Japan Govt Questions Unification Church for 3rd Time

Jiji Press

12:15 JST, January 19, 2023

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Japanese culture minister Keiko Nagaoka on Wednesday exercised for the third time the government’s right to demand reports from and put questions to the controversial religious group known as the Unification Church.

The group is required to report by Feb. 7 on about 80 items including its organizational management, financial situation, donations, cross-border money transfers and salary and other payments to its staff, according to the cultural affairs agency.

The government sought a more detailed report from the group than in the first and second times, in November and December last year, respectively.

In the previous times, the group made responses by the deadlines.

The agency is analyzing materials submitted by the group. It plans to ask for a court order to dissolve the group if it finds the group to meet conditions for such an order under the religious corporation law.

The law stipulates that a dissolution order can be issued if a religious organization has breached laws and regulations and seriously harmed public welfare.