Japanese Court Orders Unification Church to Disband Following Assassination of Former Prime Minister

Members of the Lawyers from Across Japan for the Victims of the Unification Church (LAJAVUC) attended a press conference as the Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order to the Unification Church, formerly known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, on March 25, 2025.

Founded in 1954 in Seoul, South Korea, by Sun Myung Moon, a preacher who identified as a messiah, the church raised an estimated 70% of its income in Japan. Followers there were heavily encouraged to make donations, known as tithings, to atone for the brutality of Japan’s imperial era.

Widely regarded as a cult, the Unification Church claimed fewer than 100,000 followers in Japan in recent years—less than 0.1% of the country’s population. However, pseudo and new-wave religious groups are popular in Japan, with an estimated 180,000 adherents, or one for every 700 people. The Unification Church had significant influence within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan for most of the post-war era. Moon was a close friend of former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, who viewed the sect as an ally against communism. The church maintained political influence through fundraising and supporting hundreds of candidates from the LDP.

In 2022, Tetsuya Yamagami admitted to killing former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe in an act of purported retribution. Yamagami’s mother had donated over $1 million to the church, which he blamed for leaving his family bankrupt. The confessed assassin accused Abe of allowing the church to prosper in Japan.

The Unification Church described the dissolution order as “absolutely unacceptable” and a threat to religious freedom. It is considering an immediate appeal, but analysts suggest the appeal may not be effective. “No one is interested in defending the church,” said David Boling, Japan director at Eurasia Group.

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