Dissolution of FFWPU Fixed

The Third Petty Bench of the Supreme Court supported a decision of Tokyo High Court that ordered dissolution of the Family Federation of World Peace and Unification (FFWPU: former Unification Church), recognizing its activity of collecting donations from its followers as illegal. The court decision of dissolving the FFWPU was finally fixed. Eighty thousand of FFWPU believers lost its organization and facilities, but they can continue their religious activities. 

The suspect of assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Tatsuya Yamagami, was a son of FFWPU followers and had been suffering from poverty caused by his mother’s excessive donation seduced by the organization. Tokyo High Court found that that kind of illegal damage amounted at least 7.4 billion yen of 506 followers for forty years from 1973, and recognized it as a tort provided in Article 709 of the Civil Code.

 

The Supreme Court entirely supported the decision. It made the third example for the court to order dissolution to a religious corporation. Although there was no precedent of issuing dissolution order of religious corporation based on torts in the Civil Code, the Supreme Court realized that the activities of collecting excessive donation harmed public welfare, which consists of a condition for a dissolution order to a religious organization.

 

While the FFWPU issued a declaration of compliance in 2009, it did not finish its activities of requesting its followers to make donation. Some family cannot afford to let sons and daughters go to college. But the organization explained to the followers that the donation was a demand of god. The Supreme Court argued that no effective measure would not be found except dissolving the FFWPU.

 

The FFWPU disputed that the dissolution order violated freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution of Japan. However, the Supreme Court dismissed it, arguing that the order would have limited impacts on religious activities of the FFWPU. After settlement of FFWPU assets started with decision of the high court in March, the followers continued their religious activity in the houses of believers or public place like community park.

 

The FFWPU had its assets equivalent to 104 billion yen, and the agent for the settlement seized 40 billion yen of it. The organization fired 900 staffs out of all 1,400. The victims of donation are filing for compensation, which includes donation of money or properties and consolation for psychological damage. Although the compensation should be made within a year, it is necessary for some families of FFWPU followers to have enough time to request a compensation.

 

The families of followers suffered from various damages. Some children of FFWPU followers were prohibited having a lover or forced to be married with someone offered by the parents. That kind of violation of human rights cannot compensated by money. It will be a long-time effort for the court to salvage those families from damages by the organization.

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