ago because no followers have since agreed to give up their children to other members.

Under the adoption law enacted in 2018, arranging adoptions requires a permit from a prefectural government.

Before that law came into force, both sides in an adoption were required to register the transfer of the child with a local government.

Health minister Katsunobu Kato on Nov. 16 was asked about the church adoptions by Toru Miyamoto, a lawmaker of the Japanese Communist Party, at a meeting of the Lower House Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare.

Kato said he has instructed the ministry to check whether the church was involved in an adoption placement business.

“Repeatedly making adoption arrangements without obtaining a permit violates the law regardless of the transfer of money,” Kato said.

The church, which requires followers to report the births of children, said it did not accept compensation for the adoption practice.

According to the church, if a member wanted to adopt a child, the church would introduce that person to another follower who was willing to give up a child for adoption.

Between 1981 and 2021, church followers adopted 745 children, including those arranged through the church that were not registered with local governments.

“We did that for families who wanted to have children and needed assistance,” a representative of the church said. “We were not aware that it violates some sort of law.”

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