A Tokyo District court on Tuesday ordered the dissolution of the controversial Unification Church. The South Korean church has been accused of manipulative fundraising and recruitment tactics that ins

The Unification Church is the first religious group in Japan to face a revocation order under civil law. Two other groups have lost their status previously but due to criminal cases – Aum Shinrikyo, which carried out the Tokyo subway sarin attack, and Myokakuji, whose leaders were convicted of fraud.

The assassination in 2022 of Shinzo Abe, the country’s former prime minister, led to an investigation into the group’s political ties and manipulation of its followers to raise funds.