A minister Who Supports Ex-Believers in Exiting the Unification Church: "If the Second Generation of Unification Church Members Deny Their Parents, and They Became Worthless Themselves."

This post is a DeepL translation (partially revised by the blog administrator) of the following article.

本投稿は以下の記事のDeepL翻訳（一部、管理人修正済み）です。

jisin.jp

A minister Who Supports Ex-Believers in Exiting the Unification Church: "If the Second Generation of Unification Church Members Deny Their Parents, and They Became Worthless Themselves."

Continues from Part 1:  A Former UC member and now minister who helps people leave the church talks about his "handkerchief-selling" days and his feelings of atonement - KIB: kurogane in black

"This place was used as a 'shelter' to shelter people who had fallen into poverty and victims of domestic violence. Of course, there were also believers and so-called second-generation residents staying here."

A corner of a residential area in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. Itaru Takesako, 55, minister of the Shirakawa Church of Christ in Japan, pried open the front door of the old house, which is now dilapidated and no longer used as a shelter.

He said, "Wow, I haven't been here for a while, so the cobwebs are all over the place."

As he brushes the cobwebs off his head, Mr. Takesako proceeds to a back room. There, as in the building, were a number of ageing bookcases lined up in a row.

Wiping the dust off with his fingertips, Mr. Takesako opened a book. At the front of the book was a portrait of an elderly man in a business suit. This man is Sun Myung Moon (died in 2012 at the age of 92), the founder of the "Family Federation for the Unification of World Peace (formerly known as the World Christian Unification Church, hereafter Unification Church).

■ The "second-generation religious issue" was highlighted by the statement of the suspect in the "shooting incident of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The July 8 shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has brought the Unification Church back into the public spotlight. As Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, the suspect who attacked the former prime minister, described his motive, he mentioned the Unification Church by name.

According to his statement, the suspect's mother was a devoted believer who donated approximately 100 million yen and went bankrupt, leading to the collapse of her family. And thus he committed the crime.

The Unification Church was founded in Korea in '54 and was approved as a religious corporation in Japan in '64.' In the '80s and '90s, "Spiritual Sales" became a social problem, in which people were sold expensive items such as vases, fomenting anxiety that their ancestors were related to them and that they were possessed by spirits. Mass Weddings," in which groups of men and women are matched by a cult and brought together, have also been the focus of strange attention.

And this summer, after the incident, the existence of "second-generation religious people" came under spot light. Mr. Takesako says, "Like Mr. Yamagami, the second generation of religious believers are those who are forced by birth or upbringing to become involved with religious organizations that have many problems of their own volition. This is the point of the 2nd generation."

In fact, Mr. Takesako himself was a member of the Unification Church at the end of his teenage years. He left the church and became a minister at the age of 25. For the past 30 years since then, he has been confronting the issue of cults based on his own experience. In particular, he has counseled more than three-digit numbers of Unification Church members, and has led many of them to leave the church.

And in recent years, he has become increasingly concerned about the issue of the second generation of believers.

"In the 1990s, after Mass Weddings began to be held on a large scale, the number of second-generation believers began to increase rapidly. There must be tens of thousands of them all over Japan. And it is not only Yamagami who is suffering."

<From here, some of the contents were duplicated in the first part of the article, so they have been omitted. >

■As he spoke about his experiences in front of family members who came to him for counseling and believers who were being urged to leave the church

Mr. Takesako decided to read the Bible again. Many people say that the Unification Church is wrong. Then, he thought, if he read the Bible properly, he would understand what they meant. However.

I was taught only the Unification Church-style reading, so even if I face the Bible on my own, all I can read is, 'The Old Unification Church is right.

I asked my minister to teach me how to read the Bible correctly, and after three months of attending church, he told me that there was a school that would teach me the Bible correctly. That was the Christianity Department of Tohoku Gakuin University.

At the age of 21, Mr. Takesako opened the door to Tohoku Gakuin University's Christianity Department.

"Within six months, I realized how the old Unification Church had become. I found out within six months that the Unification Church was teaching a distorted reading of the Bible. I realized that they had a purpose first and were only misusing Christianity to achieve it."

After graduating from college, Mr. Takesako became a minister.

Meanwhile, during his time in Aomori, Mr. Takesako also had the opportunity to teach.

"In Aomori, I taught Bible classes at a Christian high school, and after moving to Shirakawa, I became a part-time lecturer at two universities in Sendai, Tohoku Gakuin University and Miyagi Gakuin Women's University."

While working with young students, the existence of "second-generation religious people" caught Takesako's attention.

It was shortly before the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. In one of my lectures, I showed a picture of Sun Myung Moon and his wife, saying, 'Be careful of cults'. He said, "They are the leaders of a famous cult. After the lecture, a female student confided to me, 'I have the same picture at my parents' house. That was the first time I met a 2nd generation."

■ A high school student who was forced to give up her job in order to participate in a Mass Wedding, was rescued by her grandfather.

It was shortly before the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. I was consulting with a 2nd generation.

"She was a second-generation Blessed High School girl whose parents were both members of the Unification Church. She dreamed of becoming a hairdresser and wanted to find a job after graduation, but her parents, especially her father, were ardent believers. He was obstructing her in her job search, saying, 'You have to train to be a bride until the Mass Wedding'. She was fortunate that she did not have a bias toward the Unification Church because of her strong dislike of her father, who was so arrogant in everything he did."

Mr. Takesako devised a plan to have her run away from home as soon as she graduated.

"One wrong move could have resulted in kidnapping charges, but I was prepared for that. I was thinking of hiding her in a shelter like the one I showed you. Then her grandfather came to the rescue. She was able to temporarily take shelter with her grandparents."

After that, she moved to Tokyo and started living alone, keeping her whereabouts a secret from her parents.

"After moving to Tokyo, I saw her several times. I saw her several times after she moved to Tokyo. She seemed to be having a hard time making ends meet, but she looked radiant. Even though she was struggling with money, I think it was a good opportunity for her to learn general economic sense, which is not easy to learn in the Unification Church."

The year before last, Mr. Takesako received a call from a girlfriend for the first time in several years.

