Photo/Illutration A building housing the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, better known as the Unification Church (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The government plans to seek a court order to dissolve the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formerly known as the Unification Church, as early as Oct. 13.

It will make the request through the Tokyo District Court.

Sources said a meeting of the Religious Corporations Council would be held Oct. 12 to hear views from experts before initiating the process to dissolve the organization.

The move comes on the heels of a government investigation into the church’s activities following renewed public attention over the issue of donations by followers in the aftermath of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s shooting death in July 2022.

According to the police, the suspect in the slaying told investigators that his mother’s donations to the organization ruined his family. He also blamed Abe for promoting the church, which led to revelations about its ties with politicians of all political stripes.  

The government investigation involved a series of questionnaires sent to the church, some of which were not answered by a set deadline, and questioning of former church members. It concluded the church should no longer be allowed to continue as a religious corporation because of its dubious practices of collecting money from followers and gullible people.

The church has issued counter arguments that it will likely raise at the Tokyo District Court.

If the court sides with the government, the church will lose its tax-exempt status. However, it would be allowed to continue with its religious activities as a voluntary organization.

On Oct. 6, the church submitted its views to the Tokyo District Court in another matter involving a request for fines made by the education ministry against the church for failing to adequately respond to questions the ministry had sent.

The ministry on Sept. 7 asked the court to fine the church. The latest response lays out the reasons the church should be spared a fine.

The church claimed the education ministry had no right to submit questions in the first place. It added that its failure to respond to some of the questions was appropriate because the church was trying to protect the privacy and freedom of church members.

The Tokyo District Court will decide whether fines should be imposed in addition to the expected request to dissolve the church.

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