Stranger Things

First up, I just cannot believe that a Korean group, even a cult, would use as its symbol something so reminiscent of Japan's Rising Sun flag.

QuoteThe flag is controversial in some Asian countries, mainly in South Korea, North Korea and China, as well as among Allied World War II veterans (mainly in Australia), where it is associated with Japanese war crimes, the Axis powers, and Japanese militarism and imperialism.

The UC does have its explanation and reasoning for the flag. But I just can't unsee the similarity no matter how hard I try.

The Unification Church symbol - scroll down. You can see it below the crossword puzzle.


Here are early origins from the early 1950s of the liberating ancestors concept which is at the heart of many of the "spiritual sales" scandals and the dissolution order upheld by Tokyo's High Court.

1999: Sun Myung Moon, The Early Years, 1920-53 (Michael Breen/True Parents Website)

Chapter 2, Page 30:

QuoteAs his faith developed, a nascent desire to free the world from suffering crystallized within him. Around him he saw material hardship and spiritual suffering. People were not joyful or fulfilled. At the ancestral shrine on the hill above the village he wondered about his ancestors and felt that they, too, had suffered, and that their spirits still suffered. Death did not bring perfection. In the spiritual world, a man continues as he is in life. His descendants, too, would struggle with the same problems for generations, unless liberated.

Note: Expensive Liberating ancestors is a large part of this group's modus operandi, which is to date one of two Korean groups to have had its religious license revoked.

Related: As reported in the July 2022 article below, Breen is writing another book about Moon. I really hope the current scandals haven't scuttled Michael's new book. I'm really curious to read it. And this is the first mention I've seen of a year of his departure from the UC - 1982. Also of note is Michael's description of the movement as a form of communism, which Moon always railed against - except when it came to befriending Kim Sung-il ala Trump and Sung-il's grandson. Comparing Trump to Moon is another topic in and of itself....

July 16, 2022: Church or Cult? Inside the Moonies' 'World of Delusion' (The Financial Times)

Quote"Ideologically, it was a sort of religious version of communism — we're all one family of mankind, and the idea is to build a unified world," said Michael Breen, a British public relations consultant who was a member of the church between 1978 and 1982. "You felt you were part of something very noble and very wholesome." But critics accuse church leaders of exploiting members' labour and capital — including billions of dollars transferred from Japan to the US — to build and seed its business empire. ...

...But while acknowledging the church's many scandals, he rejected its common characterisation as a "cult". "All religions begin as cults — people have always feared these groups because by definition they are radical," said Breen, who is writing his second biography of Moon and remains sympathetic to the movement. "But in my experience, the Moonies are very nice people — and you can leave any time you want."

Now specifically to "fund raising" in Japan and where the money went:

September 16, 1984: Moon's Japanese Profits Bolster Efforts in US (The Washington Post)

QuoteThe Japanese branch of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church has transferred at least $800 million over the past nine years into the US to finance the church's political activities and business operations, including The Washington Times, according to two former high-ranking church officials. This money is generated in Japan, primarily through a Tokyo-based business operation that uses church members to sell marble vases, miniature treasure pagodas and other religious icons that are represented as having supernatural powers, the former officials said. ...

More than 2,600 complaints about the sale of marble vases, ivory seals and minature pagodas of the kind that are often sold by church members were lodged with the Japan Consumer Information Center between 1976 and 1982, according to a report made by the goverment-funded agency. Hundreds of these complaints involved reported cases of intimidation, threats or misrepresentations in which salesmen preyed on the "religious anxieties" of consumers, according to the center's report. The small objects often were portrayed as having mystical powers that could save unhappy marriages, cure illnesses or purge the evil spirits of samurai ancestors, the report said.

In one case cited in a center pamphlet, a woman whose husband had just died in an auto accident was being sold one of the objects. The salesman told her the evil spirit of a samurai ancestor who had killed with his sword was tormenting the family. The sale would solve that. "If you don't buy it, the same evil spirit will continue with your children and they will meet the same fate," the salesmen said, according to the pamphlet.[

Consumer Center officials cannot directly link such incidents with the church's operations here. The salesmen, Soejima and Inoue said, are instructed never to identify themselves as being with the Unification Church or Happy World."We had orders that, when engaging in economic activity, never say you are a member of the church," Inoue said.

Note to Self: Long, detailed & worth rereading.

Dec. 20, 1987: Seeking Influence, Rev. Moon Spends Big On New Right (Philly - Internet Archive

QuoteIn July, lawyers of the national bar association in Japan uncovered an illegal, church-organized high-presssure sales scheme in which buyers of cheaply made religious artifacts and talismans were bilked out of at least $165 million. And investigators termed that only "the tip of the iceberg."

The sum represented only the total spent by 14,579 known victims between 1980 and 1987, the report said, noting that normally only 1 percent of consumer fraud victims come forward. Purchasers - predominantly "women who have had an accidental death or fatal illness in the family, are widowed or divorced, or have had a miscarriage" - had paid up to $100,000 for stone urns, pagodas and other charms to ward off evil spirits supposedly afflicting them, according to the report.