"She told me that she had married a man she met at her part-time job, had a child, and started a family. Although her dream of becoming a beautician did not come true, she was able to achieve a happiness that is quite ordinary to most people, but a dream come true for a 2nd generation."

■ Encouraging 2nd-gen to leave the Church may be denying the existence of 2nd-gens Themselves.

Ms. Takesako says, "We need to be especially sensitive to the 2nd-gens."

There are two main types of 2nd-gens: the second generation of believers, like Yamagami, whose parents joined the church after they were born, and the Blessed Second Generation, who are born to couples who were married in a Mass Wedding. Especially in the case of the Blessed Second Generation, urging them to leave the church would mean denying the existence of the Church, which in turn would mean denying the existence of the Blessed Second Generation themselves.

Mr. Takesako also said that "leaving the Blessed 2nd Generation is like being thrown out on the streets of a foreign country, where you don't understand the language or customs."

"The first generation who joined the church themselves, so to speak, can go back to their original selves after leaving the church. But the Blessed Second Generation has no self to return to. So, when I receive a request for help from a second-generation Blessed Families, I always tell the person who is their grandparent. Whenever I receive a consultation for support for ex-members involving Blessed 2nd generations, I always tell the grandparents, "Please intervene in their homes more than ever before and build a good relationship with your grandchildren. We want the grandparents to be a safe haven for the 2nd-gens, and a place for them to escape to when the time comes."

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

www.DeepL.com

A Former UC member and now minister who helps people leave the church talks about his "handkerchief-selling" days and his feelings of atonement

This post is a DeepL translation (partially revised by the blog administrator) of the following article.

本投稿は以下の記事のDeepL翻訳（一部、管理人修正済み）です。

jisin.jp

A Former UC member and now minister who helps people leave the church talks about his "handkerchief-selling" days and his feelings of atonement

Article posted on 2022/09/04 06:00 
Editorial Department, Josei Jishin

Mr. Itaru Takesako, a former member of the Unification Church and minister who continues to provide support the members.

Minister Takesako

"This place used to be a 'shelter' that sheltered people who had fallen into poverty and victims of domestic violence. Of course, there were believers and so-called second-generation residents staying here as well."

A corner of a residential area in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. Itaru Takesako, 55, a minister of the Shirakawa Church of Christ in Japan, pried open the front door of the old house, which is now dilapidated and no longer used as a shelter.

The shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8 has once again brought public attention to the "Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (former World Christian Unification Church, hereafter referred to as Unification Church). As Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, the suspect who attacked the former prime minister, described his motive, he mentioned the former Unification Church by name.

According to his statement, the suspect's mother was a devoted believer who donated approximately 100 million yen and went bankrupt, leading to the collapse of her family.

The Unification Church was founded in Korea in 1954 and was approved as a religious corporation in Japan in 1964.' In the '80s and '90s, "Spiritual Sales" became a social problem, in which people were sold expensive items such as vases, fomenting anxiety that their ancestors were related to them and that they were possessed by spirits. "Mass Weddings," in which a group of men and women matched by a religious group are brought together, also attracted strange attention.

In fact, Minister Takesako himself was a member of the Unification Church in his late teens. He left the church and became a minister at the age of 25. For the past 30 years since then, he has been confronting the issue of cults based on his own experience. In particular, he has counseled more than three-digit number of former Unification Church members, and has led many of them to leave the church.

■ The "video center" of the Unification Church was the first group he joined after being offered "unlimited movie viewing.

Mr. Takesako was born in Akita Prefecture in 1967.

"When I was in the fourth grade of elementary school, I saw "Star Wars" and was shocked. Since then, I was obsessed with the thought, 'I want to make movies, too'."

Continuing to yearn for film, he took the entrance exam for the Nihon University College of Art, which has a film department. It was the very day he took the exam. After the exam, he stopped by Ikebukuro, which turned out to be a turning point for him. Mr. Takesako, who was only 17 years old.

He said, "I was approached in front of the station. They said, 'We are a circle to study life by watching movies." 

He thought that sounded suspicious. But the invitation, "For a monthly membership fee of 2,500 yen, you can watch as many movie videos as you want," swayed his mind.

"I thought it was a better deal than renting videos. Later, I went to visit the facility myself." 

The facility turned out to be the "Video Center" of the Unification Church.

"At the time, I didn't know it was a religious facility. But all I could see were Christian movies such as 'The Ten Commandments' and 'The Creation. When I thought I didn't understand what they meant, they said, 'You need to know the Bible to understand, so why don't you study the Bible?'"

From there, they started showing me all kinds of videos.

"After about three months, they told me, 'We are a group called the Unification Church."

He also participated in a two-day seminar.

"During the seminar, I was told, 'God exists and the Messiah is real,' and I wanted to know who the Messiah was. By the time I was told that it was a man named Sun Myung Moon, I wanted to work as a servant of the Messiah."

After one year of studying, Takesako entered the College of Arts and Sciences at Nihon University. However, upon entering the university, Mr. Takesako ran away from home. 

"When I was doing that, my parents were worried and came to take me back. Then the organization told me, 'Your house is against us, and you should go to Hokkaido until the situation cools down'."

It was a secret caravan that traveled around Hokkaido, sleeping in the cargo area of a one-box car.

■ They sold a set of three handkerchiefs for about 3,000 yen, while you can but the relevant ones with 500 yen, lying that the proceeds would be used to support children.

"We go door-to-door and sell handkerchiefs. "We go door-to-door and sell handkerchiefs for 3,000 yen for a set of three handkerchiefs, which are actually about 500 yen. They lie and say, 'The proceeds go to support underprivileged children. It was a complete scam."
 

However, Mr. Takesako fell down during he was working at the caravan sales team. He broke his left ankle and was forced to return to Tokyo.

"I was supposed to receive treatment at the Unification Church hospital in Ikebukuro. But the handkerchief sales were top-secret even within the church, so I guess they were afraid of being found out. They told me to go home and get well, and sent me home."

When he returned home for the first time in several months, he found that in addition to his parents, there was a group of people who were well-informed about the inner workings of the Unification Church.

