Japan begins to probe Unification Church, eyes depriving tax benefits

The Japanese government began investigating the Unification Church on Tuesday, paving the way for requesting a court to consider depriving the controversial group of its status as a religious corporation with tax benefits.The Cultural Affairs Agency sent its inquiries to the organization, often labeled as a cult, in what was the first case of the "right to question" being exercised under the Religious Corporations Law.Prior to the start of the investigation, culture minister Keiko Nagaoka on Monday acquired approval to initiate the procedure from a ministerial panel after consultations over…READ FULL ARTICLE