A controversial South Korean church with powerful political connections faces dissolution in Japan after a Tokyo court ordered a revokation of its legal status after the government accused it of manipulative fundraising and recruitment tactics that sowed fear among followers and harmed their families.

The assassination in 2022 of Shinzo Abe, the country’s former prime minister, led to an investigation into the group’s political ties and manipulation of its followers to raise funds.

The head of the Unification Church's Japan branch vowed to fight a court order revoking its legal protections, following a scandal over fundraising practices and links to the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.