By Deutsche Welle (Asia) | Created at 2025-03-25 07:39:01 | Updated at 2025-03-28 04:25:13
2 days ago
A Japanese court has ordered the Unification Church to be stripped of official recognition, the government said on Tuesday. The order means the church will no longer be exempted from taxes and must liquidate its assets.
Tokyo's District Court upheld a government revocation request of the church's legal status following an investigation into the 2022 death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The South Korea-based religious sect can still appeal the decision in higher court.
Abe was shot dead during a campaign event by a man who was angry about ties between Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and the church. Reports at the time said the assassin was angry that his mother had given the church some 100 million yen ($1 million).
Investigations later revealed many conservative party lawmakers had close ties to the church.
This is a developing story. More to follow...
