The dissolution order for the former Unification Church has been finalized; we hear from a former member of the Agency for Cultural Affairs Council

The dissolution order for the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) was confirmed by the Supreme Court in June. This is the first case in which the government has requested an order to dissolve a religious corporation based on civil law torts. In an unusual move, the process of filing a claim has begun amid mounting criticism following the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. We asked Tsunehisa Shishido, a constitutional scholar who participated in this discussion as a member of the Religious Corporations Council of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and Masahiro Hasegawa, a lawyer who previously served on the committee, about their evaluation of the process and the issues that emerged.

Constitutional scholar Tsunehisa Shishido

Q: As a member of the Religious Corporations Council of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, which approved the request for dissolution of the former Unification Church, how do you perceive the outcome of the judicial decision?

"The Supreme Court did not go into the church's doctrine itself, and determined that it was necessary and appropriate to approve the church's dissolution, finding that it had not taken any effective measures to prevent the solicitation of inappropriate donations even after the 2009 compliance declaration. This is a point that the council focused on when considering the pros and cons of the request, and I think it is a reasonable decision."

--The Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Council began considering the government's right to question the former Unification Church and request an order for its dissolution after then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida issued a political decision. How would you evaluate something that didn't work until then?

``The council is strictly for the education department...