By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-06-23 11:55:38 | Updated at 2026-06-24 20:50:17
1 day ago
TOKYO – Japan’s Supreme Court has upheld a lower court order urging the controversial religious group Unification Church to disband, calling it “necessary and inevitable”.
The group came under greater scrutiny for its links to ruling party politicians, especially since the killing of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe by a man who held a grudge against it.
The decision by the Third Petty Bench of the top court was made on June 22.
The Unification Church appealed the dissolution order issued by the Tokyo High Court in March, which judged that the group’s donation-soliciting activities were malicious and caused victims to suffer tremendously.
The church, meanwhile, claimed at the time that the high court order was against freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution. KYODO NEWS
