City’s Facility Ban Disregards Ongoing Appeal

Facility ban sparks religious freedom concerns as Japanese city enforces dissolution order despite ongoing appeal

Tokyo, 2nd April 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article. 

Use of Facility Denied Due to Dissolution Order

Family Federation, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi

by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo
At a regular press conference on 31^st March, Shintaro Maeda (前田晋太郎), Mayor of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture announced his intention not to approve the use of a city facility by the Shimonoseki Family Church of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church). This decision follows the Tokyo District Court’s issuance of a dissolution order for the religious organization on 25^th March. Mayor Maeda stated, “We will comply with the judicial decision.”

According to a representative of the Shimonoseki Family Church, they had planned to hold a large-scale event at the Shimonoseki Lifelong Learning Plaza in May. Although the application had already been accepted, on 1^st April, a city official contacted them to formally notify that the facility could not be used. The only reason given was “due to city policy.”

From 2021 to 2024, the religious organization had held events at the same facility. In May of last year, Mayor Maeda commented,

“Refusing use of the facility before the court’s decision on the dissolution order is finalized would only create confusion.”

A church representative expressed concern, saying,

“If the dissolution order is upheld by the Tokyo High Court, it’s clear that we’ll no longer be able to rent facilities nationwide. While some say this won’t affect religious beliefs, I question whether freedom of religion is truly being protected.”

Featured image above: Shintaro Maeda (前田晋太郎), Mayor of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Photo: 内閣府 地方創生推進室 / Wikimedia Commons. License: CC Attr 4.0 Int. Cropped.

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