Japan's culture ministry says it will convene its advisory panel on religious corporations on Thursday to make a formal decision on whether to seek a court order to disband a religious group formerly known as the Unification Church.

Ministry officials have been looking into how the group collected large donations from its followers and its organizational management. They formally exercised their legal right to question the group and interviewed former followers.

At Thursday's meeting, the ministry will hear opinions of the panel members on whether it should seek a dissolution order. Based on its survey, the ministry views the group's actions as illegal and significantly harmful to public welfare, meeting the requirements for a dissolution order.

The ministry plans to make a formal decision on the issue after considering the panel's views. It is likely to file for the order at the Tokyo District Court as early as Friday.

The court will then hear arguments from both the ministry and the former Unification Church before making a judgement on the dissolution order.

If the order is issued, the group will lose its status as a religious corporation, resulting in a deprivation of tax benefits. But it would still be permitted to conduct religious activities.

The religious group argues that its activities are not systematic, malicious or incessant, and do not meet the criteria for a dissolution order.