"While I was away from home, my parents were making preparations to have me leave the church. I was unable to move freely due to an injury to my leg, and for a week I was persuaded in the can while being shown articles and materials containing scandals about the organization."

 
Still, Mr. Takesako's hearts was not moved.

"When they showed me the scandal, I thought, 'So what?' I was still not moved. I just felt that sometimes illegal activities are necessary to save the world."

■ 'Lying and saying he would quit' and return to the UC, he was treated as a "spy" and subjected to violence.

He was also taught by the UC that if he received any hard persuasion, he should lie and say he would quit and run away.

"I also told them that I would quit. My parents asked me, 'What about your friends?'"
 
Takesako had actually recruited seven of his high school classmates.

"When I answered, 'I will encourage them to quit, too,' my parents, worried about letting me go alone, sent a minister with me. He was a watchdog."
 

On crutches and accompanied by his minister, he went around to friends' houses.

"On the surface, I thought I would leave the church but continue my faith as a hidden Christian," he said. But I couldn't say so to my friends because of the watchman. ......"

Some of his friends were shocked when they saw the materials the minister showed them. One after another, they broke under Mr. Takesako's false persuasion. 

"One of them called the video center. One of them called the video center and said, 'I'm quitting because Mr. Takesako came with a minister to persuade me. Then, in the Unification Church, they said, 'Takesako betrayed us'."

Even though he had no intention of quitting, he received threatening phone calls at home. So Mr. Takesako went to explain.

"But right in front of the Unification Church building, I was surrounded by followers, who took away my walking stick and dragged me into an alleyway. They kicked me three times in the stomach, saying, 'You Spy, go home! They kicked me three times in the stomach."

It was not until he became the target of violence that Mr. Takesako "learned firsthand" why society viewed them as dangerous. In 1986, a year and eight months after becoming a believer, Takesako left the church at the age of 19.

■ After studying the Bible at university, he realized how the Unification Church had been teaching a distorted reading of the Bible.

He dropped out of college. While he was spending his days in depression, he was approached by a minister who said to him, "I'm too busy. Could you help me?'" 

Many parents whose children had joined the old Unification Church came to the minister for advice.

"I went to his church in Tokorozawa every day. I began to tell my story as it was, in front of the families who came for counseling and the believers who were being urged to leave the church." 

After listening to his stories, many believers decided to leave the church.

"I felt that I had become a traitor. I was convinced that I could never go back." 

So Mr. Takesako decided to read the Bible again. Many people say that the Unification Church is wrong. Then I thought that if I read the Bible properly, I would understand what they meant. However, he said that the Unification Church read the Bible with their own interpretation. They conveniently bit off a lot of it to justify themselves.

"I asked my minister to 'teach the right way to read the Bible,' and after about three months of attending the church, he told me, 'There is a school that teaches the Bible correctly. That was the Christianity Department of Tohoku Gakuin University."

At the age of 21, Mr. Takesako opened the doors of Tohoku Gakuin University.

"Within six months, I realized that they had a purpose and were only misusing Christianity to achieve it."

After graduating from college, Mr. Takesako became a minister.

■ He realized that if he respected the person as a human being, the believers would voluntarily quit.

He said, "I spent 10 years at my first church in Aomori, then I moved to Shirakawa and this year it's been exactly 20 years. Since I became a minister, the number of consultations related to the Unification Church has increased even more. But when I was in Aomori, the support for ex-membership was not very successful."

According to Mr. Takesako, the mainstream method at that time was to keep believers in a half-imprisoned state and continue to persuade them to leave the church.

"But the Unification Church began to take precautions in advance, and the time required for persuasion gradually became longer. No matter how much the family members took the initiative, it would not be humane to confine them for nearly half a year and reverse-brainwash them."

After being assigned to Shirakawa Church, he continued to receive consultations one after another. It was right around that time that Mr. Takesako felt he had found a way to lead believers to leave the church.
 
"After coming to Shirakawa," he says, "I started to remotely involve the family members by telling them, 'Try talking like this. Then, at some point, the number of believers who quit began to increase. That's when I realized. Rather than trying to get them to stop, the first step is to respect them as human beings. We gradually realized that if we could build the right relationship between the family members, the person would stop voluntarily." 

Some believers took a long time to leave the church.

"First, we encouraged them to increase communication between the family and the believer. After a few years, the believer began to open up to his family. He kept changing jobs, and the job he got didn't last more than three months. So I told his family, 'You can quit your job at any time,' and 'Even if you don't have a job, you are what you are.'"

Seven years after the initial consultation, he left the Unification Church on his own. He is now working as a social worker at a facility for the handicapped.

■ Mr. Takesako once went looking for the houses where he sold handkerchiefs. 

"About two years ago, I had an aortic dissection. I heard that I was already in danger at the onset of the disease, but even during the surgery, my heart stopped for six minutes. In other words, I almost went to heaven twice. Perhaps because of that experience, I don't think so much about the future anymore."

During the 10 years after leaving the Unification Church, he also suffered from insomnia. And even now, he still has trouble without his medication. 

"I feel light-headed in the mornings, probably because of the medication," he said.

In addition to being busy with his regular church work, Minister Takesako is also actively involved in support activities for believers, their families, and second-generation believers. It is not unusual for his phone calls to extend into the wee hours of the night.

How is it that he is able to do so much with so many wounds on his body and mind?

"I feel more comfortable being involved with believers and second-generation believers."

Mr. Takesako once walked around looking for the houses where he sold handkerchiefs.

"At the time, I was given a copy of a map with only the places I would visit that day. I had no idea where I was in Hokkaido. I just remembered that there was something pentagonal on the map. Later, I realized that it was Goryokaku. So I went to Hakodate several times to look for the people I had once deceived, but in the end I couldn't find any of them," he said.

Because of his sense of atonement, Mr. Takesako is determined not to let up in his support for the victims.

"But now I am helping people who are different from the people I actually caused trouble for," he said. I understand that there are people somewhere whom I have deceived, and that fact will not change. Even so, I honestly feel that I have no choice but to do what I have to do."

