Japan’s government is currently investigating the fundraising practices of the Unification Church in light of the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. If the evidence gathered is convincing, the government is considering taking legal action to dissolve the church. The Japanese newspaper, the Asahi Shimbun, reported that government officials believe the church’s activities to be “vicious” and potentially disqualifying it from the religious freedom protections in the constitution. Under Japanese law, organizations that have committed acts detrimental to public welfare can be dissolved by the courts.
However, some officials are cautioning against rushing to dissolve the church, as proving illegal activity and linking it directly to the church may prove to be challenging. Japan Today reports that the church has become less cooperative with investigators, making it difficult to gather necessary evidence. Church officials have also argued that none of their senior leaders have been implicated criminally and that the government’s questioning of their practices is illegal. Additionally, they claim that violations of civil law would not provide sufficient grounds for dissolving the church.
Founded in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, the Unification Church claims to have 100,000 active believers in Japan and has reportedly collected nearly $1 billion in donations since 1987. The man charged with killing Shinzo Abe last summer reportedly stated that he did so in part because of the leader’s grandfather’s involvement in bringing the Unification Church to Japan in 1968. He also claimed that his mother had donated a significant amount of money to the church, leading to financial ruin for their family. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s party has faced criticism for its connections to the church.
In conclusion, the government of Japan is considering legal action against the Unification Church, but there are challenges in proving illegal activity and linking it directly to the church. The church argues that its leaders have not been implicated in any criminal activities and believes that the government’s questioning of its practices is unlawful. The church has a significant number of followers in Japan and has collected substantial donations over the years. Overall, the situation remains under investigation, and the government’s decision to dissolve the church is yet to be determined.
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