The Tokyo District Court has told the Unification Church to make an appearance on Tuesday regarding a request for an order to dissolve the religious group, informed sources said Saturday.

The court is expected to present its decision on the request.

The fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022 shed light on the Unification Church's controversial practices, such as collecting massive donations from its followers. Abe's alleged killer told investigators that he thought the former prime minister had ties with the Unification Church, against which the accused had a grudge due to his mother being a follower.

After the incident, the culture ministry questioned representatives from the Unification Church seven times. The ministry also collected related reports as evidence by interviewing more than 170 former believers and asked the Tokyo District Court in October 2023 to issue an order to dissolve the religious group, formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. The court held four hearings behind closed doors and questioned active believers as witnesses.

The ministry said the Unification Church's followers have repeatedly committed illegal acts — such as hiding their backgrounds to solicit people to make large donations to the group by stirring up their anxiety — since around 1980, claiming that this constituted grounds for dissolution under the religious corporation law.

The Unification Church has rebutted that the receipt of donations is part of religious activities and is not a way to acquire property through illegal acts. In January, the group filed with the court a claim that the evidence submitted by the ministry was fabricated.