Tokyo High Court Upholds Order to Dissolve Controversial Unification Church

Tokyo. The Tokyo High Court upheld the lower court's order to dissolve the controversial religious organization, the Unification Church. This ruling on Wednesday strengthens the grounds for the allegations made by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

The ministry had claimed that the organization coerced its followers into donating large sums of money under mental duress. The High Court rejected the organization's appeal, ruling that such activities do not fall under religious freedom and constitute pure economic exploitation.

The root of this case is linked to the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. The assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, stated in his testimony that he sought revenge because the church bankrupted his family and that Abe had ties to the organization.

Following this incident, the Japanese government initiated a close investigation into the Unification Church. During the investigation, it was discovered that the church had extorted approximately 20.4 billion yen from over 1,500 individuals.

This marks the first time in Japanese history that a religious organization has been ordered for dissolution based on 'civil misconduct.' The organization will now lose its tax-exempt status, and its assets will be auctioned under government supervision.

However, the organization still has the option to appeal to the Supreme Court. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Minoru Kihara, has pledged that the government will work rapidly to ensure justice and compensation for the victims.

Unification Church's Nepal Connection

From Mangsir 14 to 16, 2075 BS, the 'Asia Pacific Summit' was held in Nepal on behalf of the Unification Church under the name 'Universal Peace Federation.' According to the organizers, special guests among the 15,000 attendees from 45 countries were welcomed by the government at Tribhuvan International Airport.

Criticism arose over the use of the Government of Nepal's logo at the conference and the presence of high-ranking officials, including the Prime Minister. Although the government stated it supported the program as it would aid tourism promotion, many disapproved of the state giving such high priority to a religious event.

Furthermore, the distribution of 'Holy Wine' to couples at the end of the event generated widespread criticism. Strong opposition followed after many local government representatives were made to attend the 'Holy Wine ceremony' with their spouses. Due to the organizers' controversial history, some representatives boycotted the invitation.

The government spent 39.9 million Nepalese Rupees on the Asia Pacific Summit. This contradicted the claim made by then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli that the government would not spend a single penny on the conference. The Ministry of Finance has since disbursed that amount.

Unification Church's leader, Hak Ja Han Moon, personally presented then-Prime Minister KP Oli with a $100,000 'Leadership and Good Governance Award.'

The Prime Minister and the government effectively became co-hosts of the Christian program, leading to the misuse of the Parliament's logo. Prime Minister Oli, who stayed at the Soaltee Hotel in the capital for three days for this event, faced accusations of standing on the side of religious discrimination.