Court Ruling Sparks Religious Freedom Outcry

Supreme Court rejects Family Federation’s appeal, sparking religious freedom outcry as government could arbitrarily cite ‘past issues’ to justify dissolving any religious organization

Tokyo, 6th March 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article. 

A Major Threat to Religious Organizations

Family Federation Responds to Supreme Court Decision

by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo

The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) in a case where Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) sought to impose an administrative fine on the religious organization. The ministry had requested the fine after the organization refused to answer certain questions related to the government’s request for a dissolution order.

Following this ruling, the Family Federation released a statement on 5^th March 2025 in response to the Supreme Court’s decision. The statement criticized the court for not making a constitutional judgment and for failing to specify which laws had been violated. The organization also warned that the ruling posed a “serious threat” to other religious corporations involved in civil litigation and claimed that it would “damage Japan’s international credibility”. Furthermore, the religious organization reiterated that it had made efforts to respond to MEXT’s inquiries, except for those related to the privacy of its followers.

The Family Federation’s statement, titled Our Organization’s View on the Supreme Court Decision in the Administrative Fine Case (excerpt), reads as follows:

“This decision could pose a serious threat to other religious organizations, as there are many that face civil law issues. Moreover, since there is no time limit on the grounds for dissolution under the Religious Corporations Act, the government could arbitrarily cite ‘past issues’ to justify dissolving any religious organization.

The fact that such a Supreme Court decision has been made in Japan, a country highly regarded as a model of freedom and democracy, damages Japan’s international credibility. These rulings, which blatantly ignore constitutional and legal principles, directly contradict established international law that does not recognize unlawful acts as grounds for dissolving religious organizations. As a result, Japan is likely to face even greater international criticism in the future.”

Featured image above: Sign at the entrance of the headquarters of the Family Federation of Japan in Shibuya, Tokyo. Photo: FFWPU

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