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FTJul 15, 2022
On Thursday, the Japanese government announced that it would ask a court to strip the Unification Church of its legal status as a religion, after investigations into former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's assassination raised questions about the Church's fundraising and business practices.
Claiming that the Church violated civil law, Japan's Education Minister Masahito Moriyama said the government is investigating its activities because it "deviated from the intended purpose of a religious corporation."
The Unification Church solicits substantial donations that bankrupt the families of its followers. It's about time the Church lost its legal status, as it exploits members, disrupts their lives, and impinges on their freedoms.
It's unfortunate that the Japanese government has decided to make such a drastic and punitive decision based on the biased information and campaigning of a group of profit-driven leftwing lawyers. The Unification Church is a legitimate religion and its members deserve freedom to express and practice their beliefs.
There's a 50% chance that at least 20% of the global population will identify as "religiously unaffiliated" in 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.