Overview
- The order takes immediate effect, stripping the group of religious-corporation status and tax benefits, with any activities limited to a voluntary organization framework.
- The ruling upholds a 2025 decision that found unlawful, systematic solicitation of donations caused grave harm, marking the first dissolution based on Civil Code torts.
- A court-appointed liquidator will manage assets and pay victims, with church assets estimated at about ¥118.1 billion and roughly 1,559 claimants alleging about ¥20.4 billion in losses over four decades.
- The education ministry sought dissolution in October 2023 after scrutiny intensified following Shinzo Abe’s 2022 killing, and the Tokyo District Court granted the request last March.
- The Unification Church called the ruling unjust and plans to seek Supreme Court review, as some figures decry a threat to religious freedom while victims’ advocates praise the outcome.