The Prime Minister of Japan has ordered an inquiry into the Unification Church, a religious group that has come under the spotlight after the assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe.
The man accused of killing Abe said the church had bankrupted his mother and blamed Abe for allegedly promoting it.
Scrutiny of the religious sect in the weeks following then revealed it had ties with many government lawmakers.
The scandal forced leader Fumio Kishida to apologise for those links.
On Monday he conceded to holding a government investigation into the church – after previously resisting calls for such a probe.
He said he was “taking seriously” accusations the church had ruined families and exploited its followers for money.
Several lawsuits have been brought against it by previous followers of the church.
Mr Kishida acknowledged the church’s “many victims” and said “efforts to help them are still insufficient”.
