Japan's education and culture ministry has announced it will seek a court order to disband the group formerly known as the Unification Church.

Education and Culture Minister Moriyama Masahito attended a meeting with the ministry's advisory panel on religious corporations on Thursday.

He said, "We have interviewed over 170 victims, gathered information and considered the details of this case. As a result, the ministry will request a dissolution order based on the Religious Corporation Act."

Ministry officials have been looking into the group's management and how it collected large donations from its followers.
Based on its survey, the ministry concluded the group's actions are illegal and significantly harmful to public welfare.

The ministry is currently meeting with its advisory panel and considering their opinions.

It could then apply for the court order as early as Friday.

The next step would be the Tokyo District Court hearing arguments from both the ministry and the former Unification Church.

If the court order is granted, the group would lose tax benefits, but would still be allowed to conduct religious activities.