Head of Unification Church’s Japan Branch, Tomihiro Tanaka, Resigns

Tomihiro Tanaka, Japan head of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, resigned from his post on Tuesday. He announced the decision at a news conference held at the group’s head office in Tokyo for its Japan branch.

Tanaka said, “We cannot underestimate the fact that we have caused deep pain to some people,” and added, “I’m sorry.” He described his resignation as a “moral” decision, citing people who have complained about damage from the organization.

Masaichi Hori, 55, a former Japan vice head, succeeded Tanaka the same day. Hori is a second-generation follower. Tanaka, 69, had led the Japan branch as its 14th head since 2020.

During his tenure, Tanaka handled the issue of large donations made by the organization’s followers, a matter that drew renewed attention after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot in 2022 by the son of a follower, who believed Abe had ties with the group. Tanaka said mediation efforts, in which former believers sought the return of large donations, had ended with a settlement involving 182 individuals as of Tuesday, and that a compensation committee made up of outside lawyers had also been established. He had previously refused to apologize to donation victims, but on Tuesday he said, “We have started an initiative that goes beyond the framework of the law, and I would like to apologize.” Reforms the group has undertaken, he said, required an environment in which new leadership could take shape (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Tanaka also dealt with a dissolution order sought against the religious organization by the culture ministry in 2023. In March this year, the Tokyo District Court ordered the Unification Church to dissolve itself, the first court decision in Japan ordering a religious group to disband due to illegal acts under the Civil Code. The Tokyo High Court hearings on the organization’s appeal ended on Nov. 21. Tanaka expressed confidence in the high court’s future decision, saying, “We have made confident arguments, and I believe the high court will surely overturn it.”

The National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, a group addressing Unification Church issues, held its own news conference on Tuesday in Tokyo regarding the resignation. A member lawyer said Tanaka’s resignation is a “mere publicity stunt aimed at influencing the dissolution order.”

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