The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 3. Spiritual Sales and Excessive Donations

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Th e To kyo H igh Co u rt U n ifi cati o n N EWS L ETT E R C h u rch D eci si o n . 3 . “S p i ritu a l Sa l es” a n d Excess ive D o n ati o n s E m a i l a d d re ss:

Yo u r ema i l add ress by M assi m o I ntrovigne | M a r 28, 2026 | O p-ed s G loba l

U lti mate ly, th e reaso n fo r the d isso l uti o n wa s Sign u p the a l l eged m a n i p u lation of d o n o rs. I s th e re rea l ly e n ough evi d e n ce th at it h a p pe ned? by Massimo Introvigne S U P P O RT B I TT E R W I N T E R Article 3 of 6. Read a rti cle 1 a n d a rti cle 2.

M OST READ Wo m en’s H istory M o nth M ust N ot Forget Uygh u r Women

“Spiritual sales”: some of the itemsJapanese members of the Unification Church (rather than Th e N ew Law on Eth n i c U n ity: A the Church itself) were accused of selling at excessive prices, claiming they would bring good Th reat to Ti beta n Bu dd h ism luck.

Th e Tokyo H igh Cou rt U n ificatio n The H igh Cou rt decisi on affi rm i ng the d isso l utio n of the U n ification Chu rch as a Ch u rch Decisi o n . 2 . The G host of rel igi ou s o rga n ization descri bes it as a profit-d riven e nte rprise that uses “B ra i nwash i ng” psych ologica l ma n i pu lation . Th e cou rt a rgu es that th is ma n i pu l atio n l eaves Ch i n a H a ils Ja pa n’s Disso l ution of victi ms i n a position whe re they a re co m pel led to donate la rge su m s of money, the U n ifi cation Ch u rch eithe r d i rectly o r by pu rcha si ng a rtifacts suc h as sea l s, m i n iatu re pagod as, a nd othe r items at prices fa r exceed i ng thei r actua l worth . O p po nents ca l led these “sp i ritua l sa l es,” a lthough late r th ey exte n ded th e te rm to i n c l u de d o nations Th e Tokyo H igh Cou rt U n ification wh ere n o physica l objects were so ld . Ch u rch Decisi o n . 5. Vi olati ng I ntern ati o na l Law Fi rst, the Cou rt refere nces th ree cri m i n a l ru l i ngs fro m 2007 to 2009 i nvo lvi ng executives a n d sa l espersons of co m pa n ies that sol d sea ls a nd othe r items. It Ch i n a’s N ew Yea r G ift to M ou nt h igh l ights the deci si o n rega rd i ng Sh i nse i Ltd y wh ich was the on ly case to i m pose, Ka i lash Pi lgri ms: M o re o ne yea r a n d six months for th e sa les m a nager, both with a fo u r-yea r probati on period . L E GA L I m porta ntly, these i nd ivid ua l bel ievers’ cri m i na l convictio ns a re not ta ke n i nto Privacy Policy accou nt whe n assessi ng gro u nds for d issol ution . Th e j udgment m ere ly refere n ces these ca ses as context, possi bly to i m p ly that the Ch u rch is “a nti-socia l ,” th ough th is is not expl i citly stated . C l ea rly, not a l l cri mes com m itted by me m bers of a rel igiou s o rga n ization ca n j ustify d issolvi ng the e nti re o rga n izatio n . Othe rwise, cases i nvolvi ng pedo ph i l e p riests shou ld be grou nds to d i ssolve th e Ro ma n Catho l ic C h u rch .

Fu rthe rmo re, th e cou rt extensive ly d i scusses the activities of a com pa ny fou nd ed i n 1 97 1 by U n ifi cation C h u rch fol l owers as Kosei Shoj i Co., Ltd ., wh ich later rena m ed itse lf Se ka i n o Sh iawa se Co., Ltd ., a nd eventu a l ly beca m e H a p py Wo rl d Co., Ltd . (“Ha p py World”). Its b u si ness i nvolved sel l i ng gi n seng p rod u cts, ma rbl e va ses, pagod a s, a nd sea ls. Alth ough it ac knowledges that i n 1 977 the Ko be District Co u rt acq u itted its d i recto r a n d othe r executives of a l l cri m i na l cha rges fi l ed aga i nst th em, the H igh Co u rt i dentifies th e co m pa ny as the ma i n cu l prit i n the “sp i ritua l sa les.”

