Photo/Illutration Education minister Keiko Nagaoka on Nov. 11 (Hiroyuki Yamamoto)

Education minister Keiko Nagaoka said on Nov. 11 her ministry will question the Unification Church and open an investigation into the religious organization’s shady activities.

A panel of experts tapped by the Cultural Affairs Agency, which falls under the ministry’s jurisdiction, drafted standards for the right to question the church earlier this week on Nov. 8.

According to the standards, the government can exercise the right to question the religious organization if it or one of its members has repeatedly conducted acts recognized by public organizations as illegal in either civil or criminal cases.

Nagaoka said the church meets those standards.

“There are many court rulings that found the church and its followers responsible for illegal activities,” Nagaoka said at a news conference where she made the widely expected announcement.

Nagaoka also said the amount of compensation ordered in civil court cases over the church’s activities up until 2021 totals at least 1.4 billion yen ($9.85 million).

The ministry is expected to consult the Religious Corporations Council about the content of the inquiry by the end of the month and launch an investigation by the end of the year.

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