To be continued to Part 2: A former believer and minister who supports ex-membership: "Second-generation Unification Church members who deny their parents will not be themselves.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

www.DeepL.com

統一教会の先祖解怨について、雑記メモ

私が直接言われたわけじゃないんだけども、先祖解怨したからといって、それだけでは中間霊界にも行けない、摂理は重いというツイートを見ました。
それは重要な指摘だと思うので、私宛かどうかを抜きにして個人的な見解をメモしておこうと思います。

これを模式的に表現したのがこの図。
アダム・イブからほんとに430代かとか、人類歴史が　たったの6000年の訳はない、といったことはこの際脇によけておきます。
それを議論するためのツリーじゃないので。
一番下の楕円は2022年現在地上に生きている全人類。
そこに先祖解怨をした信者３人がいます。 pic.twitter.com/U42NawcdHA

— NIR: Nicholas in Red (@KuroganeInBlack) 2022年8月25日

その方が統一教会の教義に対してどういう姿勢なのかは分かりません。しかし、たぶん現役信者としては同じように感じる人も多いだろうとは思います。

統一教会の信者・元信者を問わず、霊界が本当にどうなっているか見てきた人はいないので、私のこれらの見解は統一原理や統一教会の霊的役事の説明が正しかったら、人間はどう行動するのか？という観点で検討した結果となっています。

私は先祖解怨の役事の前に辞めましたが、それでも霊界通信などの情報は現役信者の皆さんが誇らしげに公開してくれていましたので、それらの情報は入手し、その後の様子をずっと見守ってきていました。

現役信者が「先祖解怨批判」に対して反論する趣旨をラフにまとめて言うなら次のようになることでしょう。

霊界や摂理は堕落人間、ましてや元信者の理解の及ばない範囲にある。
このため、先祖解怨したから自由に動き回れるわけではない。
それどころか中間霊界にまで到達しているか怪しい。
人間堕落を蕩減しようとする摂理が、そんな簡単な訳はない。

１）第一に、この意見が正しいなら、続先祖解怨、最終先祖解怨、真先祖解怨、シン・センゾカイオンと、なにかの映画シリーズみたいなことになる。

先祖解怨したけど、実はまだ中間霊界で、これからさらにもう一段階引き上げる必要がある、という「再先祖解怨」ができるから。

しかし、これをやれば先祖解怨が120代から180代、210代、そして最後は430代まで実施したのに、まだやるのか？という信者からの不満を納得させることはできないだろう。

120から430代にまで伸びたことですら納得いかない人も多いのに、実はこれだけやってもまだ中間霊界なんです、ここからが本番です、というのは後出しじゃんけんにもほどがある。

それなら、最初からそのように説明しておくべき義務が統一教会にはある。

というか実際には霊界なんか見えてないし、とりあえず美しい原理数の120数を献金してもらえば沢山お金が集まるよね？と思ってたら、バカすか抜いていく人がいてお金が足りなくなったので、背に腹は代えられずに代数を伸ばしただけだろう。

２）先祖、特に日本人の先祖は罪が重いので、日本人の先祖が解怨されたからと言って簡単に地上人に語り掛けられるわけはないという見解は、現役信者にはとてももっともらしく聞こえるに違いない。

しかし、「皆さんが必死に先祖解怨しても、せいぜい中間霊界です。とても皆さんと会話できるレベルじゃない。ここからさらに上がるためには、〇〇が必要です」ということを最初に示しておくべきだったし、統一教会の説明が正しいなら、「文鮮明先生」はそこまで把握できたはず。

それをやらずに、先祖解怨したけど解怨なんか実はまだまだ、なんていうのは詐欺商法のそしりを免れない。

また、先祖解怨についての疑問を記した一連のツリーでも記しているが、先祖解怨されたのは日本人だけではない。

また、先祖解怨の遥か昔に霊界解放された歴史上の義人・聖人たちがいたことになっており、彼等は文字通りに地のくびきからも解かれたという説明だった。

だから、日本人の先祖の罪が重くて、中間霊界にも達していなかったとしても、統一教会が役事として行ってきた霊界解放で解き放たれた人たちも数多くいる。

彼等はこの世において、義人・聖人として記憶されるべき徳を積んで霊界に行った人たちであり、霊界解放されてこの世がこれほど広いことを知った（霊界通信による聖フランチェスコ談）ということは、少なくとも聖フランチェスコはそういう会話が可能な立場にいる。

それにも関わらず、いまだに聖フランチェスコが枕もとに立ってお父様を証したという話はまったく伝わってこない。

仮に現役信者の皆さんの説明が正しく、摂理は簡単なものではないので、先祖解怨でいくらかのお金を積んだ程度ではまともな霊界にすらたどり着けていなかったとしても、他にも数多の統一教会の霊界通信の証が正しいとか、この地上での証拠がないことの説明にはなっていない。

統一教会の説明では、なんと共産主義者たち、スターリンまでも霊界解放されたと言っていたから、あの大虐殺を行った彼が霊界解放されているのに、それより日本人の先祖の罪が重い、というのもバランスが取れていないのではないでしょうか。

いずれにしても、霊界は簡単ではないこと、摂理は重いことを認めたとしても、統一教会の説明は雑すぎますし、またあちこちでツイートしてきたと思いますが、先祖解怨したらどうなるのか、という根源的な説明を欠いているというのは致命的に不誠実な行動であると考えます。

ということで、ツイッターだと連ツイになってしまうので、いったんブログに記しておきます。

タイムスタンプも残りますのでね。

もし、現役とかが同じような論調を主張してくるなら、こちらのリンクを紹介することにします。

Families of UC members visit the "Session fo Families of Victims of the UC" for advice on how to have their family members leave the church.

This post is a DeepL translation (partially revised by the blog administrator) of the following article.

本投稿は以下の記事のDeepL翻訳（一部、管理人修正済み）です。

newsdig.tbs.co.jp

Families of Unification Church members visit the "National Association of Families of Victims of the Unification Church" for advice on how to have their family members leave the church.

TBS TV
Saturday, August 27, 2022 18:54

A meeting was held in Tokyo to consult with families of believers in the Unification Church about their concerns and damage caused by the church, including the desire to have their family members leave the church.

