Japan’s Fumio Kishida to Probe Church Targeted by Suspect in Abe Assassination

TOKYO — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday ordered an investigation into the church founded by the late Father Moon Sun-myung, a step that could lead to the church being stripped of its legal status in Japan.

This move is the latest aftermath from the assassination of the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July. The suspect in the murder wrote in online posts and a letter that he blamed the former Unification Church for his family’s troubles and said he was targeting him. Abe because of the former leader’s connections to church-affiliated groups.