Japan’s government on Tuesday launched an investigation into the management of the controversial Unification Church, a religious group that has been in the spotlight since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated, in the face of numerous complaints received from its followers.
Authorities are now trying to discern whether the Unification Church has engaged in violations of the Religious Organizations Law in gaining followers and managing donations received.
The Ministry of Education has questioned the organization’s financial status in a series of measures that point to the possibility of authorities withdrawing the «religious corporation» status, which grants tax benefits, from the church in question.
«We want to make it clear that the truth is based on evidence and documents, on information obtained through relevant sources, and that the investigation to be conducted will also be important,» Education Minister Keiko Nagaoka has pointed out at a press conference.
She has set December 9 as the deadline for the church to respond to the accusations, according to The Japan Times. This is the first time that the Ministry of Education has opened an investigation against a religious group since the possibility of carrying out this type of investigation was established.
If the authorities have sufficient evidence of irregularities, they could ask the courts to withdraw the status of the Unification Church, which has been accused of extorting large sums of money from its followers.
However, the organization could continue with its religious activities, albeit without the corresponding status. In this case, it will not be eligible for tax exemptions under current legislation.
ADOPTION OF MINORS On the other hand, the Minister of Health, Katsunobu Kato, has confirmed that the Ministry has sent a letter to the organization with questions about the alleged mediation to facilitate the adoption of minors among its followers.
The church has been accused of helping some followers adopt the children of other members of the organization, something the authorities also plan to investigate. However, the church will have two weeks to respond to these questions.
According to the Japanese Adoption Law, adoption organizations must register as such with the authorities in each prefecture, so if the Unification Church has been acting as such on a regular basis, it may have been in violation of this law.
The organization has so far admitted that 745 adoptions have taken place among its followers since 1981, but has denied that it has systematically carried out such actions as an adoption agency would do.