The meeting was organized by the "National Association of Families of Victims of the Unification Church," a private organization established in 2003, and was attended by 20 families, including those who claimed that their family members had joined the Unification Church and so-called "second-generation believers" whose parents were members of the church.

The "National Association of Families of Victims of the Unification Church" holds face-to-face counseling sessions five times a year, where lawyers and other counselors are available for consultation, as well as by e-mail and telephone.

A woman whose mother is a believer

She said, "At first I didn't know how to approach him, so I asked him to stop, or I asked him what he was doing, and I blamed him really hard."
The counselor said, "If you told him to stop, it would be 100% impossible."

Former male second-generation believer
"It was very important that he listened to me frankly."

According to the victims' association, the number of consultations was 8 in June before the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe, in July after the incident, and already over 100 this month, and they will continue to hold consultations on a regular basis.

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Unification Church's "Spiritual Sales Case" Investigation Too Deep in the Dark: Why Didn't the Arm of the Law Reach the Church's Main Body?

This post is a DeepL translation (partially revised by the blog administrator) of the following article.

本投稿は以下の記事のDeepL翻訳（一部、管理人修正済み）です。

www.dailyshincho.jp

Unification Church's "Spiritual Sales Case" Investigation Too Deep in the Dark: Why Didn't the Arm of the Law Reach the Church's Main Body?

Sunday, August 28, 2011 11:32

Daily Shincho

　The Unification Church (note 1) is once again attracting a great deal of attention for the huge amount of money it raises in Japan. Particularly problematic is Spiritual Sales. The church tells innocent people that their bad luck is caused by the spirits of their ancestors who are suffering in hell, and then induces them to buy expensive products. Needless to say, it is extremely criminal.

Note 1: The current name of this organization is the "Family Federation for World Peace and Unification," but this article refers to it as the "Unification Church."

　***

　Serious damage is still being caused by Spiritual Sales. What on earth are the police doing? Are they just ineffectively allowing them to run rampant?

　In the 2000s, the police investigated the Unification Church for Spiritual Sales. The media also reported on the case extensively.

　In May 2009, the Fukuoka Prefectural Police arrested a Korean woman in her 60s on suspicion of violating the 'Specified Commercial Transactions Law'. The suspect had worked for a health appliance and seal sales company.

　The suspect told a woman in her 50s living in Fukuoka City, "You have a deep ancestral connection in bad way. You need two more crystal carvings to open your luck. If you don't buy them, you will go to hell," and forced her to sign a sales contract for approximately 3 million yen.

　When the prefectural police questioned the suspect, she stated that she was a member of the Unification Church. The prefectural police raided the church's facilities and confiscated a computer and other items. Incidentally, the Unification Church refused to be interviewed by the media, saying that the sales company and the church had nothing to do with the case.

　The Mainichi Shimbun published an article "Spiritual Sales: Police searched Unification Church in Fukuoka; self-proclaimed its believer arrested on suspicion of selling 'luck crystals'" in its West Japan edition on May 7 of the same year.

■ The Impact of the Regime Change

　The article described the raid of a Unification Church-related facility on suspicion of violating the Specified Commercial Transactions Law as "unusual," and reported that similar raids have begun in other prefectures, reporting as;

"The Nagano and Niigata Prefectural Police have been stepping up raids, arresting company presidents and others on charges of violating the Specified Commercial Transactions Law, including the sale of seals."

　The reporter in charge of the case said, "Even just in the media reports, other investigations were conducted by the Osaka Prefectural Police."

Also he mentioned, "The Fukuoka, Nagano, Niigata, and Osaka prefectural police have all uncovered cases of Unification Church-affiliated groups selling expensive seals through Spiritual Sales. It was clear that the National Police Agency was taking the lead and the prefectural police were working together."

　What is even more interesting is the timing of the arrests. The prime minister at the time was Taro Aso, 81, but the LDP was defeated in the general election held in August of that year and went into opposition.

"The police had been conducting internal investigations for some time, and just before the Democratic Party of Japan came to power, they launched an investigation into the Unification Church. As you know, the close relationship between the LDP and the Unification Church is currently a problem. It is clear that the police were directing the investigation while also keeping an eye on the national political situation.", said the same reporter.

■ A Means of Gaining Believers

　In June of the same year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the "main body" of the investigation, made its move. On June 11, the Public Security Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested seven people, including the president of Shinsei, a seal sales company in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on charges of violating the Specified Commercial Transactions Law.

　The Asahi Shimbun published an article in its evening edition on the same day titled "Suspected of selling seals to stir up unrest; president and others arrested for involvement in Unification Church."

　According to the article, the suspects solicited five women in front of Shibuya Station to take a family name test and told them that their families had bad ancestral ties to you and that their families would be unhappy if the situation continued. The suspects then sold them 13 seals priced from 160,000 to 400,000 yen each (total damage: 4.16 million yen).

　The report also states that, as a result of an investigation by the Public Safety Department of the Metropolitan Police Department, sales of the "Shinsei" reached an astonishing 670 million yen between 2000 and 2009. This was all the "wealth" of the Unification Church.

　The report also revealed that "'Shinsei' was not only profiting enormously from Spiritual Sales, but was also using it as a means of gaining believers. During the raid, manuals for obtaining followers were seized. They took purchasers of seals to a facility called a 'video forum' where new target people were shown videos teaching the doctrines of the Unification Church," said the same reporter.

■ Change of President

　Five female sales staff believers were fined 1 million yen each, and the president and another person were indicted. All of them admitted to being members of the Unification Church.

　Furthermore, in July of the same year, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported a scoop story titled "Tens of millions of yen transferred to believers under the guise of salaries; donations made to the Unification Church?"

　The article stated that "'Shinsei' was paying 70 million yen a year to about 100 believers under the guise of salaries. About 70 of them had never actually worked for the company; when the 100 believers received their nominal salaries, they donated the entire amount to the Unification Church as a contribution. The Asahi Shimbun's report brought to light the inseparable relationship between 'Shinsei' and the Unification Church."

