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July 01, 2026
 

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UNIFICATION CHURCH

Japan's Supreme Court has upheld lower court rulings ordering the dissolution of the controversial religious group known as the Unification Church.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 23, 2026
Japan top court upholds order to dissolve Unification Church
This is the first time the top court has finalized a dissolution order for a religious corporation over unlawful acts under the Civil Code.
The Tokyo headquarters of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, more commonly known as the Unification Church, in August 2022
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 21, 2026
Unification Church liquidator begins accepting claims
The losses claims will be accepted until May 20 next year, with eligible claimants including followers, former followers of the group and their family members.
In March 2025, the Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order to the Unification Church, following a request from the culture ministry.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 23, 2026
At least ¥40 billion secured in Unification Church liquidation
Claims of losses from large donations to the Unification Church will be accepted for a year from May 20.
Followers of the Unification Church are preparing to establish a new organization following a Tokyo High Court order to dissolve the group, though the timing has yet to be decided.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2026
Unification Church followers consider new organization to continue practices
The planned organization may not have legal status, but would accept donations and manage funds.
Lawyer Hisashi Ito (right), who was appointed as liquidator of the Unification Church, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 9, 2026
Unification Church appeals dissolution order to top court
The special appeal came after the Tokyo High Court last week upheld the dissolution order issued by the Tokyo District Court.
The Japan branch of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 4, 2026
Tokyo High Court orders Unification Church to dissolve
The high court on Wednesday upheld a lower court’s decision last year that stripped the group of its status as a religious organization.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi giving a campaign speech in Shiroishi Town, Saga Prefecture, on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 6, 2026
Takaichi keeps mum on tax cut and Unification Church
Hoping to turn Takaichi’s silence into a focal point of the election campaign, opposition parties have ramped up their criticism.
The Tokyo High Court building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2026
Tokyo court to rule on Unification Church dissolution order on March 4
If the high court upholds the dissolution order, it will take effect regardless of whether the religious group appeals to the Supreme Court.
A protester rallies in Nara on Jan. 21 against the life sentence handed down to Tetsuya Yamagami for fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 4, 2026
Assassin of Shinzo Abe files appeal against life sentence
Tetsuya Yamagami reportedly agreed to appeal after strong persuasion from his lawyers.
Centrist Reform Alliance co-leader Yoshihiko Noda (left) and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 30, 2026
Takaichi reportedly hid Unification Church’s fundraiser ticket purchases
The purchases contradict Takaichi’s past denial of financial ties to the controversial religious group, according to a magazine.
The perpetrator behind the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022 was motivated by his belief that Abe had ties with the controversial Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2026
Rescue for victims of religious parents still lacking in Japan
An expert emphasized the importance of continuing to review support systems for such victims, amid lackluster progress in aid and awareness activities.
The Unification Church’s headquarters in Seoul
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2026
Unification Church reportedly backed 290 LDP lawmakers in 2021 poll
The figure compares with the Liberal Democratic Party’s announcement in 2022 that 180 of its lawmakers had ties with the group.
Former South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee arrives for a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on Aug.12.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 29, 2025
South Korea’s ex-first lady accused of taking over $200,000 in bribes
Kim Keon Hee, the wife of disgraced ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, also “illegally intervened in state affairs behind the scenes,” prosecutors say.
Tetsuya Yamagami in Nara in July 2022. Earlier that month Yamagami had shot the former prime minister with an improvised shotgun at point-blank range.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Dec 23, 2025
The making of Shinzo Abe’s assassin
Tetsuya Yamagami’s path to the assassination had many turning points, but his alarm over the Unification Church’s ties with the prime minister, and financial woes, drove him on.
The Unification Church headquarters in Seoul. Police raided the headquarters on Monday and named its leader as a suspect in the bribery of several high-profile politicians.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 15, 2025
South Korea raids Unification Church headquarters over bribery case
The church is at the center of a mounting scandal in South Korea over alleged payments to lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties.
Couples attend a Unification Church mass wedding ceremony at Cheongshim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, South Korea, in February 2020. The church, known for its mass weddings, is currently being investigated on charges of unlawful donations linked to former South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 11, 2025
South Korean minister resigns over alleged Unification Church funds
Oceans minister Chun Jae-soo is accused of having received 30 million won in cash as well as two luxury watches.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung listens to a reporter’s question during a news conference in Seoul on Dec 3.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 10, 2025
South Korea’s Lee calls for probe into links between religious group and politics
Lee said he had ordered his ministers to consider ways to “disband religious groups that meddle in politics and do strange things with illegal funds.”
Tomihiro Tanaka, Japan head of the Unification Church, resigns from his post during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2025
Head of Unification Church’s Japan branch resigns
Tomohiro Tanaka explained his resignation as a “moral” decision, citing people who have complained about damage from the organization.
The Nara District Court where Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, is on trial for the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abe's wife, Akie, attended the trial on Wednesday for the first time.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 4, 2025
Man accused of shooting Abe apologizes to former PM’s widow and family
Describing his actions as inexcusable, Tetsuya Yamagami said they caused pain to the former prime minister’s family even though he held no grudge against them.
A court sketch shows Tetsuya Yamagami standing in trial in his first questioning session at the Nara District Court on Nov. 20.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 26, 2025
Abe shooter says ‘despair and sense of crisis’ triggered 2022 attack
Tetsuya Yamagami explained how he came to view the politician as a friend of the Unification Church and the urgency he felt to stop their interactions.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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