Japan govt to ask court to revoke legal status of Unification Church linked to Abe assassination

The Japanese government on Thursday (Oct 12)said it would ask a court to strip the legal status of the Unification Church, after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's assassination last year raised questions over the group's fundraising methods.

Education Minister Masahito Moriyama said that the government would file a request to the Tokyo District Court to revoke the status of the church as soon as Friday, once "preparations are complete".

"In view of the extensive damage caused, we find that it falls under the grounds for ordering dissolution as stated in the religious corporations law," Moriyama told a press briefing.

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The church "forced a number of people to contribute donations and buy items."

"It has impinged on people's freedoms for a long time, prevented them from making sound decisions, severely hurt them, disrupted their lives and sabotaged their sound judgement," he said.

In a separate statement, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government's plan was based on facts and a careful review of the matter.

"Based on the law and in accordance with the objective facts, careful work was done and the Minister of Education made the decision," he told reporters at his office.

The Unification Church said that it was "extremely regrettable that the government made such an important decision based on biased information from a left-wing group of lawyers established with the goal of destroying our corporation."

The Unification Church would lose its status as a religious corporation and be deprived of tax benefits if it is dissolved. It could still operate as an entity.

Abe was shot dead in broad daylight in July 2022 while he was delivering a speech in the western Nara region.

Prime Minister Kishida last year ordered an investigation into the church after it appeared that Abe's alleged assassin was inspired by bitterness against the group.

The investigation into the former PM's death revealed links between the church and many conservative ruling lawmakers in Japan.

(With inputs from agencies)

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