Tokyo, 25th March 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.
Tokyo District Court Rules in Favor of Dissolution Order for Family Federation
First Dissolution Case Based Solely on Civil Law Violations
The sign outside Tokyo District Court. Photo: FFWPU
The Tokyo District Court issued a verdict on 25th March to order the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) after the court had been reviewing the dissolution order requested by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
According to the Religious Corporations Act, a court may order the dissolution of a religious organization if it is found to have committed acts that “violate laws and significantly harm public welfare” or “grossly deviate from the organization’s religious purposes”. While the law requires careful consideration due to the constitutional protection of freedom of religion, the Tokyo District Court determined that the criteria for dissolution were met.
In the past, only Aum Shinrikyo and Myokakuji[See editor’s note below] were officially dissolved due to legal violations, both of which were based on criminal cases.
This case marks the first time a religious organization is being dissolved based solely on civil law violations, as no criminal charges were brought against Family Federation leaders. The organization has the right to appeal the decision.
Regarding the closed-door hearings, some media outlets, including the Sekai Nippo, reported that statements submitted by MEXT as grounds for the dissolution request contained fabricated information.
In response to the court’s ruling, the Family Federation states, “This decision is the result of an incorrect interpretation of the law and is completely unacceptable.” The organization announced plans to file an immediate appeal with the Tokyo High Court.
Defiant members of the Family Federation, here protesting against state persecution in Otaku, Tokyo, 22nd March 2025. Photo: FFWPU
“Today, the Tokyo District Court has ruled in favor of the dissolution order requested against the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. While we deeply regret this outcome, we take the ruling seriously and will consider filing an immediate appeal with the Tokyo High Court.
We cannot help but conclude that this decision is based on a misinterpretation of the law, and as such, it is entirely unacceptable to our organization.
Additionally, the decision incorporates “civil law violations” as grounds for dissolution, which had never before been considered a valid reason under the Religious Corporations Act. This essentially means that civil law violations are now grounds for dissolving a religious organization. We believe that will leave a serious negative impact on Japan’s freedom of religion and the Japanese religious world as a whole.
Since our compliance declaration in 2009, no major civil law violations have occurred. Moreover, we have actively implemented internal reforms, such as requiring written confirmation from believers regarding donations. As a result, according to a survey by the Japan Legal Support Center (Houterasu), new donation-related disputes are now nearly nonexistent.
Sign at the entrance of the headquarters of the Family Federation of Japan in Shibuya, Tokyo. Photo: FFWPU
We will provide a detailed explanation regarding the unfairness of this decision later, but there is no doubt that it will shake Japan’s religious landscape significantly.
Following the incident involving former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (安倍 晋三), widespread misinformation about our organization has been disseminated through the media and social media. As a result, there have been numerous cases where our members’ human rights were violated. We sincerely urge that this ruling does not lead to further unjust discrimination against our followers by the public or society at large.
Our organization is a religious organization where each believer sincerely practices his or her faith daily.
More than 70% of second-generation believers born into Family Federation homes have expressed that they are glad to have been born into the organization. We hope the public will recognize the injustice of this dissolution order and understand how fundamentally flawed this decision is.”
[Editor’s note:Aum Shinrikyo (1996) – Due to its leaders’ criminal acts, including the Tokyo subway sarin attack. Myokakuji (2002) – Dissolved after its leaders were involved in criminal cases.]
Featured image above: Defiant members of the Family Federation, here protesting against state persecution in the city of Toyama, 23rd March 2025. Photo: FFWPU
Defiant members of the Family Federation, here protesting against state persecution in Otaku, Tokyo, 22nd March 2025. Photo: FFWPU
Sign at the entrance of the headquarters of the Family Federation of Japan in Shibuya, Tokyo. Photo: FFWPU