UC officials in Japan denied any church connection to the scheme and issued a formal statement saying that "the Communist Party, the Socialist Party and other atheists are behind these reports." John Biermans, spokesman for the U.S. Unification Church, acknowledged, after speaking with Japanese church leaders, that individual Japanese Moon followers sold the artifacts, but he insisted there was no official church role.

Buying artifacts to appease ancestors "is a part of the valid spiritual experience of the Unification Church in Japan," he said. And if prices were high, "sometimes healing has to do with how much money you give." Ignored by the Japanese bar, Biermans said, were "the positive experiences. . . . the many people who have experienced miracles around these vases, whose lives were changed, whose health problems went away."

July 26. 1995: Bush Address in Japan Drawing Criticism (UPI)

Aug. 4, 1996: Widow Pays Church to End Husband's 'Suffering in Hell' (The Washington Post)

QuoteTwo months later, the church member told Nakajima that a "very famous teacher" would be speaking nearby and invited her to come hear him. When the widow met the teacher, he began crying and trembling. Your husband is descending. I can see your husband's body suffering in hell. I cannot stop myself from shaking. Your husband is saying he wants you to donate" $50,000..

From the staunchest non-member supporter of the UC:

From the Unification Church to the Unification Movement, 1994-1999: Five Years of Dramatic Changes (Massimo Introvigne/CESNUR)

QuoteAnother important development has been the repentance movement at Chung Pyung Workshop Centre in South Korea. Chung Pyung had long been a holy ground for the Unification Church, but since 1995 workshops began to liberate Unificationists from evil spirits.

Mrs. Moon's deceased mother, called Dae Mo Nim (Great Mother) by Unificationists, is said to cooperate from the spiritual world with a medium, Mrs. Hyo Nam Kim, who leads the workshops. With the assistance of angels, many spirits are said to be encouraged to leave Unificationists' bodies and go to the spiritual world for a Divine Principle workshop led by Heung Jin-moon, the Reverend and Mrs. Moon's son who died in a car crash in 1984. By the beginning of 1999, over 300 three-day workshops and thirty forty-day workshops have taken place and more than 250,000 members have participated. There are a number of testimonies of miraculous physical healing as well as people claiming to have seen angels or the liberation of resentful spirits from their bodies.

A further development has been the claim of liberation and then education and Blessing of ancestors which has become a regular feature of both the Chung Pyung seminars and Mrs Hyo Nam Kim's visits to other nations. Up until September 1999 the liberation ceremonies were exclusively directed at the first seven generations of members' ancestors on the father's side, with plans for further ceremonies later to liberate up to 120 generations. There are indications that liberation ceremonies for the ancestors on the Mother's side will be available soon.

For blessed members who have had children who have died there is an occasional ceremony to make a connection to their child in the spirit world, where they can grow and mature up to the level at which they can be matched and blessed.

This next link, an academic paper, is a very good place to start an exploration of the UC in Japan written 18 years before its practices made headlines following the murder of Shinzo Abe. This calls to mind the title of a fantasy novel by fellow Austalian James Islington that I read a couple of years ago: An Echo Of Things to Come ...

2004: An Illegal Missionary Work Lawsuit & Exit Counseling for UC Members (Dr. Yoshihide Sakurai -Hokkaido University)

QuoteIn the 1970s the Unification Church of Japan extended its activities to politics, academia, and the economy. The International Federation for Victory over Communism was established in 1968 to cooperate with Japanese conservative politicians. This group utilized the manpower of Unification Church members for political and election campaigns, and in exchange some politicians helped defend the Unification Church against social criticism.

The Professors World Peace Academy, established in 1973, also encouraged the mass media and academics to endorse the aims and activities of the Unification Church. At that time the headquarters of the Unification Church and Sun-myung Moon's family moved to the United States and initiated a propaganda campaign. The cost of these activities was supported by the Unification Church of Japan, which began business activities, such as the wellknown selling of flowers and miscellaneous goods.

April 9, 2008: UC Agrees to Pay Woman 230 Million Yen (Religion News Blog)

QuoteThe woman, 70, from Chiba Prefecture, had demanded about 260 million yen in compensation, claiming the group pushed her to make contributions. She said she was told the reason her husband died of an illness was "because of his fate caused by ancestors' actions." The sum is a record for an out-of-court settlement involving the Unification Church and an individual, the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales said.

Representatives of the Unification Church, a religious group founded in South Korea by the Rev. Sun-myung Moon, initially offered 130 million yen to the woman. But they added about 100 million yen to the sum after the woman indicated she would pursue the responsibility of the education ministry, which oversees religious corporations.

Hiroshi Yamaguchi, a lawyer with the network against spiritual sales, said the Unification Church likely increased the sum out of fear of the ministry. "The Unification Church must be hoping to avoid a possible suspension and other punitive measures," he said.

