Latest news with #UnificationChurch
The Mainichi
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Opinion: Japan needs anti-SLAPP laws as journalist sued by Unification Church affiliates
Journalist Eito Suzuki, who has long covered issues related to the Unification Church, now known formally as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, has expressed joy over his recent court victory, saying, "I was given the appropriate judgment." In October 2023, the Japan branch of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), a friendly organization of the Unification Church, filed a defamation lawsuit against Suzuki, claiming damages for statements made on social media. The Tokyo District Court dismissed UPF's claim seeking 11 million yen (about $76,100) on May 14. The posts in question alleged that money was paid to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for sending a video message to an event hosted by the UPF and others but did not specifically name the "UPF Japan branch" as the subject. Suzuki argued that the lawsuit was a "classic SLAPP aimed at suppressing free speech." A SLAPP, which stands for "strategic lawsuit against public participation," is a suit filed with the intent to harass and silence citizens who speak out. The term SLAPP is a play on the word "slap." In February 2022, the United Nations' Working Group on Business and Human Rights identified SLAPP cases as a global issue, warning that they drain citizens' time and energy and violate various human rights, including freedom of expression, assembly and association. According to the group's research, at least 355 SLAPP cases were filed worldwide between January 2015 and May 2021. Latin America accounted for the highest percentage at 39%, followed by Asia-Pacific at 25%. North America, where countermeasures are more advanced, accounted for 9%. In the United States, 32 states have enacted anti-SLAPP laws, and some provinces in Canada have also implemented them. The U.N. working group calls on governments to enact anti-SLAPP laws to prevent harm. It also urges the legal community to thoroughly implement countermeasures and advises companies to refrain from seeking exorbitant damages. However, Japan has taken few measures against SLAPP cases. According to Suzuki, three SLAPPs have been filed against him by Unification Church affiliates. The latest case was one of them, and the UPF plans to appeal. A prolonged legal battle seems inevitable. When asked for his thoughts on the district court victory, Suzuki smirked and said, "It served them right." He emphasized that SLAPPs are "used as tools by those with malicious intent." He also noted, "I'm fortunate to have supporters, but some may give up the fight," while advocating for institutional support and the enactment of anti-SLAPP laws. As for his resolve for the ongoing legal battle, he commented, "I will go all the way. Be prepared." (Japanese original by Tomoko Ohji, Expert Writer)
Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Moonies leader banned from leaving country amid luxury gift bribery probe
Prosecutors in South Korea have banned the leader of the 'Moonies' church from leaving the country as they investigate a bribery scandal involving the wife of the former president, Yoon Suk-yeol. Han Hak-ja Moon, 82, the widow of the founder of the controversial Unification Church, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, faces allegations of links to a shamanic figure who delivered luxury goods to the former first lady, Kim Keon-hee. Items given to Kim in the summer of 2022, shortly after her husband's inauguration, are alleged to include a Graff diamond necklace and Chanel handbag worth a total of 60 million won (£32,500). Investigators earlier this month questioned Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman who goes by Geonjin, over whether he presented the gifts to the then
Japan Forward
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Expo Drops 'World's Worst Cola' Over Unification Church Links
The soda McCol has been pulled from sale at Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, following critical publicity over its ties to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church). The decision has sparked debate, with some calling the move an overreaction. McCol is a barley-based carbonated drink produced by Ilhwa, a South Korean company affiliated with the former Unification Church. In South Korea, the group is often viewed more as a business conglomerate than a religious organization. The Unification Church came under intense scrutiny in Japan after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022. Abe was shot by Tetsuya Yamagami, who claimed he targeted the former prime minister due to perceived connections with the Unification Church. Yamagami also claimed that his mother donated large sums of money to the church, leading to his family's financial ruin. The polarizing drink is known for its distinct taste, which has earned it the nickname "the world's worst cola." It was popular in Japan in the 1980s, even featuring singer Cho Yong-pil in its commercials. However, distribution dwindled after reports of cans exploding. Today, it's mostly found in a few Korean supermarkets. Map of the Osaka Expo venue from the official website. At the Expo, McCol was being sold at a store specializing in K-pop merchandise, Korean cosmetics, and food, on the west side of the Ringside Marketplace. In late April, social media users began raising concerns about the drink's connection to the Unification Church. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition stated that the shop was run by a Tokyo-based company specializing in Korean food. After a weekly magazine contacted it on May 9, Expo organizers reached out to the operator, who then voluntarily pulled the product. The company had not responded to an inquiry from The Sankei Shimbun by the publication's deadline. Makoto Miura, head of the Social Affairs Department at Shimbun Akahata , the official newspaper of the Japanese Communist Party, praised the move on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "It's the right decision." (JAPAN Forward was unable to find comments from other political parties.) The Japanese court recently issued a dissolution order for the Unification Church at the request of the education ministry. However, the order does not apply to the group's South Korean headquarters or its businesses. In a similar case, the Japanese TV show Itte Q! edited out a segment featuring the church-affiliated Little Angels art troupe. Attorney Shinichi Tokunaga of the Osaka Bar Association, who has represented groups linked to the former Unification Church, criticized the decision. "Banning even foreign-made products is an overreaction and borders on hate. Japanese society should remain calm and guard against social prejudice." ( Read the article in Japanese . ) Author: The Sankei Shimbun
The Mainichi
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
30% of Japan religious corps say Unification Church dissolution order hits freedom of faith
