TOKYO: Japanese consumer affairs minister KONO Taro on Friday suggested that the controversial religious group known as the Unification Church fits the description of a cult.

“My personal understanding is that (the Unification Church) falls under the category of cult,” a word used for antisocial religious and other groups, Kono told the special committee on consumer affairs of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan’s parliament.

Until now, the government has not referred to the Unification Church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, as a cult, with Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio calling it “a societally problematic group.”

Noting that issues related to the group, including those linked to donations made to it, continue to emerge, Kono said, “We have to take political responsibility seriously and reflect on ourselves.”

JIJI Press