ISTANBUL

A Japanese court decided Wednesday to uphold a dissolution order for the Unification Church, a controversial religious movement founded in 1954, according to a local media report.

The Tokyo High Court upheld an order last March by the Tokyo District Court, which will take immediate effect, Kyodo News Agency reported.

The group can still appeal to the Supreme Court, however.

Under the country’s legal framework, authorities may petition the courts to dissolve a religious corporation or group if it is found to have committed acts that significantly harm public welfare.

The government argued that the group’s practices – including its members approaching individuals without clearly identifying themselves and seeking substantial donations -- amounted to violations of civil law.

The plea to dissolve the group was filed by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2023.

The group faced intense public and political scrutiny after the 2022 assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by a man who admitted to holding resentment over his family’s financial hardship linked to donations to the church.

The man took the action after seeing Abe send a video message to a church-affiliated group, the Universal Peace Federation. He believed Abe’s public support legitimized the church and made it "untouchable."

In the aftermath, reported connections between members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Unification Church surfaced, prompting Japan to pass a law in December 2022 aimed at curbing coercive fundraising practices.

The Unification Church, a religious group, is known for its mass weddings and aggressive donation solicitations.

It was founded by a staunch anti-communist group in South Korea in 1954 and is often labeled as a cult.