Decline of Religion | Last Updated: November 16, 2025

List and Statistics of Abolished Religious Corporations

This page provides statistical information on the closure (abolition) of religious corporations based on data from the National Tax Agency's Corporate Number Publication Site. You can view statistics by closure reason, regional distribution, and yearly trends.

Total Closures
4,023
cases
2025
339
cases
Last Month
9
cases

Breakdown by Closure Reason

Religious corporation closures include various reasons such as voluntary dissolution, merger with other corporations, and ex officio closure by registrars. Below are statistics by closure reason code.

Closure Reason Cases Percentage
Dissolution by Merger 2,869 cases 71.3%
Liquidation Completion 1,029 cases 25.6%
Closure by Registrar 125 cases 3.1%
About "Closure by Registrar"

Out of 4,023 total cases, 125 cases (3.1%) are "Closure by Registrar".

This ex officio closure may include the following reasons:

  • Dissolution orders based on Article 81 of the Religious Corporations Act for inactive corporations (administrative dispositions for corporations that have not conducted business for 3 years or more)
  • Ex officio closure due to unknown location
  • Other closures under Article 81 of the Commercial Registration Rules

However, without official information from the supervising agency, individual closure reasons cannot be determined.

Yearly Trends of Religious Corporation Closures

This shows the trend of religious corporation closures over the past 10 years. You can view yearly trends and breakdowns by closure reason.

Rankings by Prefecture

This is the TOP20 ranking of religious corporation closures by prefecture. These are based on the registered head office location and may differ from the actual area of activity.

Rank Prefecture Closures % of Total
1 Aichi 240 cases 6%
2 Osaka 217 cases 5.4%
3 Hiroshima 208 cases 5.2%
4 Hokkaido 205 cases 5.1%
5 Niigata 194 cases 4.8%
6 Hyogo 191 cases 4.7%
7 Fukuoka 160 cases 4%
8 Tokyo 139 cases 3.5%
9 Toyama 124 cases 3.1%
10 Gifu 115 cases 2.9%
11 Fukushima 111 cases 2.8%
12 Kyoto 105 cases 2.6%
13 Shizuoka 102 cases 2.5%
14 Kagawa 96 cases 2.4%
15 Saitama 94 cases 2.3%
16 Oita 87 cases 2.2%
17 Ehime 87 cases 2.2%
18 Yamaguchi 86 cases 2.1%
19 Wakayama 84 cases 2.1%
20 Kanagawa 80 cases 2%
Note on Prefecture Data

Prefectures indicate the registered head office location of religious corporations and do not necessarily mean that they were active in that prefecture. They may differ from the actual base of operations or distribution of believers.

Religious Corporations with Most Merger Absorptions

This is a ranking of corporations that have absorbed the most other religious corporations through mergers. It shows corporations that played a central role when multiple corporations were integrated.

Rank Successor Corporation Name Corporate Number Absorptions
1 総都八幡神社 6240005010403 33 cases
2 八幡神社 6240005009180 27 cases
3 石田神社 3470005004392 23 cases
4 天理教東本大教会 4010605000448 20 cases
5 皇産霊神社 8040005010149 13 cases
6 日本聖公会東北教区 7370005000662 11 cases
7 賀茂神社 4240005010363 11 cases
8 天理教中根大教会 9060005005039 11 cases
9 二之宮八幡神社 1480005001333 10 cases
10 日本聖公会京都教区 4130005001448 10 cases

List of Closed Religious Corporations

This is a detailed list of religious corporations whose registrations have been closed. You can search for corporations that meet specific conditions using filter and sorting functions.

Corporation Name Closure Date Reason Prefecture Successor

About Data Source and Coverage

Data Source

  • Based on API data from the National Tax Agency Corporate Number Publication Site
  • Closure information in registration records is public information provided by the Corporate Number System

Data Coverage

  • Closure records of religious corporations that were acquired and compiled at the time of registration on this site are published
  • Not all closure cases are covered
  • Data may be added or updated from time to time through regular updates

About Closure Reason Codes

  • 01 (Liquidation Completion): Liquidation completion due to voluntary dissolution, bankruptcy, etc.
  • 11 (Dissolution by Merger): Dissolution due to merger with other religious corporations
  • 21 (Closure by Registrar): Ex officio closure under Article 81 of the Commercial Registration Rules. May include dissolution orders for inactivity
  • 31 (Other Liquidation): Liquidation completion of corporations other than those registered under establishment registration

About Dissolution Orders Due to Legal Violations

For serious cases that have received dissolution orders due to legal violations, such as Aum Shinrikyo and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church), please refer to the separate "Dissolution Order List Page".

About Data Accuracy

  • Published information is based on publicly available data from the National Tax Agency, but does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the data
  • For official information, please refer to each supervising agency or the National Tax Agency Corporate Number Publication Site

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