A general view of the Tokyo headquarters of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Unification Church, in the Shibuya Ward of Tokyo, on Sept 27, 2022. (PHOTO / AFP)

TOKYO - The Japanese government plans to ask the Tokyo District Court to order the dissolution of Unification Church, a controversial religious group, according to local media reports.

The move followed a months-long probe by the Cultural Affairs Agency into the group over allegations of soliciting financially ruinous donations from members and other questionable practices, the national news agency Kyodo reported on Saturday, citing a government source.

If dissolved, the Unification Church would lose its status as a religious corporation in Japan and be deprived of tax benefits, although it could still operate as an entity, according to Kyodo

Last year, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered the investigation into the Unification Church amid opposition pressure and slumping support for his cabinet.

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Meanwhile, concern has been rife among opposition parties and the public that the controversial group may have been trying to influence politics here through links with lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The culture ministry plans to formally decide on the move after consulting with a related council as early as Oct 12 before asking the Tokyo District Court to issue an order to dissolve the group under the religious corporation law.

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If dissolved, the Unification Church would lose its status as a religious corporation in Japan and be deprived of tax benefits, although it could still operate as an entity, according to Kyodo.

The Unification Church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, has long been criticized for encouraging its followers to make exorbitant donations in the form of "spiritual sales" in return for "karmic benefits."

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It also witnessed intensified scrutiny after former prime minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot during an election campaign speech last year over his perceived links to the group.

The assailant, Tetsuya Yamagami, allegedly held a grudge against the group for financially ruining his family by soliciting huge amounts of money in donations from his mother and claimed this factored into his reason for assassinating Abe.