FILE PHOTO: A general view of Tokyo headquarters of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, more commonly known as the Unification Church, in Tokyo, Japan August 29, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has ordered an investigation into the Unification Church, Kyodo news agency reported on Monday, after revelations about its ties to the ruling party came to light after the assassination of former premier Shinzo Abe.
Support for Kishida’s government has tumbled to its lowest level since he took office on growing anger about the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) not fully disclosing its ties to the church.
Kishida instructed the culture minister to investigate the church under the Religious Corporations Act, and a dissolution order may be issued depending on the outcome, Kyodo reported.
Abe was shot during an election rally in July and the suspected killer said his mother was bankrupted by the church, which critics call a cult, and blamed Abe for promoting it.
Keiko Nagaoka, education and cultural minister, told reporters she would start working on the investigation immediately, according to media reports.