Photo/Illutration Nobuya Fukumoto, left, a lawyer for the Unification Church, and Nobuo Okamura, head of the legal affairs bureau of the church, speak to reporters in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on Oct. 16. (Taishi Sasayama)

The Unification Church on Oct. 16 criticized the government’s request for a court dissolution order, saying its interpretation of the Religious Corporations Law is “completely out of line.”

The religious organization, now called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, expressed its intention at a news conference to fully challenge the government’s assertion that the church should be dissolved over its dubious practices that caused significant financial losses to its followers.

The church described the education ministry’s request for the dissolution order as a “demand for the death penalty.”

Nobuya Fukumoto, a lawyer for the church, said the biggest point of contention lies in the government’s interpretation of dissolution requirements stipulated in the Religious Corporations Law.

Fukumoto said the ministry’s interpretation was flawed.

Nobuo Okamura, head of the legal affairs bureau of the church, also rejected the government’s argument that followers continued to be harmed through hefty donations after the organization issued a compliance declaration in 2009.

“The fact that complaints have decreased by 90 percent is based on data,” he said. “We cannot respond to (the government’s claim) as there are no specific documents.”

The government has also said the church published a manual on collecting donations, indicating a systemic approach to gaining funds.

Okamura said, “We have not been able to confirm any manual created by the church.”

Regarding “spiritual sales” and excessive donation activities carried out by the church’s affiliated companies and followers, Okamura said, “The church is by no means obligated to take responsibility.”

The National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales as well as victims of the church fear the organization might transfer assets to its headquarters in South Korea before the dissolution order is finalized.

But Okamura denied any transfer of assets.

“We are responding to all requests for refunds, including those from collective bargaining by the lawyers’ association,” he said.

Tomihiro Tanaka, chairman of the Japanese arm of the Unification Church, is scheduled to hold a news conference in the days ahead, the organization said.

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