The Japanese government decided Friday to investigate the Unification Church, with a view to requesting that a court consider stripping the controversial organization of its status as a religious corporation with tax benefits.

The decision was announced by culture minister Keiko Nagaoka, who explained that the Unification Church has been ordered to pay damages of at least 1.4 billion yen ($9.8 million) in 22 civil lawsuits.

Nagaoka said the group is worthy of investigation under the Religious Corporations Law as it is "suspected of wielding great influence and inflicting widespread damage" -- one of the conditions agreed on by an expert panel.

The Cultural Affairs Agency plans to formulate questions to be put to the religious group before officially starting the investigation.

The Unification Church was founded by a staunch anti-communist in South Korea in 1954.

The group, now formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, is notorious for "spiritual sales," in which it pressures people to buy vases and other items at exorbitant prices through the use of threats.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose approval ratings have been struggling due partly to his handling of the issue of the Unification Church's influence, has instructed the culture minister to begin a probe into the organization.

The prime minister has also said that the government will revise laws related to consumer contracts in an attempt to assist victims of the church and related bills will be submitted during the ongoing parliamentary session through December.

The Cultural Affairs Agency has asked the expert panel to set conditions for the questioning in order to avoid the impression that it is arbitrarily targeting the Unification Church and infringing on religious freedom.

The Unification Church would still be able to operate if it were deprived of its status as a religious corporation.