“CAUSED SUCH DAMAGE”
Tuesday’s court order, once enacted, will remove the Church’s tax-exempt status while branding the organisation a harmful entity, experts say.
However, the Church will still be able to continue religious practices, lawyer Katsuomi Abe said before Tuesday’s ruling.
“Its reputation will decline, and the number of followers will decrease”, said Abe, who represents former believers seeking compensation after making huge donations.
“I don’t think any other organisation has caused such damage” to Japanese society, he told AFP.
The amount donated by Japanese members over the decades has been estimated by some at hundreds of millions of US dollars or more.
Since 2023, nearly 200 people have demanded compensation of ¥5.7 billion (US$38 million) in total.
Abe and other lawyers welcomed the court decision, saying it “sincerely listened to the voices of victims and understood the actual damage”.
“I’m full of emotions,” lawyer Masaki Kito, who has been handling cases of former Church members for more than 30 years, told reporters.
But Kito wished the government had acted sooner, saying “the number of victims has ballooned in the three decades”.
The Unification Church said in a statement they “take the decision very seriously” but “cannot accept it”.
The group, officially the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, said they plan to file an appeal.
If they do, it could take up to a year for the dissolution order to be finalised.
Lawyers warn the Church could transfer its financial assets elsewhere, partly due to a lack of legislation to return money to victims.
The Church rose to global prominence in the 1970s and 80s after its foundation in 1954, becoming famous for mass weddings often held in stadiums.
Japan has long been a financial hub, with the Church telling members they must atone for the wartime occupation of Korea and selling expensive items to obtain forgiveness from sins.
Yamagami, now in pre-trial detention, could face the death penalty if convicted over Abe’s killing.
Yamagami’s uncle has described receiving calls for help from him when his mother left her children alone and without food to attend church.
Since Abe’s murder, the Church has pledged to prevent “excessive” member donations.
