Prime Minister Fumio Kishida indicated Tuesday that the government may request the court to strip the Unification Church of its "religious corporation" status, saying the controversial group may have been involved in crimes.
The Kishida administration decided Monday to probe the organization as it has come under scrutiny for its links to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party while its questionable financial practices have caused hardship among families of its followers.
Kishida said he instructed the culture minister to investigate the Unification Church, given that the government had received more than 1,700 consultation requests over 25 days since a telephone hotline was set up on Sept. 5. A court will assess whether to issue an order to strip the church of its special status after the investigation.