The Former Unification Church Finally Got the “Ordered to Dissolve” as They were Linked to the Death of Former Prime Minister Shinso Abe

A request for a dissolution order will be issued.

In mid-December, at around 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, Tomihiro Tanaka, 66, president of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (hereafter, the former Unification Church), emerged from his old apartment in Tokyo carrying a garbage bag.

He was probably on his way to the church for Sunday services. He put the garbage bag in the collection station next to his condominium and started walking down the street toward the nearest train station. He was dressed in a suit with a tight tie. He is alone, with no companion nearby. He is walking with a downcast look on his face, and a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

What does Mr. Tanaka, who has been away from the public eye since his press conference on August 10, think about now?

–It’s Friday.

When I asked him, he replied.

“What?

I asked him, and he showed a small surprise.

The situation surrounding the former Unification Church has changed drastically since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was killed by a bullet during a speech in Nara City on July 8 this year. When it was revealed that Tetsuya Yamagami, 42, was motivated by a grudge against the church, criticism of the excessive donation system poured in. It was also revealed that as many as 180 Diet members were involved in some way with the cult, and support for the Kishida administration plummeted.

On November 22, the government exercised its right to ask the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) for a report on the cult’s organizational operations, property, and income and expenditures. The Diet also exercised its right to ask questions.

Looking at the Diet, the Victims Relief Law was passed on December 10. The law prohibits malicious solicitation of donations using “inspiration” to stir up anxiety, and criminal penalties, including imprisonment and fines, can now be imposed when an order to take action is not complied with.

Attorney Masaki Kito, vice president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Victims’ Aid, which was established on November 24, evaluated the series of moves as follows: “The Relief Law is a first step.”

The relief law is a first step. The issues of damage to the families of believers and donations to foreign countries have not been dealt with. In addition, it will be necessary to revise the law to regulate collusion between religious organizations and politics. While there are still many issues to be addressed, this is definitely a big step forward.

The pursuit of the former Unification Church has only grown more severe, with Taro Kono, minister in charge of consumer affairs, going so far as to say that personal recognition constitutes a cult at a December 9 Upper House special committee meeting. Regarding the possibility of a dissolution order, Attorney Kito asserts, “A request for a dissolution order will naturally be filed.”

The two times he exercised his right to ask questions, it is not so much that he expects an answer, but rather that he has heard the situation of the church properly before requesting a dissolution order. It is likely a decision to squash any potential protests from the Unification Church in advance of filing the request.

It is highly likely that the request will be filed early in the new year, and that the judiciary will issue a dissolution order against the church by the end of 2011.

What do the current believers think about the dissolution of the cult, which is now becoming a reality? A male member of a church in the suburbs of Tokyo, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity, revealed his feelings about the situation.

A male member of a church in the suburbs of Tokyo, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed his personal situation. Because of the lack of prayer, believers were recently gathered for a prayer meeting at the church every night at 9:00 pm for 40 days. Believers with children had a hard time because they had to leave their children behind and gather at the church. Before praying, I think it is more important to reform the church so that it will not be ordered to disband”.

under Korean orders.

It is not that the Church is not taking action. President Tanaka held press conferences in July and August, and then Hideyuki Teshigawara, 59, a.k.a. “Tessie,” head of the Church Reform Headquarters, held a total of six press conferences to appeal for reform, saying that they would review their donations and solicitations. However, many of the believers on the frontlines have heard his words in vain. Another active male believer said.

After the incident, they certainly stopped pressuring believers to donate large sums of money. However, I believe that most believers still make the so-called “one-tenth donation,” in which 10% of their income is paid to the church. In the first place, most of the donations made in recent years are not to buy things, but to release the sins of the ancestors through donations, such as “Ancestral Revenge”. The amount of donations is determined by the Korean headquarters. Unless the amount of the quota from Korea is clearly stated and explained, we as believers cannot believe that reform will really progress.

It is no wonder that believers are distrustful. At internal meetings, where the media cannot reach, the upper echelons of the cult have been saying things that are the exact opposite of what they said at the press conference.

At the special network meeting for on-site executives nationwide, reported in the September 16 issue of FRIDAY, Chairman Tanaka said, “My parents’ house is full of psychic commercial products.” In the November 4 issue, we reported on a sermon given by Chairman Tanaka at a church in the suburbs of Tokyo, in which, rather than expressing remorse for the high donations, he even urged the audience to do so.

Believers who have sincerely believed in and followed the teachings of the church are frightened by the dissolution order and are closely watching the moves of the upper management. In mid-December, FRIDAY directly interviewed President Tanaka in order to obtain his will for reform and his message to the believers. This is the scene described at the beginning of this article.

Surprised by the suddenness of the interview, the reporter held out his business card to Chairman Tanaka, but he did not accept it. When we tried to ask him a question, he replied.

“Why are you taking my picture?　You can’t. Can I take your picture without your permission?”

in a hushed tone, and asked the opposite question. Then he added

I refuse to do any interviews.

After that, he remained silent and walked away.

Unlike the iron masked image he portrayed at the press conference, Tanaka is actually a humorous person in front of his followers. Rather than expressing anger at the reporters, he seemed to be forbidden to speak.

Journalist Aito Suzuki, who has been pursuing the cult, said, “In the Unification Church, Japan is the only country that has a Unification Church in Korea.

In the Unification Church, Japan is under the command and control of South Korea. Whether it is donating money or recruiting, they are doing so under the direction of South Korea. Reform will not progress unless the relationship with South Korea is severed and full authority is delegated to President Tanaka or Mr. Teshigahara. Without doing so, saying, “We will instruct them not to make excessive donations,” will only be a superficial statement. Because the chain of command has not been changed, Chairman Tanaka probably has nothing to say.

Believers who want things to change and a cult that cannot change: Without resolving the distortions in the organization, the day of dissolution is drawing nearer and nearer.

From the January 6-13, 2023 issue of FRIDAY