TOKYO, (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered an investigation on Monday into the Unification Church, after the assassination of former premier Shinzo Abe in July revealed close ties between it and the ruling party.
Support for Kishida’s government has tumbled to its lowest level since he took office on growing anger about the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) not fully disclosing its ties to the church.
Kishida instructed the culture minister to prepare an investigation into the church under the Religious Corporations Act.
Abe was shot during an election rally and the suspected killer said his mother was bankrupted by the church, which critics call a cult, and blamed Abe for promoting it.