H a ppy Wo rld i nd eed engaged i n aggressive a nd objectiona bl e practices to se l l its p rod u cts. Th is i s a lso a c knowl edged by schol a rs wh o a re m e m be rs of the U n ification Ch u rch, such as M ichael L. M ickle r i n h is book “The U n ification Ch u rch M ove ment” (Ca m b ridge: Ca m b ridge U n iversity P ress, 2022, p . 26). The deci si o n acknowledges that th e U n ificati on Ch u rch d i d try to rei n i n H a ppy Wo rld as ea rly as 1 987: “I n Ap ri l 1 987, H a ppy Worl d sent a d ocu ment to the M i n istry of H ea lth a nd Welfa re a nd to the Natio na l Consu m er Affa i rs Center stati ng that, effective as of the e nd of M a rc h of that yea r, it ha d notifie d its affi l iated d ea lers that the sa l e of goods i n a m an ner l i kely to give rise to m isu nd ersta nd i ngs co m mon ly referred to as ‘sp i ritua l sa les’ was to be co m plete ly p ro h i bited .” Eve ntua l ly, H a ppy Wo rl d ceased its operati ons a ltogeth e r.

The cases i nvolvi ng H a p py Wo rl d a nd other co m pa n ies go ba ck over twe nty yea rs. Thpv a rp rpvicitpd th rnn oh thp Hpricinn tn nnr+rav th p Chi i rrh npoatiwplw

H oweve r, th e d issol uti on d ecis ion is not ba sed on these cases b ut o n 26 civi l j udg me nts a n d seve ra l i n-co u rt a nd out-of-cou rt settlements.

The q uestio n is wh eth er, i n the a bsence of cri m i na l ve rd i cts, civi l d ecision s a re enough to o rder the d isso l utio n of a rel igio us orga n izati o n . The H igh Cou rt a cknowledges that Ja pa n ese case law ha s co n siste ntly a nswered th is q u esti o n i n the negative. Su bseq uent Ja pa nese govern me nts have a lso ma i nta i ned th is i nte rpretation . I n 1 994 a n d 1 998, they resisted p ressu re from th e a nti-cu lt Lawyers’ N etwork to see k th e U n ificatio n Ch u rch’s d isso l ution . I n 20 1 2, the N etwork sued the govern m e nt for its refusa l to i n itiate a d isso l ution ca se, b ut the gove rn m ent won . Afte r S h i nzo Abe’s assa ssi nati o n, P ri m e M i n ister Kis h ida i nitial ly sa id that p u rsui ng a d issol ution was i m possi ble beca use there were no cri m i nal convictions aga i nst the Ch u rch . H owever, as the H igh Cou rt recal ls, with i n 24 hou rs, Kishid a reversed h i s sta n ce a nd a n n ou nced that civil verd i cts we re enough to pu rsue d i ssol ution .

The H igh Cou rt a sserts it d oes n ot ba se its d eci si on o n Kis h id a’s o pi n io n b ut i nstea d o n a S u p rem e Cou rt ru l i ng fro m Ma rch 3, 2025. Th i s ru li ng concerned a non -pe na l fine i m posed on th e Ch u rch’s then P resi d e nt Ta n a ka for fa i l i ng to fu l ly respond to q uestions from the M i n istry of Ed u cation, Cu ltu re, Spo rts, Science a nd Tech n ology ( M EXT). I n that ru l i ng, wh ich a p pea red i ntended to i nfl ue nce the To kyo D istrict Cou rt’s then-u pco m i ng fi rst-d egree d ecis ion o n d isso l ution, the Su preme Cou rt e m pha sized th at civi l torts a re suffi ci ent gro u n ds for d issolvi ng a rel igiou s orga n ization.

