Japan court docket orders controversial ‘Moonies’ church to disband

A court docket in Japan has ordered the disbandment of the controversial Unification Church, which got here underneath scrutiny after the shock killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.

The alleged murderer had confessed that he held a grievance in opposition to Abe due to the ex-leader’s ties with the church – he blamed the church for bankrupting his household.

Japan’s training and tradition ministry sought the church’s dissolution and accused it of manipulating followers into making big donations and different monetary sacrifices.

However the church, extra popularly generally known as the “Moonies”, argued that the donations have been a part of legit spiritual actions. It may well enchantment to overturn Tuesday’s ruling.

The order handed down by a Tokyo district court docket will strip the church of its tax-exempt standing and require it to liquidate its belongings, however it’ll nonetheless be allowed to function in Japan.

Throughout their investigation, authorities discovered that the church coerced followers into shopping for costly objects by exploiting fears about their non secular well-being.

They interviewed practically 200 individuals who mentioned they have been victimised by the church.

The Unification Church, which was began in South Korea, has established a presence in Japan for the reason that Nineteen Sixties. The title “Moonies” was derived from the title of its founder, Solar Myung Moon.

It has drawn controversy even earlier than Abe’s assassination for instructing that marriage is central to non secular salvation. It’s identified for holding mass marriage ceremony ceremonies involving hundreds of {couples}.

Since 2023, some 200 former believers who mentioned they have been pressured to donate to the group have demanded compensations amounting to five.7 billion yen ($38.5m) in whole, in accordance their legal professionals.

Investigations following Abe’s assassination revealed shut ties between the secretive sect and plenty of conservative ruling-party lawmakers, resulting in the resignation of 4 ministers.

An inner investigation by former prime minister Fumio Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Social gathering discovered that 179 of its 379 lawmakers had interacted with the Unification Church.

The relationships ranged from attending church occasions to accepting donations and receiving election assist.

The revelations concerning the extent and degree of involvement of the controversial church and the LDP shocked the nation.