Police are investigating the Setsuri cult and searched the Yokohama home of the former president of a defunct printing firm Thursday and Friday on suspicion of abetting immigration law violations.
Chiba Prefectural Police searched eight locations, including the cult's facilities in the city of Chiba on suspicion that a senior cultist -- a South Korean woman -- illegally obtained her residency status in Japan for missionary work.
Setsuri (Providence) was established in South Korea and has been active in Japan since around 1987. Its founder, Jung Myung Seok, 61, is alleged to have sexually assaulted several female members.
There are reportedly more than 2,000 followers of the cult in Japan. South Korea, where the cult is known as JMS, has put Jung on an international wanted list on charges of raping female followers.