N eithe r the Su pre me Cou rt n or the H igh Co u rt c la rified why th ey reve rsed d ecad es’ worth of case l aw. It seems that th is u nco nventiona l i nte rpretation of the Rel igi ou s Corporati o n Act was ta i l o red s pecifi ca l ly to ta rget the U n ifi cati on Ch u rch. Perha ps th is was d one without consid e ri ng th e poss i b l e effects on n u merou s other rel igi ou s gro u ps, m ost of wh ich have neve r bee n accused of a ny cri m es but cou l d sti l l fa ce civi l lawsu its. One of Ja pa n’s most prom i nent Bu d d h ist m on ks rema rked i n a n i nterview that this a rgu ment for d isso l ution th reatens a l l rel igions a n d tem p les.

I n a dd ition to th e 26 civi l j u dgments, the H igh Cou rt noted that the C h u rch ha d settled seve ral civi l cases. It su m ma rized the verd icts a nd settlements th rough ca lcu lation s as evid ence of i l l ega l sol icitation of d o nations.

Th is a p p roach is i n herently flawed . A settlem ent d iffers fu nd a m e nta l ly fro m a ve rd ict. I n a settlement, pa rti es, without a d m itti ng the opposi ng a rgu m ents, agree o n a com p ro mise to avoid pro longed l itigation . Any law sch ool u ndergra d uate wo u ld see th at co m pa ri ng settl e m e nts with cou rt deci sio ns is i l logica l . M o reove r, th is positio n m ay dete r rel igious corpo rations from settl i ng civi l cases i n the futu re, fea ri ng that thei r settl e me nts cou ld be used as evi dence i n late r d issol uti o n p roceed i ngs.

A victim of deprogramming: Unification Church member Dr. Hirohisa Koide tells his story at the United Nations in Geneva in 2025.

Pe rha ps beca u se of wid es prea d domestic a nd i nternatio na l critici sm, the H igh Co u rt d ecid ed to ad d ress the U n ificatio n Ch u rch’s objectio n that “with respect to the cases i nvolvi ng j ud i cia l settlem ents a nd out-of-cou rt settlements.. . m ost of the attorneys wh o accepted th ose cases we re mem be rs of the N ationa l N etwork of Lawyers Aga i nst S pi ritua l Sa l es, a nd su c h atto rneys have h a b itua l ly ma de fa l se a l l egatio ns a nd fa b ri cated evid e n ce, so thei r asse rtions l ack cred i bi l ity. Ch ristia n pastors hosti l e to the Ap pel l a nt [th e U n ification Ch u rch] as hereti ca l a nd p rofessi o n a l dep rogra m m ers have ca u sed pa rents of be l ievers of the Appel l a nt to a bd uct a n d co nfi ne su ch bel i evers, h ave go n e to th e p l aces of co nfi nement to persuade th em to withd raw fro m the Ap pel la nt, a n d have forci bly mad e th e m renou n ce thei r fa ith, with the resu lt that su ch ‘a postates’ ca m e to ha rbor h osti l ity a nd hatred towa rd the Ap pel la nt a nd to ma ke fa lse a l legatio ns a nd statem e nts without hesitation; beca u se the pl a i ntiffs a n d cla i ma nts i n th e settlement cases a re su ch ‘a postates,’ thei r a l l egations a n d state me nts lack cred i b i l ity.”

Actua l ly, d ep rogra m m ed “a postates” n ot on ly hold “hosti l ity” towa rds th e U n ification Ch u rch, b ut i n severa l docu me nted cases, th ey were tol d they might face re-co nfi nement if they refu sed to sue the C h u rch .

Th is is a seri ou s a n d i m po rta nt iss u e, o n wh i ch e nti re boo ks h ave bee n written,

ra i si ng dou bts a bo ut th e enti re a rgu ment that, beca use th e Ch u rch l ost so m e civi l cases a nd settled othe rs, it sh ou ld be d issolved . The H igh Cou rt’s response is, with a l l d u e respect, a bsu rd .

