The Japanese government he asked to a Tokyo court the dissolution of the Unification Church in the country, the influential religious movement with which many politicians of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), the governing political party, had relations and to which the former prime minister was also close Shinzo Abe, killed on July 8, 2022 in an attack near Kyoto. The links between LDP politicians and the Church had created many problems for the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who to resolve them had ordered an investigation by the Ministry of Culture.
The Unification Church was founded by the Korean reverend Sun Myung Moon in 1954 and in Italy it is best known for some very spectacular events, such as “mass weddings”. In Japan it is considered by many to be a kind of sect. His theology is a mix of biblical references and references to other beliefs such as Confucianism and Ceondoism, the Korean religion born in the nineteenth century.
According to its critics, the Church has built strong relationships with LDP politicians to gain followers and credibility, while allowing the party to strengthen its presence among the faithful. Critics also allege that many Church members have been pressured into making excessive donations. The man who shot Abe, Tetsuya Yamagami, had accused the Church and its political supporters of impoverishing his family.
Under Japanese law, a religious movement can be dissolved if «it’s obvious» that its activities «are substantially harmful to the public welfare». Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Masahito Moriyama, had already asked a court that the organization be fined for refusing to answer for its activities. On Friday it asked judges to revoke its status as a religious organization. If the judges decided to accept the government’s requests, the Church would lose its tax benefits as such. However, it could continue to operate.
Abe’s assassination had raised doubts and discussions around the Church. Shortly after the assassination of the former prime minister, Kishida announced a government reshuffle due to the Church’s ties to many members of the LDP, which had lost wide support precisely because of these ties. The investigation into relations between the Church and party officials ordered a year ago by Kishida highlighted that 179 of the 379 LDP deputies had links to the organization.
– Read also: What is the Unification Church