Kishida Orders Probe into Unification Church

Tokyo, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday instructed relevant ministers of his cabinet to investigate the controversial religious group known as the Unification Church under the religious corporation law.

The government will exercise its questioning right under the law for the first time, in order to look into the operations and management of the group, formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

Speaking before the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Keiko Nagaoka said that the government will set criteria for exercising the questioning right before launching the investigation.

The government will start procedures so that it can exercise the right as early as possible within this year, Nagaoka said, adding that the government will file for a court order to disband the group under the law if it finds any serious problem deserving such an order, even during the procedures.

The Cultural Affairs Agency said it will establish a panel of experts to discuss the criteria for exercising the right, with its first meeting slated for Oct. 25.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]