TOKYO -- Some 30% of major religious corporations responding to a Mainichi Shimbun survey believe that a court order for the Unification Church to dissolve will affect freedom of religion guaranteed under the Japanese Constitution, while nearly 80% of responding groups appreciate the order. The survey results brought into sharp relief the fact that major religious corporations understand the propriety of the dissolution order but harbor a certain degree of concern over political intervention in religion. The survey was conducted in April targeting 62 religious corporations and federations with a claimed followership of 100,000 or more in Japan according to the 2024 edition of the almanac of religion released by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. The Mainichi sent out the questionnaire asking for their views on the dissolution order against the Unification Church in multiple-choice answer and free description styles, and received responses from 19 religious corporations. The Japanese Association of Religious Organizations and the Nichiren Shoshu provided their own views as corporations without answering the set questions. Regarding the dissolution order issued by the Tokyo District Court against the Unification Church, formally the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, 15 groups responded that they either "appreciate" or "somewhat appreciate" the court order. Many of those respondents cited the high amount of financial damage incurred by Unification Church followers as the group solicited massive donations, as well as the large number of such victims, as their reasons for selecting those answers. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan responded, "While the freedom for people to believe in religion should be respected, illegal and malicious acts in the name of religion must not be tolerated." Tenrikyo stated, "For an organization to have the status of a religious corporation, it is required to be worthy of such a title." Meanwhile, two groups respectively opted for answers stating they "do not appreciate" and "rather do not appreciate" the court's disbandment order, while another two corporations didn't respond. Oyamanezunomikoto Shinji Kyokai, a religious group established after World War II, chose the answer "rather do not appreciate" the court order, calling it "a strong measure that significantly interferes with activities that religion has made its mission in history, such as missionary work and spiritual relief." It said, "The illegal acts (under the Civil Code) alone cannot suffice as the basis for the dissolution order." Once the disbandment order is finalized, the Unification Church will need to liquidate its property and become ineligible for tax breaks, while being allowed to continue activities as a voluntary organization. When asked what effects the dissolution order, with its strong efficacy, will have on freedom of religion, six corporations answered that either there will be effects or a certain degree of effects. Happy Science noted, "It could allow the government to arbitrarily suppress religious groups. We should be careful about depriving people of freedom of religion by strengthening state authority and intervening in religion." Meanwhile, 10 groups said either there will be no effect or little to no effect on freedom of religion, while another three gave no answer. Bussho Gonenkai Kyodan pointed out, "We infer that freedom of religion is guaranteed unless there are acts including those clearly recognized to significantly harm public welfare." Myoshinji Temple, of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism, stated, "While freedom of religion is the right of the people, it does not mean they can do anything while acting against public welfare. It cannot necessarily be said that the dissolution order infringes on freedom of religion." In October 2023 the education and culture minister requested a disbandment order against the Unification Church from the Tokyo District Court. The court ordered the church to dissolve based on the Religious Corporations Act on March 25, 2025. The church on April 7 filed an immediate appeal against the ruling with the Tokyo High Court.
NDTV
01-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
South Korea's Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol Indicted For 'Abuse Of Power'
Seoul: Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted Thursday for abuse of power over his martial law declaration, prosecutors said, adding to the impeached ex-leader's legal jeopardy. The new indictment without detention comes as Yoon stands trial for orchestrating an insurrection with his December 3 martial law attempt, which sought to suspend civilian rule in democratic South Korea. Armed soldiers were deployed to parliament under the decree, but the order lasted only around six hours as it was swiftly voted down by opposition MPs, who scaled fences to enter the building. They later impeached Yoon over the martial law declaration. Yoon, 64, was stripped of all power and privileges in April by the Constitutional Court, which upheld the impeachment motion. He was soon forced to move out of the presidential residence. Prosecutors first indicted Yoon in January -- when he was still president -- as "the ringleader of an insurrection", a charge not covered by presidential immunity. "We have since proceeded with the (insurrection) trial while conducting supplementary investigations into the abuse of power allegation, leading to this additional indictment," prosecutors said in a statement on Thursday. Yoon was arrested in mid-January after a days-long standoff with authorities over the insurrection charge, but was released in March on procedural grounds. The fresh charge comes a day after investigators raided Yoon's private residence in Seoul as part of a probe into bribery allegations involving his wife Kim Keon Hee and a shaman accused of receiving lavish gifts on behalf of the former first lady. Legal woes Legal troubles are mounting for Yoon and his wife Kim in cases unrelated to his martial law attempt. Prosecutors are investigating allegations that a shaman, Jeon Seong-bae, received a diamond necklace, a luxury handbag, and ginseng -- a popular health tonic that can cost thousands -- from a senior official of the Unification Church and passed them on to Kim. The Seoul High Prosecutors' Office has also reopened an investigation into Kim's alleged involvement in stock manipulation in a case previously dropped against her when Yoon was in power. The former president is additionally facing allegations that he unlawfully meddled in his party's nomination process for parliamentary candidates as president-elect in 2022. Yoon has denied any wrongdoing in the cases. If convicted of the insurrection charge, Yoon could be sentenced to life in prison or to death -- although South Korea has had an unofficial moratorium on executions since 1997. Yoon was the second South Korean president to be removed from office, and the third to be impeached by parliament. With him out of office, South Korea is set to hold a snap election on June 3.
