Monday marks the second anniversary of the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Unification Church is in a difficult position as the incident highlights controversial practices by the religious group, such as collecting huge donations from its followers.
The controversy was fueled by media reports that the gunman, Tetsuya Yamagami, 43, cited a personal grudge against the Unification Church as a motive for the attack. He reportedly believed Abe had ties to the group, to which his mother reportedly donated at least ¥100 million.
Since November 2022, the Ministry of Culture has repeatedly exercised its right to have the group respond to its questions. And in October last year, the ministry asked the Tokyo District Court to issue an order to dissolve the group, citing violations of the Civil Code.
