Six more women from a religious sect were arrested Saturday in connection with the slaying of a fellow member who was beaten to death last month, police said.
Sushi restaurant owner Motoko Okuno, 63, died last month after a mass beating at the Kigenkai sect's headquarters in Komoro, Nagano Prefecture, local police official Toshio Gomyo said.
The six women arrested Saturday join 23 people already in custody in connection with the killing, including 21 other female members of Kigenkai and Okuno's husband and daughter, who were also members, he said.
Earlier news reports suggested Okuno was killed as punishment for failing to carry out religious rites.
Kigenkai, founded in 1970, is based on Shinto and sells purified water the sect claims can cure diseases. It reportedly has about 400 members in branches across Japan.
Religious cults in Japan, a largely nonreligious society, have been linked to crimes and attacks.
Doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo released nerve gas in Tokyo's subway system a decade ago, killing 12 people and injuring thousands. The cult remains under surveillance.
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