A court in Tokyo ordered the Japanese branch of the Unification Church to disband due to financial exploitation of members following the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, leading to the loss of legal status and government intervention. The church, founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, forced members into financial hardship for political donations, resulting in a government request for dissolution after former members reported financial damages of $140 million. The church, with 600,000 members in Japan, plans to appeal the decision, while conservative lawmakers distanced themselves from the group, which had been a major political donor.
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