Spring, 2008: The Next Aum: Religious Violence & New Religious Movements in Twenty-First Century Japan Greg Wilkonson, Doctor of Philosophy / University of Iowa) - 236-Page PDF
Confession: I haven't explored this in full yet, but I quote below the abstract, a related tidbit of information about cult apologists, and a couple of paragraphs about the work of lawyers that support victims of cults. All relevent to the UC and recent events.

Quote

ABSTRACT (Partial)

The violence of Aum Shinrikyō has had four observable consequences for new religious movements in Japan: a change in posture by the Japanese government toward new religious movements, stricter laws and regulations regarding new religious movements and tighter enforcement of those laws, a growing skepticism by the media and scholars towards new religious movements, and increasing skepticism about new religions movements among community groups and the public at large. ...

In 1995, after the subway attack, Aum appealed to the Association of World Academics for Religious Education (AWARE), claiming it was being unfairly targeted by both the government and media. AWARE had often served as a defender of the religious freedom and human rights of individual believers and religious groups around the world. Several U.S. scholars traveled to Japan, under the auspices of AWARE, to investigate possible civil rights violations of arrested Aum adherents. These scholars focused on possible civil rights violations independently of the issue of the guilt or innocence of the Aum leadership for their crimes. The emotionally-charged atmosphere led to further claims that scholars of religious studies were ignorant of Aum's violent nature and would support Aum regardless of the evidence linking it to terrorist attacks. This further damaged the reputation and perceived legitimacy of religious scholars, both Western and Japanese. ...

In 1998, the anti-cult movement in Japan created a legal group called the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales 全国霊感商法対策弁護士連絡会 (Zenkoku reikan shōhō taisaku bengoshi renrakukai), and this group of 300 lawyers from across Japan is focused solely on the activities of the Unification Church in Japan. ...

In 2008, this legal group represented a former member of the Unification Church. The network claimed that the church had defrauded the member by convincing her that only by making large donations to the church would the sins of her ancestors be redeemed. The suit is similar to suits brought against several other new religious movements in the post-Aum era. The significant outcome of this suit is that the Unification Church chose to settle for 230 million yen (approximately 2.3 million U.S. dollars, well above the amount the former member made in donations to the group). The settlement was allegedly carried out in order to keep the former member and the network of lawyers from registering complaints or filing suits with the Ministry of Education, the government agency that has oversight over religious groups and decides who gains and keeps religious corporation status.

Related:
Aug. 25, 2025: Meet the Shadowy Scholars Supporting England's Doomsday Cult (Be Scofield)

QuoteAnother key cult apologist who defended AROPL at their "Supremacy of God" conference was Gordon Melton. In 1995 he and James Lewis had expenses paid by the Aum Shinrokyo cult to fly to Japan and defend them after the sarin gas subway attack that killed 13 people. They told the press they investigated and that the cult couldn't have produced the sarin gas. They chastised the government for "religious persecution." Just days later, however, the group's poison stockpile that was used was found, leaving the men with proverbial egg on their face.

Note: As far as I know Gordeon Melton opted out of that notorious press conference. I met both James and Gordon at a conference organized by the main subject of the above article, Massimo Introvigne. And I also met Holly Folk and Eileen Barker. Gordon and Holly, I quite liked. They were friendly and warm and seem to know their stuff. I can't quite equate my memories of Holly with her comments discrediting former members of cults and victims of sexual assult. Gordon, on the other hand, gave a very un-apologist presentation about China's Eastern Lightening cult and numerous instances of violence, which later Massimo, as mentioned on the murder victim's wikipedia, has tried to debunk. James I thought had that annoying mix of arrogance and ignorance. He asked a question at my presentation that absolutely stunned me. The kind of question I would respond with "that's a good question" if it had been asked by an 8-year-old. Eileen, well she just seemed like a friendly English grandmother - and I have found some of her articles interesting as well as a little mystifying, but it was clear she was friendly with the UC leadership, as was Massimo. More about cult apologists here.

2010: Geopolitical Mission Strategy: The Case of the Unification Church in Japan & Korea (Dr. Yoshihide Sakurai for the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies)

QuoteAs Figure 1 indicates, severe criticism from attorneys and the mass media has made UC members change their methods of fundraising spiritual goods sales since the beginning of the 1990s. Because the UC received the rulings in several courts to compensate the purchasers for damages, they simply asked for more donations and borrowed money from their members and their families. Exploitation was shifted from the general public to their own members. ...

Moreover, the Public Safety Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department searched camouflaged voluntary groups affiliated with the UC on suspicion of fraudulently-obtained contributions on 18 February 2008. In the same year the prefectural police of Fukuoka and Nagano also searched UC-affiliated companies that were suspected of extorsionary sales of signet and crystal by using the threat of a curse.

2022

July 8: Shinzo Abe: Japan Ex-Leader Assassinated While Giving Speech (BBC News)

July 8: Suspected Gunman Says 'No Political Grudge' Against Abe (Asahi Shimbun)

July 10: Abe's Suspected Killer Led Life of 'Hard Times' Because of Group (Asahi Shimbun)

July 11: Suspect Fired at Religious Goup's Facility Day Before Abe Slain (Asahi Shimbun)

July 12: South Korean Church Known for Mass Weddings in Spotlight After Abe's Killing (The Straits Times)

QuoteIn Japan, a network of 300 lawyers have sued the church for its controversial practices and urged Japanese politicians including Mr Abe to stop supporting it. In a petition signed last year in response to Mr Abe's speech, the lawyers accused the church of suppressing the human rights of followers, breaking up families, and causing "serious adverse effect" on Japanese society.