　A short time after the Asahi Shimbun article appeared, the president of the Unification Church of Japan announced his resignation. He did not admit any relationship between "Shinsei" and the Unification Church, but apologized for the involvement of his followers.

　"At the time, an investigation by the National Association of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales (Zenkoku Benren) revealed that the real power of the Unification Church of Japan was in the hands of Korean executives. The replacement of the Japanese president was nothing more than a "lizard's tail," so to speak. The successor president had long served as president of the International Union for Victory and was known to have deep connections in the political world. It is quite understandable that the Unification Church, feeling a sense of crisis, expected the new president to have political power,' the reporter said.

■ Investigation concluded

　The first trial in the Tokyo District Court was held on September 10, 2009. The change of government had already taken place, and the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, was scheduled to start on September 16.

　"In their opening statement, the prosecutors pointed out that Spiritual Sales was a religious activity of the Unification Association, and that its ultimate goal was to make believers donate their entire fortune. The content of the statement was so in-depth that even the National Federation of Bar Associations gave it high marks, and some people involved in the case expressed hope that the criminal trial might be used as a springboard for an investigation into the Unification Church itself."

　In November, the Tokyo District Court sentenced the president of Shinsei to two years in prison, suspended for four years, and fined 3 million yen.

　The presiding judge harshly criticized the company for "making its sales staff aware of illegal seal sales methods through manuals and other means that were mixed with religious beliefs," and for "being part of a continuous criminal activity that was recognized to be highly organized" (Note 2).

Note 2: Tokyo District Court convicts president of selling Shinsei seals "for the purpose of gaining believers" (Asahi Shimbun: November 11, 2009)

　This was the first criminal case in which the court found a connection between Spiritual Sales and the Unification Church. It shows that not only the police and prosecutors, but also the court, strongly considered the Unification Church's antisocial activities to be a problem.

　The Unification Church did not appeal and the ruling became final. However, the investigation did not reach further after that.

■ Intervention by Politicians

　There were no raids on the Unification Church's headquarters, nor were any Japanese or Korean leaders of the church interrogated.

　Even though we know that "history has no ifs, but "many of us may wonder what would have happened if the Unification Church's leaders had been investigated at that time."

　Hiroshi Yamaguchi, a lawyer with the National Federation of Bar Associations, who is familiar with the investigations of that time, says, "Of course, it is understandable that there are various opinions about the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's investigation from the current perspective."

Also, "however, as I fixed my eyes in the investigation, I was surprised by what the Metropolitan Police Department was doing. Top-secret documents were found in the raid, and the fact that the Unification Church was directing Spiritual Sales was exposed in the light of day. The Tokyo District Court's ruling was also harsh in its condemnation of the Unification Church. I realized that if the investigative agencies and the courts were serious, they could achieve so much," he said.

　However, the investigation did not go any further. According to Attorney Yamaguchi, there were multiple factors.

　"Even though it was under the Democratic Party of Japan, there was still intervention by politicians who were well acquainted with the police. In cases like this, public opinion is the key. In the 2000s, many people thought that the Unification Church was a thing of the past."

■ The Value of the District Court Decision

　When Junko Sakurada, a famous actress, attended a Mass Wedding in 1992, the Japanese media reported the Unification Church's problems day after day.

　But then, Aum Shinrikyo committed a number of heinous crimes. As a result, in the 2000s, interest in the Unification Church had waned considerably.

　Even after the Tokyo District Court handed down a guilty verdict in November 2009, investigative agencies were slow to act thereafter. Then, on December 16, 2012, the DPJ suffered a crushing defeat in the general election.

　On December 26, the same year, a new cabinet was formed with Shinzo Abe as prime minister. Many people involved thought that this would be the end of the investigation into the Unification Church.

　However, Attorney Yamaguchi points out that this is precisely why the Tokyo District Court's precedent should be reexamined.

　"Even today, there are victims of Spiritual Sales by the Unification Church. It is not a story of the past. Whether the police conduct investigations or the media pursue the Unification Church's problems, the 2009 Tokyo District Court ruling should provide various suggestions."

Daily Shincho editorial staff

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Unification Church: Five former female believers talk about the reality of "Mass Wedding is the biggest goal"

This post is a DeepL translation (partially revised by the blog administrator) of the following article.

本投稿は以下の記事のDeepL翻訳（一部、管理人修正済み）です。

newsdig.tbs.co.jp

Five former female believers talk about the reality of "Mass Wedding is the biggest goal"

"I thought it was like a vegetable auction" and "It was horrible that there was no conflict"

[Special Report].

TBS TV
Special Report
Saturday, August 27, 2022 20:51

In addition to large donations and Spiritual Sales, there is also the issue of Mass Weddings, where lives and families were ruined over the damage caused by the Unification Church. Former Mass Wedding participants talked about their marriages and the reality of the cult in this special report.

■ Mass Wedding is a "blessing" and "the greatest goal of believers

Five Interviewees

Former female believers who held a Mass Wedding in South Korea, all but one, four, showed up for interviews, said they joined the church in the late 1980s and 1990s through introductions from acquaintances or after being solicited on the street.

Ms. Takako Zenba, anchor
"Can't (Unification Church members) be interviewed on their own initiative?"

All of them
"No, we can't." "No."

Yoko, a former member of the Unification Church who participated in a Mass Wedding ceremony in 1988, said, "It is Satan who denies the Unification Church or speaks ill of it. I thought so too when I was in (the cult). If I hadn't stopped, I would still be there (among the believers). The staff are good people, and during the time I was there, they repeatedly listened to my stories, or reviewed the content of the lectures, so they convinced me that it was a great story."

After joining the church, the biggest goal of the believers is to have a Mass Wedding.

Yoko, a former believer
"After that, we learn that if we don't receive the Mass Wedding Blessing, we can't really enter heaven. Receiving that (blessing) is the goal. In the end, we want to receive the blessing, and that's what we want to do."

Caster Zemba
"Do they confirm whether or not you have a desire (for a marriage partner)?"

