On 25 March, the Tokyo District Court ordered the legal dissolution of the Unification Church, an influential South Korea-based sect, due to harmful donation solicitation practices. The ruling revokes its tax-exempt status and requires asset liquidation while allowing it to continue religious activities. The decision followed a 2023 request from Japan’s Education Ministry, which cited the church’s manipulative fundraising and recruitment tactics that caused distress in families. Scrutiny of the Church increased after the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, when an investigation revealed long-standing links between the Church and Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic party in political lobbying and fund solicitation. The ruling is the first in Japan to dissolve a religious group for committing illegal acts under the Civil Code. The government has stated it will now shift its efforts to “giving maximum amount of support to the victims,” with plans for a court-appointed liquidator to compensate former members. The Church plans to appeal to the Tokyo High Court, claiming that the decision threatens religious freedom. 

Sources: The Associated Press, Nippon News, Jurist, The New York Times, The Asahi Shimbun

On 27 October, Japan held snap elections for the House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament. Prime Minister Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost 68 seats but remains the largest party in the House of Representatives with 191 out of 465 seats (41.1 per cent). The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), increased its representation from 96 to 148 seats (31.8 per cent). Voter turnout was 53.8 per cent, slightly down from 55.9 per cent in the previous election in 2021. The number of women in parliament increased from 50 (10.8 per cent) to 73 women (15.7 per cent). Despite the LDP losing its parliamentary majority, Ishiba expressed his intention to continue the current coalition without its majority threshold. He seeks to cooperate with opposition parties on a case-by-case basis for specific bills, such as economic policies. 

Sources: Japan Broadcasting Organization (NHK), Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), BBC, The Sankei Shimbun, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

A record 73 (15.7 per cent) women were elected to the House of Representatives in Japan’s snap parliamentary election on 27 October, representing a 46.0 per cent increase. This marks an increase from 50 women (10.8 per cent) elected in the 2021 election. While a welcome development, the percentage still remains below the global average.

Sources: The Japan Times, The New York Times

On 19 June, Japan’s parliament (Diet) approved a bill to revise the political funds control law. The law now lowers the minimum purchase amount per fundraising event for disclosing names of ticket buyers from JPY 200,001 (USD 1,300) to JPY 50,001; (USD 350) requires transparency in party fund expenditures with set limits and independent oversight by an established independent organization and imposes stricter penalties for lawmakers who incorrectly file funding reports. The new law was passed in order to restore public trust in politics and prevent a recurrence of the fundraising scandal that engulfed the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in December 2023. While considered a step in the right direction, opposition parties opposing the bill and some members of the public have raised concerns that the bill has too many “loopholes” that might limit its impact. The law, for example, does not include a ban on political donations by companies and organizations. The law comes into effect on 1 January 2026.

Sources: International IDEA, Nikkei Asia, The Japan Times

On 7 February, a Japanese court in Okayama approved a transgender man’s request to change his legal gender without first undergoing sterilization. The precedent-setting ruling comes after landmark decision by the Supreme Court in October 2023, which deemed the sterilization requirement unconstitutional. LGBTQIA+ rights advocates celebrated the verdict as an important advancement for transgender rights.

Sources: Japan Times, The Guardian, Kyodo News