The Unification Church was the first to file a request for dissolution due to illegal acts under civil law.
Due to issues surrounding the controversy over large donations made by the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church), Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology filed a request to the Tokyo District Court on the morning of the 13th for an order to dissolve the church under the Religious Corporations Act.
According to NHK, the application for a dissolution order was submitted to the court along with 5,000 pieces and 20 boxes of evidence collected through the right to question.
This is the third time that an administrative agency has requested a dissolution order based on violation of laws, following Aum Shinrikyo, which caused the subway sarin gas attack in 1995, and Meikakuji Temple, which caused controversy due to a fraud case in 2002. The Yomiuri Shimbun pointed out that this is the first time a dissolution order has been requested on the grounds of an illegal act under civil law.
In the future, the court will decide whether to issue a dissolution order after hearing opinions from both the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the denomination.
Previously, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology held a religious corporation deliberation meeting on the afternoon of the 12th and formally announced that it would request the Tokyo District Court for an order to dissolve the Unification Church.
Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Masahito Moriyama held a press conference after the Religious Corporations Deliberation Committee concluded and announced that the committee members were “unanimous” in requesting a dissolution order.
From November of last year to July of this year, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology exercised its right to question based on the Religious Corporations Act a total of seven times, requesting reports from the religious denomination on about 500 items, including the operation of the organization and the status of donations. Separately, we also listened to the opinions of former believers who were victims of large donations. On the other hand, the denomination refused to respond to most questions due to reasons such as ‘religious freedom’.
If the dissolution order is confirmed, religious activities will not be prohibited, but the denomination will lose its religious status and will not be able to receive preferential tax treatment.
In a statement issued on the 12th, the Unification Church said, “It is painful that the government has made such an important decision. “We are confident that it is not a denomination that deserves a dissolution order,” he said, strongly criticizing it and predicting that it would be contested at trial.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.