TOKYO: Tokyo High Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling ordering the Unification Church’s head in Japan to pay a fine for refusing to answer some questions posed by the of the culture ministry.

The high court rejected an appeal filed by the religious group against the Tokyo District Court ruling, which ordered the Japanese group leader, Tomihiro Tanaka, to pay a fine of 100,000 yen.

With a view to dissolving the Unification Church in the country, the culture ministry has exercised its right to question the group seven times since November 2022, demanding that it answer questions on more than 500 items, including donations it has received and court cases it has been involved in.

After the group refused to answer questions on more than 100 of the items, the ministry asked the district court to impose a fine.

In the lawsuit, the Unification Church argued that the ministry’s exercise of the questioning right was illegal, while citing the privacy of its followers as a reason for refusing to answer some questions.

In March this year, the district court ruled that it was appropriate for the ministry to exercise the right, and ordered the Unification Church side to pay the fine.

Meanwhile, the ministry asked the district court in October 2023 to order the group to dissolve itself, alleging that the group has continued to engage in unlawful acts, such as soliciting large amounts of donations from its followers by inciting anxiety.

JIJI Press