Unification Church tells branches to manage assets based on law

Mainichi Japan

October 23, 2023 

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Unification Church's headquarters in South Korea has told its branches worldwide to manage their assets in accordance with the laws of their respective countries amid speculation the Japan branch may transfer its assets overseas to avoid liquidation when it is issued a dissolution order, a church source said Monday.

Japanese lawmakers are stepping up efforts to ensure the assets of the Japan affiliate will be used to help victims of the group's aggressive donation solicitation tactics after the government filed a request with a court this month for an order to dissolve the branch, a move that would deprive the group of its tax-exempt status.

The notification from the church, formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, said their assets "need to be managed according to respective country's laws" and that each branch is run "independently and with self-reliance," according to the source.

The notification also backed remarks by the Japanese branch of the church at a press conference on Oct. 16 that it would not transfer its assets abroad.

Lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said they are considering ways to ensure that church assets stay in Japan to provide relief to victims, while some opposition parties have proposed bills to give the court authority to safeguard assets of a religious group that has been given a dissolution order.

The church came under scrutiny after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last year. The shooter has said he was upset with perceived connections with the religious group and Abe.

The government filed the request with the court on Oct. 13, saying its nearly yearlong investigation into the organization found repeated malicious and illegal acts at an organizational level, including soliciting large donations from its followers.

If the court accepts the government's request, the Unification Church, which earned its religious corporation status in Japan in 1964, would lose its status and tax advantages. However, the organization could continue its activities in Japan.

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