TOKYO -- The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court's order to dissolve the religious group previously known as the Unification Church.

Upon the ruling, even if the Unification Church, now formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, files an objection, the liquidation of the group will take immediate effect without waiting for a Supreme Court decision.

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The Japanese government applied to the Tokyo District Court in October 2023 to issue a dissolution order against the group over its practices of soliciting large donations from members or having them buy expensive items by exploiting fears about their spiritual well-being, which resulted in numerous victims.

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The district court issued the first-ever dissolution order in March last year, saying it could not overlook the significant damage the group had caused and the likelihood it would continue to harm people in the future, and ruling that the group's actions were illegal under the Civil Code.

The group appealed the decision, arguing that only criminal violations, not those under the Civil Code, meet the criteria for issuing a dissolution order.

The controversial organization has come under heavy scrutiny since the fatal shooting in 2022 of former prime minister Shinzo Abe by a man who admitted to holding a grudge against the group due to financially ruinous donations made by his mother.

A series of revelations of ties between some lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Unification Church followed the incident.