Japan decides to probe Unification Church, eyes stripping status

The Japanese government decided Friday to investigate the Unification Church, with a view to requesting that a court consider stripping the controversial organization of its status as a religious corporation with tax benefits.The decision was announced by culture minister Keiko Nagaoka, who explained that the Unification Church has been ordered to pay damages of at least 1.4 billion yen ($9.8 million) in 22 civil lawsuits.Nagaoka said the group is worthy of investigation under the Religious Corporations Law as it is "suspected of wielding great influence and inflicting widespread damage" --…READ FULL ARTICLE