Japan moves to strip Unification Church of government recognition
AFP :
The Japanese government said Thursday it was seeking to strip official recognition from the Unification Church, the influential sect under intense scrutiny since the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last year ordered a probe into the church after it emerged that Abe’s alleged killer was motivated by resentment against the group.
It has been accused of pressuring its followers into making hefty donations and blamed for child neglect among its members.
If granted, the court dissolution order sought by the government would see the church lose its tax-exempt status, among other legal privileges, but still be allowed to continue its religious practices.
“In view of the extensive damage caused, we find that it falls under the grounds for ordering dissolution as stated in the religious corporations law,” Education Minister Masahito Moriyama told reporters after a panel of experts unanimously agreed with the decision.
The church “forced a number of people to contribute donations and buy items… in a way that restricted their free decision-making and sabotaged their sound judgement”, he added.
The minister said the request would be filed to the Tokyo District Court as early as Friday, once “preparations are complete”.
Kishida said separately that the government’s plan was based on facts and a careful review of the matter.
“Based on the law and in accordance with the objective facts, careful work was done and the Minister of Education made the decision,” he told reporters at his office.
Abe was gunned down in broad daylight last year while giving a campaign speech in the western Nara region.
The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, is said to have resented the sect over large donations his mother made that bankrupted his family.
He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Investigations after Abe’s death revealed close ties between the church and many conservative ruling lawmakers in Japan.
Four of Kishida’s ministers have since stepped down over allegations of financial irregularities or links to the church.
Hajime Tajika, a law professor at Kindai University, explained there would be both social and legal impacts should the religious corporation status be revoked.
The Unification Church would “lose credibility” as a religious group, he said, which could in turn lead members to leave the church.
Aside from losing their tax exemption, they would also be banned from owning property in the church’s name, he explained, though they could transfer titles to individuals before the dissolution order is finalised.
However, “not all problems will be solved just because the court issues a dissolution order”, he warned.