March 6 (UPI) -- The Tokyo High Court, in its March 4 ruling, upheld a lower court decision dissolving the Unification Church of Japan, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. The decision is likely to have wider repercussions, particularly for the Unification Church of Korea.
The government charged that the group engaged in illicit fundraising practices, using extreme pressure to solicit repeated large donations. These had ruined families financially, the government said.
A church spokesman claimed that such practices had been discontinued since 2009.
The case was brought by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) which is responsible for religious associations. The court agreed with the Ministry's claim that the church's activities caused "substantial harm to public welfare," and so were in breach of Japan's Civil Code.
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