The Tokyo District Court on March 25 ordered the dissolution of the Unification Church for causing “an unprecedentedly large amount of damage” mainly through the questionable solicitation of donations from its followers.

The court decision recognized that the church, now formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, caused more than 19.4 billion yen ($129 million) in damage until 2009, based on court-ordered compensation in lawsuits and settlements with victims.

The church indicated it will appeal the decision to the Tokyo High Court, meaning the dissolution order will be put on hold. The case could eventually reach the Supreme Court.

“We cannot accept the decision,” the church said on its website. “We will consider filing an immediate appeal.”

If the dissolution order is finalized, the group will lose its status as a religious corporation, depriving it of tax benefits such as exemption from corporate tax on income from its religious activities.

However, the religious activities themselves, such as faith and proselytizing, will not be prohibited.

Education minister Toshiko Abe said in a statement released after the court decision, “I take this to mean that our claim has been accepted.”

The education ministry, which oversees religious organizations, requested the dissolution order at the Tokyo District Court in October 2023.

The ministry argued that since around 1980 at the latest, the church has been stirring up anxieties among many followers, inducing them to donate large amounts of money.

Such action has harmed the peaceful lives of the victims, the ministry said.

The ministry submitted about 5,000 pieces of evidence, claiming that, as far as it could ascertain, tortious action taken under the Civil Law involved around 1,550 victims and 20.4 billion yen in damages.

The Religious Corporations Law provides that a court may order a dissolution of an organization that engages in “conduct that is clearly deemed to be in violation of laws and regulations and extremely detrimental to the public welfare.”

The church argued that the victims’ statements and other documents submitted by the ministry were incorrect.

It also noted that in 2009, the church made a “declaration of compliance” after legal problems surfaced.

Since then, the church said, claims of damage over donations to the group have been greatly reduced.

However, the district court said that even after the 2009 declaration, “it cannot be said that fundamental measures have been taken to significantly change the nature of the organization and the behavior of its followers.”

It said the church, for example, failed to implement improvement measures in response to the legal violations.

Although the number of donations has decreased since the declaration of compliance, the questionable collection practices have not ceased, the decision said.

Therefore, the court concluded, “It is unavoidable to order the dissolution of the organization.”

Court hearings were held behind closed doors in accordance with the law.

The main point of contention was whether the “organization, malignancy and continuity” of the church’s solicitation of large-amount donations could be recognized.

Past court decisions ordered the dissolution of the Aum Shinrikyo cult and the Myokakuji temple group. Both orders were based on violations of the Criminal Law.

The ministry’s request concerning Unification Church was based on a tort under the Civil Law, not a violation of the Criminal Law.

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

However, earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that illegal actions under the Civil Law could also lead to a situation that is “substantially detrimental to public welfare.”

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

The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification says it runs about 280 churches in Japan, with about 600,000 followers. Of them, about 100,000 are said to be believers who attend weekly services.

The district court’s decision came about two and half years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot in Nara Prefecture in July 2022.

The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, told investigators that his mother had donated the family’s fortune to the Unification Church, and he targeted Abe because of his connections to the organization.

After the assassination, ties between the church and politicians were exposed, and the spotlight returned to the group’s donation-collection activities.