Japan’s government on Wednesday asked the Unification Church, a religious group that has been at the center of a controversy over its ties to the ruling party and the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to hand over a series of documents on past cases of wrongdoing against it.
It is the second time authorities have requested such documentation from the group as it investigates its controversial operations after Abe’s self-confessed killer, Tetsuya Yamagami, pointed to the former prime minister’s alleged involvement in the establishment in the country of the cult, which he accuses of bankrupting his family.
Now, the Japanese Minister of Culture, Keiko Nagaoka, has asked the organization for documents on more than twenty civil lawsuits filed against the group and that went ahead on the grounds that the Unification Church was responsible for illegal practices when it came to collecting donations and followers, according to information from the Kiodo news agency.
The organization’s alleged malpractice has been in the authorities’ crosshairs since Abe’s murder last July. The earlier probe also included documents from the organization dating back to 2009 in which it allegedly pledged to exercise greater transparency and avoid soliciting donations in exchange for «warding off bad karma.»
Now, the government has given the church until January 6 to submit the required data. If the investigation confirms that it has violated current legislation and harmed public welfare, the authorities may request its dissolution, whereby its status as a religious corporation would be withdrawn but it could continue to operate.