"In order for Mr Abe to continue being an active politician, it is not a good idea for him to cooperate with the Unification Church and its affiliated groups and support their events," they said. "We strongly urge you to consider your reputation and do not repeat this kind of action."

During a press conference held on Wednesday, the lawyers said that the Unification Church continues to seek huge donations and sell spiritual items today - even though the Japanese branch had said their attitude towards donations changed after 2009. The lawyers released documents showing that they made 34,537 consultations from 1986 to 2021 regarding monetary losses of about 123.7 billion yen due to large donations or purchase of expensive spiritual items, according to The Asahi Shimbun.

July 12: Unification Church: Murder Suspect's Mother Still a Member (Asahi Shimbun)

July 12: Why Did Abe Appear in a Unification Church Video? (Chosun Ilbo)

QuoteThe relationship between the Unification Church and Japanese political circles is being all the more highlighted due to the religious movement's enormous success in Japan. Last September, Abe delivered a keynote address at the Rally of Hope event co-hosted by the Universal Peace Federation — a group affiliated with the Unification Church — and the FFWPU via video following their launch ceremony for "Think Tank 2022: Toward Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula." The event saw other participants along with Abe, such as former US President Donald Trump, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, and former President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso. ...

Abe seems to have made his video address for the Unification Church event due to the long-held ties between the church and right-wing political forces in Japan. Moon Sun-myung (1920-2012), the founder of the Unification Church, reportedly held intimate ties with right-wing Japanese politicians ever since the founding of the Japan chapter of the International Federation for Victory over Communism (IFVOC) in April 1968.

The relationship between the Unification Church and Japanese right-wing political forces can also be seen in the fact that former Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, Abe's maternal grandfather and an ultranationalist within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), visited a Unification Church in Japan in April 1970. Afterward, Kishi reportedly proactively utilized the IFVOC in Japan to garner financial support and build consensus for anti-communist legislation such as the establishment of an anti-espionage act by the LDP in the 1970s.

Hiroshi Yamaguchi, the president of the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales — a team of lawyers who have brought suits for damages against the Unification Church — and a lawyer who wrote the expose concerning the church titled "The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification," pinpointed Kishi and Ryoichi Sasakawa, a former member of the House of Representatives and a Class A war criminal, as key figures who helped the church gain political influence within the LDP during an interview with CBS.

Note: Time Magazine in April 2024 reported that Trump was paid $2.5 million for the above.

QuoteToday, the mainstream Unification Church and its splinters compete for endorsement from the American right. Dunkley's leaked Zoom call also revealed a ramping up of political influence operations in "America centering on the work of the Washington Times."

On Aug. 12, 2022, former CIA director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich addressed a Unification Church-front Universal Peace Federation (UPF) event in Seoul to mark the 10th anniversary of Moon's death. Trump, meanwhile, sent a video message that described Moon as a "true inspiration" and Hak Ja Han as a "amazing and wonderful woman." According to financial records, Trump received around $2.5 million to make that and two other video appearances between 2021 and 2022, while former Vice President Mike Pence was paid $550,000 for speaking at a UPF event. In May, Trump sent another video message to a UPF event.

Strait says the Unification Church leadership twists such paid endorsement "as proof of the divinity of mission" to coerce more donations from its members. The effect is circular: the more donations the church can solicit, the more it can spend on attracting high profile patronage, which it then leverages to attract more donations.

Related: What Is a 'Class-A War Criminal'? More on the Yasukuni Controversy (The Atlantic - January 11, 2014)

Quote"Class-A War Criminal" had a very specific meaning in the context of the Tokyo trials. "Class-A" war crimes were defined as "crimes against peace". Crimes against humanity, such as genocide or the Nanking massacre were "Class-C" crimes while the more usual war crimes, such as shooting helpless prisoners, were "Class-B" war crimes.

The 25 Japanese officials tried for Class-A war crimes were tried for plotting and waging war, i.e. crimes against peace. Some of them were tried additionally for Class-B and Class-C crimes, and all those multiply convicted were executed. But at least two of those charged with Class-A crimes resumed civilian life, in the Japanese cabinet in the 1950s and as the CEO of Nissan, respectively.

July 2022 Cont.

July 12: What is UC & Why is It Controversial? (The Korean Herald)

July 12: How Abe & Japan Became Vital to Moon's UC (The Washington Post)

QuoteRepresentatives for Trump, Pompeo, and Gingrich did not respond to Insider's queries about why they appeared at the conference and what compensation they received.

July 13: We Were Wrong to Forget About the Moonies (The Telegraph/Internet Archive)

QuoteElgen Strait, who was born into the Moonies in the US in the early Eighties, but now hosts a podcast in which he rails against the church's sinister and bullying behaviour, is sceptical.