Former believer, Yoko
"Japanese people have historically occupied Korea, so basically, believers are taught that this is Japan's greatest sin, or something like that, at the entrance point. We were told that marrying a Korean is like a prince marrying a dog, a dog that has been abandoned, and that it is a real honor to be in such a position."

■For the 1.4 million yen to participate in the ceremony... focused on "Spiritual Sales".

To be with a prince charming...

Zemba Caster
"Is there a fee for participating in the Mass Wedding?"

Yoko, a former believer
"I think it was 1.4 million yen."

In order to participate in the Mass Wedding, she put more effort into Spiritual Sales, selling expensive vases, paintings, and other items.

Former believer, Yoko
"We sell seals and other such items through Spiritual Sales talks, and the amount of sales would be added to the donation as an achievement. The amount of money sold is added to the total amount of donations."

Caster Zenba
"You mean that you were required to meet some sort of quota?"

Yoko, former believer
"Yes, but I think there was an understanding that all of it (donations) would go to Sun Myung Moon's father."
　
There is a big difference in the participation fee for Mass Wedding between Japan and South Korea.

2 million KRW = 200,000 JPY, 1/7 of Japan

According to the "Mass Wedding" manual for South Koreans obtained by the Special Report, the basic fee is 2 million won (200,000 Japanese yen), which is lower than the fee for Japanese.

■ What is the reality of Mass Wedding? It was like "a vegetable auction" and "not my type at all"

When Japanese believers arrive in Korea to participate in a Mass Wedding...

"It was like a vegetable auction"

Taeko, a former believer who participated in the Mass Wedding in 1988
"When I got off the plane, I was told, 'Get on this bus,' and we went to the Mass Wedding venue, and what I felt there was that it was like a vegetable auction. My partner in front of our group, hold a card with my name, and we each say, 'Hi,' and there we go."

Yoko, a former believer
"When I saw the face and atmosphere of my Korean partner, he was not my type at all. To be honest, I thought, "What? But he was my chosen spouse, so I felt that I shouldn't have those feelings. But honestly, I was conflicted. Even though, I thought I was rather better, as there were many more, who is like an mysterious, unknown person..."

I thought I was rather better. (Some are) Like a mysterious, unknown person..

Caster Zenba
"What do you mean by "mysterious" for example?"

Yoko, a former believer
"There were all kinds of people, including very elderly..."
　
According to the cult's doctrine at that time, one could not live with one's spouse until the age of 30, and sexual intercourse was also forbidden. Therefore, many Japanese wives under the age of 30 returned to Japan for a time, and some left the church during that time; five former believers also left the church and divorced when they returned to Japan.

There is a photo from a Korean "Mass Wedding" manual.

"Korea-Japan Blessed Families Japanese Culture Experience Visit Education"

It was taken when a Korean man, who could not live with his wife, visited Japan to meet his spouse. Perhaps it was to relieve his anxiety. The cult had been conducting such 3-day/2-night tours and other activities.

■In some cases, a Korean man violently attacked his Japanese spouse, she thought she would be dead for this...

There were also cases in which Korean husbands violently attacked their spouses.

Kyoko, a former believer who participated in a Mass Wedding in 1992
"Korean spouses immediately think that a blessing means marriage, so he call me all the time to ask me when I will come. Since he was not a person who had a steady job, he started asking me for money. I think he got so frustrated that on the way home (when we met), he got very angry and choked me. I thought he was going to kill me..."

Caster Zenba
"Not to run away or fight back?"

Kyoko, former believer
"No, not at all. Even if they strangle me, beat me, or get angry at me, I think that if I overcome such things, I will be saved that much more."

Yoko, former believer
"Yoko, a former believer, said, "There were people who approached me in a sexual way, demanding, of course, half-raped his spouse. they said to had tried to avoid it, but 'I couldn't make it'."

■ In many cases, the partner was "not a believer," and "the Blessing was just a means to get married."

Many husbands who welcomed Japanese wives were not believers.

Zemba, anchor
"Are there are many cases where the man is not a believer?."

All
"Most of them, I think...most of them."　

A leaflet that the cult is said to be distributing in Korea says the following...

”Free Marriage Counseling" on top of the Flyer

• "Unmarried men and women who are having trouble choosing a marriage partner."
• "Those who are desperate because they have missed their chance to get married.
• "Please feel free to call us right now."

The flyers do not include the words "Unification Church" or "Mass Wedding," and could easily be mistaken for an invitation to join a marriage counseling agency. A number of Korean men have reportedly joined and married easily after reading such flyers.

Japanese former followers also testified that Mass Wedding was nothing more than a means for Korean men to get married.

Former believer, Yoko
”My ex-husband had three or four brothers, but he was the only one who couldn't get married. I thought it was because he didn't have a wife to apply for the Mass Wedding.

■ Even sleeping in the barn... "It was horrible that I didn't have any conflicts.

Yuko, a former believer, participated in a Mass Wedding in 1995.
"I think it was somewhere around here. It was about an hour from Seoul, or about an hour by express bus. It was in the middle of the mountains."

Yuko, a former believer, has lived with her Korean ex-husband for three months. They lived with her husband's brother's family in their farmhouse.

Former believer, Yuko
"We were like house-sitters, and I think the brother probably did all the work in the fields, rice paddies, and taking care of the cows. I don't know what kind of work my husband does for a living. We only go here at night when we sleep, and our whole life is done here..."

Zemba Caster
"Did you sleep in the cowshed?"

Former believer, Yuko
"Yes, I did. That's right, a cowshed. There were a lot of family members there originally. His brother and his wife, his mother and her children, there were about seven of them."

Caster Zenba
"There were cows, too, weren't there?"

Former believer, Yuko-san
"When I opened the door, the cows were there. Yes, they smelled pretty good..."

Picture 1995

The photograph, taken in 1995, shows a rural Korean village where a Japanese wife married into the family. The damaged house, outdoor baths and laundry tubs. It is believed that numerous Japanese wives are still living in poor farming villages.

Zemba Caster
"I think it is difficult to treat people with love even if you are told to have a family, and I think it is difficult even if you are suddenly told to have a family."

