Victims of the Unification Church expressed relief when a court ordered its dissolution, but they feared the religious organization would continue fighting against solutions to the many problems it has created.

They said the church, formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, has shown no remorse for its actions that have bankrupted families over decades.

The victims also say the church is capable of hiding its assets to avoid paying compensation.

“We stood together as one, and that’s what we did,” a woman in her 30s said after the Tokyo District Court issued the dissolution order on March 25. “I think it is a very natural decision.”

The woman has been financially supporting her parents, who have repeatedly made large donations to the church. They are still members who work within the church organization.

According to the woman, many second-generation victims, like herself, have had to take care of parents who have gone bankrupt due to their financial contributions to the church or suffered mental anguish from the organization’s doctrines.

She joined other victims at a hearing in the Diet building after the court decision.

“There are many issues to be addressed, and I hope the government will take the time to investigate what kind of damage is being inflicted on the second generation,” she said.

The church, whose main headquarters are in Seoul and has branches around the world, has indicated it will appeal the court’s decision.

The woman noted the possibility that the church would move assets from Japan during the time it takes to finalize the dissolution decision.

“If the funds (for relief) are lost, we will have no choice but to cry ourselves to sleep,” she said.

Another victim, a woman in her 60s, also described the court’s decision as “a reasonable conclusion.”

She said her late mother was a believer and had donated more than 100 million yen ($664,500) to the church.

The woman filed a lawsuit against the church to recover the losses of her mother. Only then did she learn of the extent and duration of the financial damage caused to her mother.

She also felt that the church has shown no signs of remorse.

“I hope (the church) will sincerely respond to the victims’ demands for compensation and apologize to the victims and their families,” she said.

Former church believers also had mixed feelings after the court’s decision.

Yasue Kawakami, a former follower who now serves as director of the Japan Society for Cult Prevention and Recovery, spoke at a news conference held by the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales on March 25.

Kawakami said the church appeared only interested in protecting itself after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed by a man whose mother had donated the family’s money to the church.

“After the incident involving former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the church did not apologize or stand by the victims, but it instead intensified its attacks against them,” Kawakami said. “I hope that each and every believer will think about what true human rights and freedom of religion really mean.”

Another former follower in her 60s who lives in eastern Japan said, “I don’t feel safe.”

She said she joined the church in 2010, a year after the church made its “declaration of compliance” to address complaints about its dodgy sales and donation-collection practices.

However, she said she repeatedly solicited others to attend church events while concealing the fact that she was a member.

She also phoned other believers in the church, urging them to pay “prayer book fees,” and even drove them to financial institutions for cash withdrawals.

The woman said she herself made monthly donations of 30,000 yen to 40,000 yen and purchased jewelry and ginseng juice worth several hundred thousand yen from the church.

She jotted down these amounts in a notebook and kept records of her payments to the church.

Overall, she gave the church about 16 million yen.

After leaving the church, she negotiated with the organization and was able to receive a refund for the full amount.

However, she believes many believers are afraid of the church and find it difficult to negotiate with or leave the group.

“I don’t think malicious solicitations and high donations will go away,” she said. “It is necessary for society as a whole to realize that the court’s decision to order the dissolution of the church will not solve everything.”

(This article was written by Amane Shimazaki, and senior staff writer Ryuichi Kitano.)