A Japanese court has ordered the disbandment of the controversial Unification Church over its connection to the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The shock killing of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 brought the church under scrutiny.

The Unification Church is the first religious group in Japan to face a revocation order under civil law. Two other groups have lost their status previously but due to criminal cases – Aum Shinrikyo, which carried out the Tokyo subway sarin attack, and Myokakuji, whose leaders were convicted of fraud.

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.