Controversial Unification Church may be dissolved in Japan

The Unification Church has come under intense scrutiny in Japan since a former prime minister was assassinated, but it could soon fall even further from grace.

Authorities said in October 2023 they were seeking to dissolve the influential sect, founded in South Korea and nicknamed the “Moonies” after its late founder, Sun Myung Moon.

The church is accused of pressuring followers into making life-ruining donations, and blamed for child neglect among its members – although it has denied any wrongdoing.

Now a court order is expected to strip the group of legal recognition as early as this month, major Japanese media outlets reported.

The dissolution would remove the church’s tax-exempt status while branding the organisation a harmful entity.

Former prime minister Shinzo Abe – Japan’s longest-serving leader – was shot dead on the campaign trail in 2022, allegedly by a man who resented the Unification Church.