Japan Seeks to Revoke Unification Church's Legal Status
On Thursday, the Japanese government announced that it would ask a court to strip the Unification Church of its legal status as a religion, after investigations into former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's assassination raised questions about the Church's fundraising and business practices....
Facts
- On Thursday, the Japanese government announced that it would ask a court to strip the Unification Church of its legal status as a religion, after investigations into former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's assassination raised questions about the Church's fundraising and business practices.1
- Claiming that the Church violated civil law, Japan's Education Minister Masahito Moriyama said the government is investigating its activities because it 'deviated from the intended purpose of a religious corporation.'2
- The government reportedly proposed seeking the Church's revocation after the Agency for Cultural Affairs analyzed testimonies from at least 169 people allegedly harmed by its fundraising tactics and found 32 cases of civil lawsuits acknowledging damages worth ¥2.2B ($14.7M).3
- Though the South Korea-based Church, which obtained legal status as a religious organization in Japan in 1968, acknowledges the issue of excessive donations and has proposed further reforms, it insists the problem was resolved years ago.1
- If the court grants the order, the Unification Church will become the first religious organization to lose its legal status under a civil code violation. In two earlier cases, the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult and the Myokakuji group both lost their legal status due to criminal charges.4
- While the order will strip the Church of its religious corporation status and associated tax benefits, the organization will still be allowed to exist and to conduct activities in Japan.2
Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Japan Today, 3Associated Press and 4The Diplomat.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by FT. The Unification Church solicits substantial donations that bankrupt the families of its followers. It's about time the Church lost its legal status, as it exploits members, disrupts their lives, and impinges on their freedoms.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Bitter Winter. It's unfortunate that the Japanese government has decided to make such a drastic and punitive decision based on the biased information and campaigning of a group of profit-driven leftwing lawyers. The Unification Church is a legitimate religion and its members deserve freedom to express and practice their beliefs.
