Japan’s ‘Unification Church Dissolution’ Finally Confirmed… Liquidation Procedures Already Underway

Japan's Supreme Court has delivered a final blow to the Unification Church, upholding a lower court's order for its dissolution. This landmark decision, confirmed by the highest judicial body, ends the religious group's corporate status in Japan.

The Unification Church, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), has been under intense scrutiny since the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The suspect cited the church's alleged practice of demanding excessive donations from followers, which he claimed led to his family's ruin, as a motive for the attack.

This event brought the issue of high-pressure donation tactics to the forefront of public and political discourse. Following the assassination, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) filed a petition with the Tokyo District Court in 2023, seeking the church's dissolution due to its alleged illegal fundraising practices.

The Tokyo District Court initially ordered the dissolution in March 2025. An appeal to the Tokyo High Court in March of this year upheld the decision, initiating the liquidation process. The Unification Church's subsequent special appeal to the Supreme Court has now been definitively rejected, confirming the dissolution order and marking the end of its legal existence as a religious corporation in Japan.