The government of Japan wants a court to close down a church that is being looked into because of the killing of a previous prime minister, Shinzo Abe, according to local news. Last July, Abe's unexpected death brought attention to the Unification Church, also known as "Moonies". The person who attacked him, Tetsuya Yamagami, said the church made his mother lose all her money and blamed Abe for encouraging it.

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The church claims that it has been wrongly criticized for Abe's murder. The investigation, which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida requested, lasted for one year. If the Unification Church is disbanded, it will lose its tax advantages, but it can still continue working as a group. Yamagami said that his mother was made to give money to the church, which she was a part of for thirty years.

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Similar claims have resulted in lawsuits that are worth a lot of money. In Japan, if a religious group does things that are significantly bad for the well-being of the public, they can be disbanded by the government. Japan's education ministry recently requested the Tokyo District Court to impose a financial penalty on the church because they did not provide satisfactory answers to questions about their activities.

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A lot of people were wondering about Abe's relationship with the church before he died, especially on social media. He spoke at a church event in 2021 through a video connection. His grandfather, who was also a former PM, was believed to have been supportive of the church because it opposed communism. The Unification Church was started in South Korea in 1954. It is famous for organizing large weddings.

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The people who belong to this group are often called 'Moonies', because of their leader Sun Myung Moon. According to researchers, it started in Japan in the 1960s and connected with politicians to increase its supporters and reputation. The church has been involved in a lot of disagreement and problems for a long time. Critics say it is similar to a cult.

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The church has been sued by many of its members who say they were made to give money to the church against their will. According to their lawyers, the people making the complaint have lost at least 5. 4 billion yen ($39 million; £33 million) in the last five years. A recent investigation by the ruling party led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida showed that 179 out of its 379 politicians had come into contact with the Unification Church.

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Mr Kishida then told LDP lawmakers to stop being connected to the Unification Church, and made it clear that he did not personally know anyone from the group. In October of last year, he agreed to look into the church's actions, even though he had initially said no. He stated that he was taking the allegations of the church using its followers for money very seriously.

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Professor Yoshihide Sakurai, who is an expert on cult issues and has written a book about the Unification Church, believes that the influence of this controversial church could be significantly reduced. According to Prof Sakurai, the public will start feeling cautious about it, and it will be seen as scandalous if politicians associate themselves with it.

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However, the group still has many connected political and business organizations, including companies that publish newspapers, arrange travel, and sell goods. These organizations will not be affected by the court order, he explained. Prof Sakurai said the court might not even agree to the dissolution order. Many people believe that they chose to join the church and still do its activities.

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"He said it will be really hard for the court to declare the organization completely criminal because there are both victims and followers existing simultaneously. "

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