Former believer, Yuko
"No, I think the fact that I didn't have any conflicts is frightening when I think about it now. It's kind of strange. I can't help but wonder myself when I think about it now. I wonder how I could have done that, thinking about it in a normal way. Now I can only laugh at it."

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's patron is the chairman of an organization affiliated with the Unification Church

This post is a DeepL translation (partially revised by the blog administrator) of the following article.

本投稿は以下の記事のDeepL翻訳（一部、管理人修正済み）です。

bunshun.jp

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's patron is the chairman of an organization affiliated with the Unification Church, which "promotes the construction of the Japan-South Korea Tunnel

Tuesday, August 23, 16:12
Bunshun Online

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, 65, has reshuffled his cabinet in light of his relationship with the Unification Church (now the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification). The Shukan Bunshun (weekly magazine) has learned that the prime minister's patron-in-chief is the chairman of an organization affiliated with the Unification Church. The prime minister had previously stated, "I personally have no relationship with the church.

■ Who is Prime Minister Kishida's patronage chairman?

At a press conference on August 10, Prime Minister Kishida stated that, in reshuffling his cabinet, "In order to dispel public suspicions, I have stated to the cabinet members that I will inspect their relationship with the organization and strictly review it in light of the results, and I have appointed only those who have agreed to this.

An assistant political editor stated, "We have removed from office seven cabinet ministers, including Minister of Regional Development Seiko Noda, who were found to have ties with the Unification Church. However, even since then, the existence of cabinet ministers and deputy ministers who were involved with the church has been revealed one after another." 

Prime Minister Kishida's patron is Mineo Nakayama, president of Sojo University (Kumamoto City), who serves as chairman of the Kumamoto Kishida Association, which was launched on July 31, 2020.

Kishida's lack of name recognition in rural areas was an issue for him, and he urgently needed to cultivate the votes of party members in order to win the presidential election of the LDP. Kumamoto was a particularly important prefecture for him. Kumamoto is home to several Kishida faction members, but it is also a region with a strong conservative base, which is also a weak point. Nakayama was said to have been working hard as the president of the supporters' association to gather votes from party members.

"In the presidential election in September 2021, the formation of the supporters' association bore fruit. In Kumamoto, Kishida received 6109 votes to Kono's 6012, a difference of 97 votes. In the runoff, Kumamoto's precious "one vote" went to Kishida. As a result, he was elected president of the LDP and sat in the prime minister's chair", said the assistant political editor.

■ In 2016, Hak Ja Han Moon visited Japan to inspect the Japan-South Korea Tunnel

Meanwhile, Nakayama had served as chairman of the "Kumamoto Prefectural Council for the Promotion of the Japan-Korea Tunnel" since 2011.

The Japan-Korea Tunnel Initiative is a project proposed by Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church. It is a grand plan to connect Japan and South Korea through a tunnel in order to realize a unified world. The total length of the tunnel is estimated to be 200 kilometers and the total construction cost is estimated at 10 trillion yen.

In fact, in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, construction of a survey tunnels was started in 1986. However, only a 500-meter-long tunnel has been dug to date.

”Nevertheless, in 2009, the "International Highway Foundation" was established, and former presidents of the Church, such as Eiji Tokuno, have served as trustees; in 2016, President Hak Ja Han visited Japan to inspect the tunnel", a city news reporter said.

■ Kumamoto Kishida-kai also refused at first.

A prefectural government official said, "The doctrine of the Unification Church is that Japan, as the nation of Eve, must repent to South Korea, as the nation of Adam. Contrary to this doctrine, however, the Japan-Korea Tunnel has ostensibly promoted friendship between the two countries. Many of those involved are close to politics. It is believed that Mr. Nakayama has been working through these political contacts to win Kishida's party membership."

We interviewed Mr. Nakayama.

He said, "I was asked by a city council member who is one of the initiators of the Japan-Korea Tunnel to be the chairman (of the council), and I accepted the position. I am only present at the annual general meeting. I have heard that in Korea, the people who are working on the Japan-Korea Tunnel are former Unification Church members. But I have no impression that such people are involved in Kumamoto.

The Kumamoto Kishida Association also turned the proposal down at first, but I accepted because I had to. I first met Mr. Kishida in December 2019. I thought he was a good person who would listen to me. My goal was to increase the number of party members who would vote for Mr. Kishida in the presidential election of the LDP. I think we achieved our goal."

■ Although Kishida has maintained that there is no relationship between himself and the Unification Church...

When we asked Prime Minister Kishida to confirm the facts, he responded as follows.

"I am not aware of the meeting in question (Kumamoto Prefectural Council for the Promotion of the Japan-Korea Tunnel), nor do I know that the said meeting has the relationship (being an affiliated organization of the Unification Church) as you have indicated. When I asked the chairman about the relationship, he did not seem to know about it either."

However, The Shukan Bunshun also learned that a prefectural assembly member in charge of electioneering in his hometown of Hiroshima and a former prefectural assembly member who strongly promoted Kishida to be elected to the Diet from Hiroshima Prefecture and join the Kishida faction also have close ties to organizations affiliated with the Unification Church.

Prime Minister Kishida urged his cabinet members to strictly review and sever their ties with the Unification Church. On the other hand, he has maintained that he has no relationship with the Unification Church. However, now that it has come to light that a person with close ties to the Unification Church was a key figure in supporting Mr. Kishida's political activities, including as patronage chairman and campaign manager, it will be interesting to see what kind of explanation he will give.

In the "Shukan Bunshun" (electronic edition) distributed on Tuesday, August 23 at 12:00 p.m. and in the "Shukan Bunshun" to be released on Wednesday, August 24, the detailed relationship between Prime Minister Kishida and Mr. Nakayama and the reality of the Japan-South Korea Tunnel plan, the issue of the Unification Church-affiliated organization chaired by the person in charge of Prime Minister Kishida's election campaign, the relatives of Sun Myung Moon who have supported Hagiuda, the report also thoroughly examines the relationship between the Kishida administration and the Unification Church, including a newspaper affiliated with the church in which Reconstruction Minister Kenya Akiba, who denies any relationship with the church, appeared.

Shukan Bunshun" Editorial Department / Shukan Bunshun, September 1, 2022

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