Liquidation proceedings have begun for the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church, hereafter the Family Federation), which has been embroiled in controversy in Japan over receiving large donations.
According to Kyodo News and others on the 4th, the Tokyo High Court (high court) upheld the first-instance ruling ordering the dissolution of the Family Federation in response to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's petition for a dissolution order.
The court found a dissolution order unavoidable, noting that Family Federation believers may still be soliciting donations and that it is difficult to expect the Family Federation to implement its own measures to prevent illegal acts by believers.
With the appellate ruling the same day, the dissolution order against the Family Federation took effect, and liquidation proceedings began in which a court-appointed liquidator will examine and manage the organization's assets and compensate donation victims.
As a result, the organization loses its religious corporation status and will no longer be eligible for tax benefits.
Previously, the Family Federation's assets in Japan were known to total 118.1 billion yen (about 1.1 trillion won) as of 2022. However, before this ruling, the Family Federation reportedly processed early retirement for about 500 of its 1,200 existing employees and made hundreds of billions of won in expenditure for severance pay.
Minoru Gihara, the chief cabinet secretary, regarding the ruling, said, "I instructed the relevant ministries to thoroughly implement the necessary measures to provide relief to victims," and added, "I hope relief for victims will proceed promptly under the court's supervision."
The Japanese government is scheduled to hold a working-level meeting this evening to discuss follow-up measures.
Previously, after the man who killed former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in July 2022 said, "My mother donated a large sum to the Unification Church and ruined our family," the issue of the Family Federation's large donations came to the fore, and following an investigation, the government petitioned the court for a dissolution order.
In response, the Tokyo District Court (district court) ordered the dissolution of the Family Federation in Mar. last year, noting that at least 1,500 people suffered donation-related harm and the damages amounted to 20.4 billion yen (about 191 billion won).
However, the Family Federation reportedly said of the ruling, "We can never accept this unjust judicial decision," indicating it will continue with a special appeal and other steps.