"There's a concept that runs throughout the entire organisation that says your spiritual standing is directly impacted by the amount of money you give," he says. "In the US you're meant to give 10 per cent of your pre-tax income every month. In Japan, it's 30 per cent. But that's just to start with."

On top of this, further donations are expected, he says, in order to "liberate your ancestors" and for a multitude of other "spiritual reasons". Ancestor liberation ceremonies are held to "promote ancestors in the spiritual world" (Dr Chryssides' words); or, as the late Rev Moon put it, to "completely change the lineage of all human beings back into God's lineage, as completely ideal sons and daughters" because "most of your ancestors have actually gone to hell". Liberating them can cost up to hundreds of dollars.

July 13: Problems Over Money Continue at UC: Lawyers (Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteIn 2021, the group held an online event dubbed the "Rally of Hope" and its star-studded lineup, mainly consisting of conservative politicians, stunned many. The list of speakers included former US President Donald Trump, former Japanese PM Abe and current Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

July 13: Lawyers in Japan say UC Lying About not Extorting Donations from Followers (Mainichi Shimbun)

July 13: Trump Allegedly Has Close Ties with Unification Church Which Caused the Assassination of Shinzo Abe (Indonesian National Police)

QuoteAs reported by The Straits Times, Abe became the first foreign leader to meet Trump when he won the 2016 US presidential election. The second meeting is said to have occurred because it was assisted by the Unification Church. According to Japanese magazine Shincho 45, the Unification Church helped mediate the meeting between Abe and Trump at the time. The Unification Church is even said to have close relations with many conservative politicians not only in South Korea, but also in Japan and the US.

July 14: Relative - Mother of Abe Murder Suspect Donated 100 Million Yen (Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteThe organization on July 13 released a statement to the media that said, "Although we still haven't figured out the exact amount (of the donations from Yamagami's mother), 50 million yen was returned to her for the period of 10 years from 2005."

July 15: UC Ex-Member in Japan Opens Up About Dark Past After Mom Became Follower (The Mainichi Shimbun)

Quote"I was at an age where I couldn't live without help from my parents, and it was difficult to reject them," she said. While the Unification Church has explained that "donations are made by followers at their own will," the woman criticized the religious group as being "full of lies."

The woman was a high schooler when her mother began to devote herself to the religious group. Her mother eventually forced her three daughters, including the woman, to follow the Unification Church's "teachings." The woman also began to attend a church establishment, thinking that accepting her mother's beliefs would make her a better daughter.

In 1995, the woman, then aged 21, participated in a mass wedding held by the group. Under the system where the group matched followers who were strangers, the woman married a Korean man who was two years younger than her. After they began living together in Japan, he soon began to assault her, and the abuse continued even after they had a child. Though she wanted to file for divorce, she was told by her mother and other followers that she was at fault because she did "not show enough faith in the religion," and that "a divorce would make Satan happy.

Her second husband was also a Korean man selected by the group, and the woman moved to South Korea. She said the group demanded that she donate 1.4 million yen, or about $10,000. "My partner made false reports about his academic background, occupation, and age. He used my credit cards and other things, and I was forced into personal bankruptcy by my husband," she said.

Afterwards, she was assaulted by the man in front of her mother, and was allowed to divorce him, but remarried after being invited by the group to undergo another "blessing ceremony." The woman said, "The group teaches the doctrine that you cannot go to heaven unless you're a married couple. My mother was saddened that her daughter could not go to heaven. I also had feelings of guilt."

July 15: Abe Murder Suspect Planned Bomb Attack on Religious Leader (Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteThe suspected murderer of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe planned to detonate a bomb at a venue in central Japan where the leader of a religious group was visiting in 2019, investigative sources said.

Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, told investigators he was unable to enter the venue and gave up on the bombing plan, the sources said. He still wanted to attack the South Korea-based leader of the Unification Church, but pandemic-related travel restrictions imposed in 2020 made another visit to Japan by the leader unlikely, the sources said. Yamagami said that attacking the Unification Church leader was difficult to do, so he shot Abe instead, believing the politician was closely tied to the group, according to the sources.

July 16: Church or Cult? Inside the Moonies' 'World of Delusion' (The Financial Times)

Quote"Ideologically, it was a sort of religious version of communism — we're all one family of mankind, and the idea is to build a unified world," said Michael Breen, a British public relations consultant who was a member of the church between 1978 and 1982. "You felt you were part of something very noble and very wholesome."

But critics accuse church leaders of exploiting members' labour and capital — including billions of dollars transferred from Japan to the US — to build and seed its business empire. ...

"I did all kinds of part-time jobs to donate more money to the church to fulfil a quota for each member for anniversaries and church events," said Lee Young-sun, a Korean former member who runs an organisation assisting victims of the church. "Otherwise, you would be isolated within the organisation and couldn't endure the pressure. They claimed to build a paradise on earth but in reality it was like living in hell." ...