The cou rt states th at “if the a l legation s a n d statements of the plai ntiffs, cla i ma nts, o r thei r attorneys i n the settl e m e nt cases tru ly l a c ked a l l c red ibi l ity, then there wo u ld be no possi bi l ity that to rtious co nd u ct had occu rred. I n that eve nt… it is d ifficu lt to th i n k that the Ap pel l a nt [th e U n ifi cation Ch u rch] wo u l d n everthel ess h ave agreed to j ud icia l or o ut-of-co u rt settl e m e nts. It m u st be sa i d that no reasona b le expla n ation has been p rovi ded for th e fact that the Appe l la nt d i d i n fact agree to su ch settle ments.”

Th is restates the fl awed a rgu ment that settl i ng is a n a d m issi on of gu i lt a nd that, if the Ch u rch we re i n nocent, it wo u ld n ot have settled . The H igh Cou rt n ever consid e red that the Ch u rc h, as th e j udges descri be it, “had no ch oi ce but to agree to out-of-cou rt settle m ents,” not beca use it was gu i lty, b ut because it was a ta rget of a hosti le socia l a n d j u d icia l e nviron ment. I n this cl i mate, th e Ch u rch kn ew th at the stori es th e a l leged “victi m s” we re mad e to te l l by dep rogra m mers a nd lawye rs wou ld be bel ieved, rega rd l ess of thei r truth or fa lsehood.

The H igh Cou rt’s bias is evide nt i n its cava l ier re lia nce o n settl em e nts to d eterm i ne gu i lt. Th e Ch u rch has bee n d i ssolved without a ny cri m i na l convi ction. Overrid i ng previous case l aw, civi l d ecisi ons, a nd settlements we re dee med suffici ent for d issol uti on .

J a pa n, Re l igious Li be rty, U n ificatio n Chu rch

M a ssi m o I ntrovign e M a ssi m o I ntrovign e ( born j u n e 1 4, 1 9 55 i n Rom e) is a n Ita l ia n socio logist of rel igions. H e is the fou nd er a nd m a nagi ng d i recto r of the Center fo r Stud ies on N ew Re l igi on s (C E S N U R), a n i nte rnationa l n etwo rk of sch ol a rs who stu dy n ew re l igio us movements. I ntrovigne is the a utho r of so m e 70 boo ks a nd m ore th a n 1 00 a rticles i n the fie l d of sociol ogy of rel igi o n . H e was the ma i n a uthor of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia ( E n cycl oped ia of Rel igi o ns i n Ita ly). H e is a m e m ber of th e ed ito ria l boa rd fo r the I nte rd isc i p l i na ry l ou rna l of Resea rc h o n Re l igi o n an d of the executive board of U n iversity of Ca liforn i a Press’ N ova Re l igio. Fro m Ja n u a ry 5 to Decem be r 3 1 , 20 1 1 , he h as served as th e “Representative o n com bati ng ra ci sm, xenop h ob ia a n d d i scri m i nation, with a specia l focu s on d iscri m i nati on aga i nst C h ristians a nd mem be rs of oth e r rel igi o n s” of th e O rga n i zati o n for Secu rity a nd Co-o pera ti o n i n Eu ro pe (OSCE). From 20 1 2 to 20 1 5 he served as cha i rperson of the O bse rvato ry of Rel igious Li berty, i n stituted by the Ita l ia n M i nistry of Foreign Affa i rs i n ord e r to m o n ito r probl e ms of rel igi o u s l i berty o n a wo rl dwi de sca l e .

www.cesn u r.org/

R EAD M O R E

Th e To kyo H igh Cou rt Th e To kyo H igh Co u rt Th e To kyo H igh Co u rt U n ificati o n C h u rch U n ifi cati on Ch u rc h U n ifi cati o n C h u rch D ecis i o n . 6. Wh o Wi l l Dec i si on . 5. Vio l ati ng Decisio n . 4. Th e 2009 P rotect th e Be l i eve rs? I ntern ati o na l Law “Co m pl i a n ce D ecla rati o n” Ap r 1 , 202 6 M a r 3 1 , 2026 M a r 30, 2026

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