Sankei Shimbun publishes figures that clearly show weakness in Japanese authorities’ case against Family Federation – much-outdated evidence
Prepared by Knut Holdhus
The Sankei Shimbun, one of Japan’s top 5 most circulated national dailies, disclosed in an article on 16th January 2025, figures from the Japan Legal Support Center (Houterasu) that could spell troubles for the authorities’ campaign against the relatively large religious minority the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formerly known as the Unification Church. The headline of the Sankei piece was “Spiritual Sales Consultations – Only 20% Related to the Former Unification Church; 40% of Monetary Troubles Date Back Over 20 Years”.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) has requested the Tokyo District Court to issue a court order to dissolve the religious organization. The authorities have largely built their case on terms taken from consumer affairs laws, even to the extent that donations are called “spiritual sales”.
According to the Sankei Shimbun, it turns out that less than 20% of the cases handled by the “Spiritual Sales Consultation Hotline” operated by Japan Legal Support Center are associated with the Family Federation. Furthermore, 41% of the monetary disputes involving this organization occurred more than 20 years ago. A critical question is how the Tokyo District Court will interpret the continuity of these issues, a key argument in the petition by the administration led by the Liberal Democratic Party for the dissolution of the religious organization.
According to the large newspaper, this hotline, established in November 2022 to replace the government’s previous phone consultation service, has fielded 10,003 inquiries over the last two years, ending in November 2024. Of these, 1,979 (19.8%) were linked to the Family Federation. The names of other implicated organizations have not been revealed by the Japan Legal Support Center.
The timeline of financial troubles involving the Family Federation provides some insight:
- 5% occurred within one year before the consultation.
- 2% occurred within three years.
- 3% occurred within five years.
- 11% occurred within ten years.
- 12% occurred over ten years ago, but within twenty years.
- 41% occurred more than twenty years ago.
The Sankei Shimbun points out that this distribution suggests a reduction in incidents over time, particularly after the organization introduced a compliance declaration in 2009, which committed to stricter adherence to laws and regulations.
According to the newspaper, MEXT has based its dissolution request on the argument that the Family Federation meets the criteria for organizational dissolution, namely illegality, maliciousness, and continuity. These elements are central to the Ministry’s claim that the federation has engaged in systematic and ongoing “harmful activities”.
According to informed sources, the Tokyo District Court is expected to conclude its review of the case by the end of January 2025. A judgment may be announced as soon as March.
On 15th January, the Family Federation issued a statement emphasizing the declining number of complaints linked to the organization in recent years. The statement read, “The analysis of the hotline, which specifically targeted our organization, highlights that ‘troubles’ involving us have significantly decreased in recent years.”
This issue has sparked significant public and legal interest, with many watching closely as the court deliberates the fate of the organization. Central to the decision will be whether the federation’s past activities, many of which predate 2009, still bear relevance to its current operations and whether they satisfy the criteria for dissolution under Japanese law.
Featured image above: Sign at the entrance of the headquarters of the Family Federation of Japan in Shibuya,