"All religions begin as cults — people have always feared these groups because by definition they are radical," said Breen, who is writing his second biography of Moon and remains sympathetic to the movement. "But in my experience, the Moonies are very nice people — and you can leave any time you want."

July 16: Suspect's Uncle: Mother's Donations to UC Left Family Impoverished (Japan News/Yomiuri Shimbun)

QuoteThe donations totaled ¥100 million, the uncle told the media on Friday. He also said that Yamagami had attempted suicide because of the impoverished conditions the family had been living in due to his mother's donations.

"Tetsuya's father committed suicide in 1984 and his older brother had childhood cancer, which left his mother traumatized," the uncle said, regarding why she might have been motivated to start activities with the group. ...

July 18: Suspect Willing to Die to 'Liberate' Members of Religious Group (The Asahi Shimbun)

July 19: More Victims Can Be Expected if The Cult of UC is Connived With to Continue Its Criminal Activities: Japanese lawyer (Global Times)

QuoteThe so-called spiritual sales take advantage of people's religious beliefs and anxiety to sell seals, rosary beads and pagodas at high prices by stirring up people's minds with common hoaxes. For example, they say that the ghosts of their ancestors can haunt them and that their families can suffer from misfortune. The Unification Church is the most representative spiritual sales group in Japan with 30 million yen (over $217,000) in sales of the so-called holy book to its worshippers. The lawyers' association was founded to help Japanese worshippers of the Unification Church resolve legal disputes.

July 2022 Cont.

July 19: Abe Shooter's Arsenal Included Huge Amount of Gunpowder (Asahi Shimbun)

July 19: UC Claims Its Members Face Death Threats Over Abe's Death (The Korea Times)

QuoteThe Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, better known as the Unification Church, claimed that the church and its members in Japan faced death threats and hate crimes following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The threats were reactions to "abusive" donation practices of the church, founded by self-claimed messiah Moon Sun-myung in 1954 in Seoul. ...

In a statement released on Monday, the church's headquarters in Korea blamed media outlets for what it called "inaccurate and biased" news reports, following a news conference hosted by a group of Japanese lawyers on July 12 that it claims triggered a raft of hostile media coverage against it.

Since then, the church noted that several media reports have been produced solely based on comments from the members of the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales of Japan, a group that represents former Unification Church members and their families.

"Due to these unbalanced media reports, not only our church but also our members were seriously defamed and their human rights were undermined. The media coverage is also feared to spur hate crimes against our members," the church said in a statement. "Our church's branches all across Japan have received numerous phone calls from people who threatened to kill our members. On our website, hate messages have been uploaded as well." Ahn Ho-yeol, head of the public relations department of the Unification Church in Korea, pointed to anti-Korean far-rightists in Japan as the ones behind the death threats. ...

On Tuesday, Kwak Chung-hwan, the former president of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification who was once called the No. 2 man of the church when its founder was alive, urged the church and its members to repent for the aftermath of the assassination of Abe. "I was shocked by the news that the suspect targeted Abe because he held a grudge against the Unification Church," he said during a news conference held at Hotel Koreana in central Seoul. "I had been in several different leadership posts in the church for a long time, so I thought I am partially responsible for his death. I offer my sincere apologies."

Kwak said the assassination of Abe is a chilling reminder of the derailed Unification Church and encouraged its current leaders to repent and offer apologies to the Japanese public as well as other nations. Kwak is the father-in-law of Moon Hyun-jin, the son of the church's founder. ...

July 21: Alleged Abe killer Toyed with Bomb Attack Before Opting for Gun (Asahi Shimbun)

July 22: Politicians' Ties to UC Should be Made Public (Editorial) (Asahi Shimbun)

July 25: People Born into UC Speak Out About Hardships (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteShe came to feel uncomfortable about what her parents continued saying: "Satan is in the outside world." The woman and her parents clashed fiercely when she began seeing a man who had no religious affiliation. Her mother was outraged that her daughter was "tricked by Satan," and even called her boyfriend's home to protest[/b]

July 26: Politicians Come Out With Dealings With UC (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteOn his Twitter account on July 20, former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama also admitted having attended an event hosted by an affiliated group as well as sending a message to the group. "I am deeply sorry for having been involved and regret not having given the matter much consideration," he said. ...

In 2009, the president and other officials with an affiliated company was arrested on suspicion of involvement in shady spiritual sales. The incident led to the resignation of the chairman of the Japanese arm of the Unification Church.

The organization claims it vowed in 2009 to responsibly enforce legal compliance among followers. But Hiroshi Yamaguchi, who leads the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, a group of lawyers handling issues related to the Unification Church, said, "Problems have continued even after that."

The lawyers' network said that 564 consultations were held over a five-year period until 2021. The total damages the victims suffered came to an estimated 5.4 billion yen over that period. Of the 5.4 billion yen, about 60 percent was associated with donations.

In a lawsuit, the court ordered the Unification Church to pay about 5 million yen in damages to a former follower. The plaintiff complained about having been forced to donate money between 2013 and 2014. "The organization is apparently shifting from spiritual sales to exerting pressure on followers and others to make donations on the pretext of commemorating ancestors," Yamaguchi said.

