Japan's Supreme Court has ordered a religious group formerly known as the Unification Church to pay a fine for failing to properly respond to government inquiries.



It also addressed for the first time as the Supreme Court that a civil law violation meets the requirement for a disbandment order.



The education and culture ministry had requested a court order to disband the group in October 2023. The ministry had exercised its authority to question the group seven times. Then it asked the Tokyo District Court to impose an administrative penalty on the group, claiming the group refused to answer some questions.



The Tokyo District and High courts ordered the group to pay fines. And the group filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.



The group retorted that a civil law violation does not meet the requirements for a disbandment order and the ministry's exercising of its authority of inquiry is illegal in itself.



The Supreme Court has dismissed the group's appeal and upheld decisions by the Tokyo District and High courts, and ordered the group to pay a fine of 100,000 yen, or about 670 dollars as of Tuesday.



Presiding Justice Nakamura Makoto of the top court's first petty bench stated for the first time as the Supreme Court that a civil law violation, whether done intentionally or not, infringes on personal rights, and meets the requirement for a disbandment order.



Whether a civil law violation meets the requirement of a disbandment order is also a key issue in a separate trial concerning the order at the Tokyo District Court. Experts say its outcome may be swayed by Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling.