Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has instructed the culture minister to launch a probe into the religious corporation previously known as the Unification Church.

The group is under close scrutiny for alleged shady marketing practices and its solicitation of large donations from followers.

An investigation into the group will be conducted under a provision of the Religious Corporations Act, which grants authorities "the right to collect reports and ask questions" of groups suspected of violating the law.

The provision was added to the act in 1996 following a series of incidents perpetrated by the Aum Shinrikyo cult, including the deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system. But it has never been exercised.

Officials of the culture ministry and prefectural governments can use the provision if any of the following three suspicions emerges.

First, if a religious corporation is suspected of spending profits gained from non-public operations, not for itself and its related bodies, or for public-interest operations.

Second, if it is suspected of having failed to fulfill requirements as a religious organization when it had its in-house rules authorized by regulators.

Third, if it is suspected of engaging in practices that warrant a court order to strip the group of corporate status.

If a corporation refuses investigations by authorities or makes false statements, its representative official will be fined up to 100,000 yen, or about 670 dollars.

Meanwhile, authorities have to observe rules to protect freedom of worship.

For example, they have to solicit opinions from a panel of experts over their exercise of the provision. They also must obtain consent from senior members of the religious corporation if they wish to enter its facilities to investigate.

Authorities may ask courts to disqualify religious bodies as corporations if investigations find that their practices are illegal and significantly undermine the public welfare.

If such requests are filed, courts will decide whether to mete out the orders after collecting opinions from religious corporations and authorities.