TOKYO -- Japan's government announced on Thursday its decision to request a court order to dissolve the scandal-ridden Unification Church, following an 11-month-long investigation triggered by the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over his perceived links to the group.

At a meeting of the government's Religious Corporations Council, Masahito Moriyama, Japan's culture minister, said his ministry reached a decision to seek dissolution of the church following "detailed discussions" with religious experts and "hearings with over 170 victims of the group." The government is expected to submit its request to the Tokyo District Court on Friday.