Top court paves way to dissolve Unification Church
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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.
Content retrieved from: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15655489.
