Unification Church files special appeal to Japan’s top court on dissolution

This is the first case in Japan in which a religious group has been ordered to dissolve over violations of the Civil Code. Read more at straitstimes.com.

TOKYO – The Unification Church on March 9 filed a special appeal with Japan’s top court against a high court ruling ordering its dissolution.

A liquidator appointed by the Tokyo District Court has already begun the liquidation process to recover losses suffered by victims of the church’s unlawful solicitation of donations. However, if the Supreme Court overturns the dissolution ruling, the procedure will halt.

On March 4, the Tokyo High Court ruled that the damages suffered by victims between March 1973 and June 2016 totalled about 7.4 billion yen (S$59 million), and rejected the church’s appeal of the dissolution order.

The ruling came as the high court found the church’s donation-soliciting activities, including members impersonating others, to be malicious and that its actions caused significant damage to victims.

The court said: “One can hardly expect the church to voluntarily take measures to prevent its members from engaging in illicit activities.”

The church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, argued that the ruling goes against “freedom of religion” guaranteed by the Constitution. The court, however, said the decision “does not have legal effect limiting religious activities.”