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Unification Church faces dissolution in Japan

  • In October 2023, Japanese authorities sought to dissolve the Unification Church, also known as the "Moonies," which was founded in South Korea by Sun Myung Moon, due to allegations of pressuring followers into making life-ruining donations and child neglect, accusations the church denies.
  • The move to dissolve the Unification Church follows the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving leader, which revealed close ties between the church and many conservative ruling-party lawmakers and led to the resignation of four ministers.
  • Tetsuya Yamagami, the 44-year-old man accused of killing Abe, reportedly resented the Unification Church because his mother donated 100 million yen to the church, allegedly neglecting her children and leaving them without food.
  • Since Abe's murder, the Unification Church has pledged to prevent "excessive" member donations, and a 2023 bill was approved, though critics argue it takes a light touch on financing, while lawyers warn the group could transfer its financial assets elsewhere.
  • Dissolution would remove the church's tax-exempt status and brand it a harmful entity, but lawyer Katsuomi Abe stated that the Unification Church could continue religious practices even after dissolution, though one speaker told AFP, "I don't think any other organisation has caused such damage" to Japanese society.
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Unification Church faces dissolution in Japan

The Unification Church has come under intense scrutiny in Japan since a former prime minister was assassinated, but it could soon fall even further from grace.

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KULR-TV broke the news in Billings, United States on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
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