Japan seeks to revoke tax status of religious group after Abe slaying

Oct. 12 (UPI) -- The Japanese government on Thursday said it will seek to revoke the religious corporation status of an organization whose solicitation tactics came to light last year over the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The move would revoke the tax benefits for the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, commonly called the Unification Church, but allow it to continue religious activities.

The mother of the man accused of assassinating Abe, Tetsuya Yamagami, had been confirmed as a member of the group, which he mentioned as a motivation for the slaying.

"For a long time, since around fiscal 1980, a considerable number of followers experienced situations in which their ability to freely make decisions regarding donations and purchasing products was hindered," Japanese Education Minister Masahito Moriyama said.

"This resulted in financial losses that disrupted the peace in the lives of many followers and their family members."

The government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said the group owes $134 million in compensation to about 1,550 victims of its heavy-handed solicitation tactics.

The group denied wrongdoing Thursday and said the government's investigation lacked objectivity.

"It is deeply regrettable the government has made such a grave decision based on biased information," the federation said.

Kishida and Abe's party, the Liberal Democrats, had ties to the group, but Kishida said the party had cut off relations.

Yamagami told investigators that he targeted Abe because his mother made large donations to the group that severely impacted his family. Abe's grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, helped bring the church to Japan in the 1960s.

It was established in South Korea in 1954 by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who died in 2012.