July 2022 Cont.

July 26: Shinzo Abe's Assassin & Japan's Complicated Spirituality (New Yorker/Internet Archive)

QuoteIn 1992, a pair of Japanese stars announced that they would participate in a mass wedding ceremony in Seoul, South Korea. One was a pop singer and actress by the name of Junko Sakurada; the other, an Olympic gymnast named Hiroko Yamasaki. Shortly thereafter, they married Japanese grooms handpicked by Sun Myung Moon. The media derided the pair as "pandas on display," a jab referring to the way that zoos rely on the most adorable animals to draw in crowds, and used the situation to report more broadly on the Unification Church's activities in Japan.

Yamasaki broke with the church the following year, in a tearful public press conference. In a 1994 memoir, she alleged being subjected to brainwashing and being persuaded to donate money and purchase expensive religious items. In a press conference held shortly after Abe's assassination, a group called the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, which helps people victimized by religious groups, disclosed that more than thirty-five thousand complaints involving problematic donations to the Unification Church had been lodged in Japan during the past three and a half decades, totalling 123.7 billion yen, or about 900 million U.S. dollars.

July 26: UC Doctored Telegram by Governor of Aichi (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteAichi Governor Hideaki Omura said he has lodged a complaint with the Unification Church after a congratulatory message from his office was doctored so that it praised the group's leader.

The message was sent via telegram--a form of communication still used in Japan to mark ceremonial occasions. The message was read out loud at an event involving the religious organization held in October 2019 in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture. According to Omura, an official at the Unification Church admitted to rewriting his message.

"We created (the text) as we saw fit and read it out (at the event)," the official reportedly told him. The organization has since apologized, but at a news conference called to disclose what had occurred, Omura bristled over the contents of the message being tampered with. ...

Omura explained that he frequently gets requests for telegrams from various organizations. He said in this instance, he paid for the telegram with his own money and his office sent a straightforward message for the event that read: "I want to extend my congratulations for holding this event and I pray for everyone's health and happiness."

But the organization added in words of praise for its leader when it was read out at the gathering, so that it also said: "I pay my sincere respects to President Hak Ja Han, who coordinates our global environment to achieve world peace, for her strong belief and leadership."

July 30: Something's Wrong with Mom: Brush With UC Costs Family 60 mil. Yen (The Mainichi)

Quote"Something's wrong with (your) Mom," his father said. When the man visited his parents' home with his older sister and brother, their father opened a bank passbook. It showed a series of figures in the negatives, indicating that money had been borrowed. Over 60 million yen (more than $450,000) had vanished, including the family savings.

July 29: Delivering Votes Lures Politicians to UC Orbit (Asahi Shimbun)

July 30: Over 37,000 Sign Petition Urging Freedom of Belief for UnC Followers' Kids (The Mainichi)

August 2022

Aug. 1: Revelations Since Shinzo Abe Death Shed Light on Moonies' Influence (The Guardian)

Aug. 2: Children of UC Members Seek Freedom From Past Emotional Scars, Prejudice (The Mainichi Shimbun)

QuoteOne of the interviewees, a woman in her 30s, is a so-called "blessed second generation," born to parents who married at a mass wedding of Unification Church followers. She grew up surrounded by items showing her family's devotion to the religious group, such as marble pots and seals, a crystal five-ring pagoda and a portrait of founder Sun Myung Moon -- all apparently bought from the church.

"I'm too scared to ask my family how much money they've donated. But I assume it's several tens of millions of yen (at least $150,000)," she said with a sigh. "I'd give my parents a zero for parenting. But I have warm feelings for my mother, and I also have this conflicted feeling that I wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for the Unification Church," she confided. "I've been going through my life as if to answer the question, 'What am I here for?'" ...

Note: Worth Reading

Aug. 3: Name Change by UC a Baffling Issue Years Later (Asahi Shimbun)

Aug. 5: Religious Group With Negative Image Needed a Name Change (Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteIssues regarding the Unification Church gained broad recognition from around that time through the 1990s, including its so-called "spiritual sales" tactics, which are about intimidating or scaring followers and others into buying expensive items, and its mass wedding ceremonies.

The group's motivation for seeking to rename itself to avert the unsavory reputation it had gained is easily understandable. The Agency for Cultural Affairs stopped the church from such an attempt in 1997 on the grounds that a renaming would allow the group to conceal its identity, according to the accounts a senior agency official from the time recently gave.

It has yet to be seen what judgments Cabinet members and bureaucrats made when the church finally gained approval in 2015 to rename itself the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. The name change, at any rate, clearly came at a cost. Some of the Upper House members who came to the Diet building to attend a session on Aug. 3 for the first time after they were elected to the chamber in July were asked about their ties to the religious group, with TV microphones thrust before them.

"I didn't think it was previously the Unification Church," one of them said. "I had been told the religious group places great value on the family." It remains anybody's guess if he fell completely for the trick of the new name or if he is just pretending to have.

Politicians crave votes and election campaign workers. The church craved endorsements from politicians, which served as credentials. Perhaps the interests of both parties coincided, at the cost of the religious group continuing to victimize people.

