By the Group of Experts for Fair and Impartial Trials

On March 25, the Tokyo District Court, presided over by Judge Kenya Suzuki, ordered the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, previously known as the Unification Church.

This decision has raised significant concerns among legal professionals and others about the fairness and impartiality of the hearing conducted. The main points of concern are as follows:

1. The dissolution order was based on past civil lawsuits about donations that, on average, dated back to thirty-two years.

2. Although there have been no illegal donations in the past eleven years, the court believed there was a “continuity of harm” based on unfounded "assumptions" rather than solid evidence, thereby violating the principle of trials based on evidence.

3. Even though the government’s documentary evidence included instances of falsification and fabrication, the court ignored these concerns.

The thirty-two civil lawsuits cited by the Tokyo District Court as the main grounds for dissolution are old, with an average initiation date of thirty-two years ago. 44% of these cases date back to the Showa era. If such historical cases are accepted as grounds for dissolution, many other religious organizations could also become targets.

Additionally, after the religious organization issued a Compliance Declaration in 2009, only one case (involving a single individual) was found to concern illegal donations among lawsuits filed by members who joined after that time, specifically in 2014. Despite this, the Tokyo District Court assumed the existence of potential harm, ruling that there was “a non-negligible scale of harm.”

Moreover, during the proceedings in the Tokyo District Court, multiple instances were reported in which individuals named by the government submitted written statements claiming, “I never said such things.” This raises serious doubts about the credibility of the government’s assertions and should have been thoroughly examined.

Furthermore, the fact that these questionable proceedings were conducted entirely behind closed doors—as a non-contentious case—has drawn international criticism for violating the constitutional right to a public trial. This secrecy deprives the public of their right to know and raises concerns that the very foundation of democracy is being undermined.

Therefore, we appeal to the Tokyo High Court, where the case is currently under appeal, to ensure a fair and impartial hearing. This statement does not endorse or express support for the former Unification Church’s claims or activities. Regardless of the religious organization involved, we believe every hearing should be conducted fairly and impartially, based on the principle of equality under the law.

If you agree with the intent of this statement, we respectfully ask for your support by signing the attached form.

Massimo Introvigne, Managing Director of the Center for Studies on New Religions

Patricia Duval, Attorney specialized in international human rights law

Marco Respinti, Director-in-charge of “Bitter Winter” daily magazine

Rosita Šorytė, President of the International Observatory of Religious Liberty of Refugees

Willy Fautre, Co-founder and Director of the Human Rights Without Frontiers

Alessandro Amicarelli, Attorney and President of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief

Amb Sam Brownback, Co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit

Katrina Lantos Swett, Co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit

Greg Mitchell, Co-Chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable

・Your petition will be submitted to the Tokyo High Court, but will not be released to the public.

・We do not use your personal information for any purpose other than signing the petition.