How the Unification Church is facing fallout in Japan from Shinzo Abe’s murder

The Tokyo High Court is widely expected to uphold a lower court’s dissolution order against the group, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in a case that could set a rare precedent for dissolving a major religious entity in Japan.

If the ruling is upheld, legal experts anticipate the group would swiftly appeal to the Supreme Court, but say such a move might not automatically halt liquidation proceedings against it.

The group would lose its status as a religious corporation, forfeit tax privileges and enter court-supervised liquidation, even if another appeal is pending.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the group faced intense scrutiny over what critics described as “spiritual sales” – solicitation of donations and sales of inexpensive items at high prices by invoking religious beliefs.