Japan: “Death Penalty” Without Proof of Illegality
... Unlawfulness has not been proven, yet a social death sentence is being declared. Can such a thing be permitted?” The group also urged the Supreme Court, where a special appeal has been filed by…
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 1
... The Tokyo High Court ruling raises deep concerns about the line between legitimate legal oversight and unwarranted intrusion into religious belief. These concerns will not fade with this decision and will influence the future…
Japan: Court Accused of Using Speculation
... The High Court decision itself acknowledged that “it cannot be definitively determined” that unlawful acts occurred due to lack of facts and evidence, while simultaneously stating that “the possibility cannot be denied.”
Final Legal Avenue: Special Appeal Filed
... Even though the legal mechanism of this case is common, the subject matter is highly unusual. The dissolution of a religious corporation in Japan is extremely rare. It raises constitutional questions about religion and…
Political Party Challenges Dissolution Ruling
... The Happiness Realization Party is speaking out because the case could establish a legal precedent allowing the Japanese state to dissolve religious organizations based on civil liability, which religious movements see as a potential…
Politically Driven Dissolution at Any Cost
... The fundamental human rights that Japanese citizens normally enjoy are now at risk of being taken away. I believe the organisation must urgently demand that the government strongly protect and safeguard the human rights…
Statement in Response to the High Court Decision
... It is profoundly regrettable that, despite the absence of concrete evidence of any violation of statutory law and without due recognition of the efforts made toward reform and improvement, the District Court’s dissolution order…
Japan: Hundreds of Thousands of Unification Church Believers Deprived of Places of Worship
... the Court used tautological and highly fallacious reasoning: dissolution based on public welfare is legitimate, therefore it is legitimate under international human rights law.
If Civil Liability Is Enough, Is Any Faith Safe?
... Beyond institutional and constitutional theory, there is also a human dimension. Tens of thousands of adherents in Japan identify with the Family Federation as their spiritual community. For them, the dissolution of the religious…
Constitution: Dissolution Requires Public Trial
... Just as with the Tokyo District Court’s decision last March, the biggest problem with the Tokyo High Court’s recent dissolution order against the Family Federation is that it was issued without granting the right…