Tokyo High Court Orders Dissolution of Unification Church, Citing Civil Wrongdoing and Massive Donations

The Tokyo High Court has issued a final order to dissolve the Unification Church, affirming a March 2025 decision by the Tokyo District Court and rejecting the group’s appeal. The ruling marks the beginning of liquidation procedures, as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formally known as the Unification Church, plans to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. Unless overturned, the dissolution process will proceed.

Japan must now fully identify the group’s assets and ensure relief for victims of its alleged “spiritual sales” and those who made substantial donations. The high court emphasized that the group set unattainable donation targets and used followers to solicit funds, employing tactics that stoked anxieties by suggesting individuals had “ancestral karma.” The damage, according to the Tokyo District Court, exceeded 20 billion yen ($127.34 million).

Despite forming a committee to compensate victims last autumn, the high court found the group’s response inadequate, stating it saw “no means to prevent illegal acts other than a dissolution order.” The ruling underscores the severity of the harm caused, which has extended over a long period.

Unlike past dissolution orders, such as the one imposed on the AUM Shinrikyo cult, this case is based on civil wrongdoing rather than criminal charges. The ruling does not affect religious corporations that operate lawfully. The high court’s decision, which carefully assessed the group’s activities, is deemed appropriate in light of the significant harm inflicted.

A court-appointed liquidator will now oversee the dissolution process, scrutinizing the group’s assets, including deposits and real estate, to compensate those who report damage. The group has resisted the dissolution request, and liquidation procedures are expected to face challenges. While bankruptcy trustees have clear investigative powers, the Religious Corporations Act does not clearly define the liquidator’s authority.

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