Photo/Illutration The Supreme Court in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The Supreme Court upheld a ruling against the Unification Church and pushed the scandal-ridden religious organization closer toward dissolution.

In a decision dated March 3, the Supreme Court ruled that the church, now officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, must pay a fine of 100,000 yen ($670) for failing to respond to questions submitted by the education ministry.

The size of the fine was not the issue in the case.

The main point was the interpretation of the Religious Corporation Law, which states that a court can issue a dissolution order if a religious organization commits an “act in violation of laws and regulations that is clearly recognized as being substantially detrimental to public welfare.”

The church had argued that only Criminal Law violations should be considered when making a dissolution decision.

However, the Supreme Court’s First Petty Bench rejected the church’s argument, saying illegal actions under the Civil Law could also lead to a situation that is “substantially detrimental to public welfare.”

The court ruled that an interpretation that included illegal acts under the Civil Law was in line with the spirit of the Religious Corporation Law.

It also said it was sufficiently possible for the very existence of a religious corporation that is allowed to possess facilities and assets to become inappropriate based on its behavior.

The education ministry, which oversees religious organizations, submitted a dissolution request with the Tokyo District Court in October 2023, citing 32 civil lawsuit rulings that ordered the Unification Church to pay compensation for illegal actions mainly concerning its methods of collecting donations from followers.

Before submitting that request, the ministry sent questionnaires to the Unification Church on seven separate occasions between November 2022 and July 2023 to determine if dissolution was necessary.

But the church refused to respond to some of the questions, leading the ministry to ask the Tokyo District Court in September 2023 to fine the church.

The district court and the Tokyo High Court both ruled that the church should be fined.

The Unification Church appealed the high court ruling to the Supreme Court.

All five justices on the petty bench agreed that a fine was called for, finalizing that ruling against the church.

The Supreme Court also rejected the church’s argument that the education ministry had no authority to ask questions about the church’s activities.

The Tokyo District Court is now expected to take into account the top court’s precedent concerning the Religious Corporation Law in making a decision on whether to dissolve the church.

The Supreme Court also ruled that a dissolution order would not violate the constitutional right of freedom of religion.

Dissolution, the court said, would only mean that the organization loses its corporate status under the law. Dissolution would not ban or limit followers in practicing their religious beliefs.

After the ruling, education minister Toshiko Abe issued a statement saying the ministry would continue to call on the Unification Church to respond to all questions.

Only two religious organizations have received court orders to dissolve, including the murderous doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo.

Given the rarity of such orders, the legal standards for making a dissolution decision have not been clear.

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