Aug. 7: Candidate Picked by Abe Won Seat with UC Backing (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteThree days ahead of the July 10 Upper House election, a Unification Church follower in eastern Japan received a text on her smartphone calling on her to vote for a candidate running from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

"I am praying for Yoshiyuki Inoue's successful candidacy. He is needed in the political world," read the text from an ardent follower of the religious group, now formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. "Inoue is fighting the Satan force." The 59-year-old Inoue, an aide to Shinzo Abe when he was prime minister, was running in the proportional representation segment of the election.

The woman, who is in her 40s, voted for Inoue without reservation. In fact, she has always cast her ballot for an LDP candidate in national elections just as her parents, who are also followers of the church, told her to do. ...

A woman in her 30s who lives in the Kansai region told The Asahi Shimbun that when she learned the Unification Church was the backdrop of the attack, it came as "no surprise." Her parents were also followers of the church. By the time she was in her late teens, her parents had purchased a wide array of expensive items from the group at the say-so of senior members who told them they would "end up in hell" if they did not.

He parents told her they spent more than 100 million yen on the items.The woman could not afford to go to college, given the perilous state of the family's finances. "I believe the suspect was in a situation similar to mine," she said. ...

The woman said the church's link with the LDP was common knowledge among followers. "Followers were all aware of it," she said. "We all shared a feeling that the activities of the group were endorsed by politicians and, therefore, could not be wrong." ... The Unification Church denied "any involvement in political activities as a religious corporation."

Aug. 8: 'This May Be fraud': UC Jars, Other Expensive Items Sold Online in Japan (The Mainichi)

QuoteIn Mercari Inc.'s flea market app, a set of two jars and a two-story pagoda ornament were priced at 800,000 yen (about $6,000) as of the end of July, while a jar featuring a dragon had a price tag of 260,000 yen (roughly $1,950). The explanation for one item read, "I'd most like the religious group to take it back. Essentially, I want them to refund the 4.7 million yen (approx. $35,000), the purchase price for the item." Another said, "My mother was forced into buying this by an acquaintance when she entered the religion. I'm selling it as I'm struggling to make ends meet." ...

Used smartphones promoted as "items given by executives" are offered at prices ranging from somewhere around 100,000 yen (approx. $750) to 400,000 yen (about $3,000). Some of the gadgets apparently had broken displays. One item was accompanied with the explanation, "An executive gave this to my grandmother, who has donated tens of millions of yen (at least $150,000). They say you'll get divine help if you carry this in your bag." There was even a battery charger on offer for 50,000 yen (approx. $380).

Aug. 9: Inquiry Needed into UC's Name Change in 2015 (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteA slew of questions has emerged about the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, including the approval of its name change from the Unification Church in 2015, when Shinzo Abe was prime minister. It is believed that many people made substantial donations to the group after the name change without realizing it was nothing but the Unification Church under a new name.

The name change has allowed the damage by the group's activities to continue or to expand, according to lawyers who have monitored "reikan shoho" (spiritual sales) activities and supported their victims.

Aug. 10: UC Pushes Back Against 'Abusive' Media Reports in Wake of Shinzo Abe Assassination (The Washington Times/Internet Archive)

Quote"We strongly condemn the fake news and abusive language disseminated by a heartless media, which as hate speech, encourages religious discrimination, undermines the rights of individuals and, if anything, violates people's freedom of religion," he said.

Aug. 11: Asian Cults & Castes, Where New Religions Meet Power Politics (World Crunch)

Aug. 11: Murky UC Ties, Dusty Abe Policies Cloud Japan's New Cabinet (The Mainichi)

Aug. 13: UC's Local Cleaning Efforts Lauded on Local Gov't-Approved Sign in Japan (The Mainichi)

Aug. 16: Church Ties Cited in 40% of Senior Administrative Position (Asahi Shimbun)

Aug. 16: Japanese Donations Likely Funded UC Projects in North Korea (NK News)

Aug. 17: Bonds Between LDP, Unification Church Date Back Half A Century (Asahi Shimbun)

Aug. 18: Science Course Taught by UC-Related Group at Osaka School Axed (The Mainichi)

Aug. 18: 'Unique Group' of Concern UC Vanished From Gov't Reports Under Abe Admin (The Mainichi)

QuoteIn the Aug. 15 written response, the Japanese government clarified that the "unique group" was "a group engaging in activities based on unique doctrines and claims that deviate from social norms." It admitted that the "unique group" mentioned in the 2005 and 2006 Public Security Intelligence Agency reports referred to the Unification Church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

However, the sections on the Unification Church disappeared from the 2007 report, published during Shinzo Abe's first tenure as prime minister. After this, related descriptions only appeared in the 2013 edition, which used toned-down language. According to the Public Security Intelligence Agency and other sources, the 2013 report did not use the subheading "unique group." It stated that "a new religion-affiliated group originating in South Korea" and other parties engaged in volunteer efforts related to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, such as removing rubble, and "strived to promote the group" online.

Aug. 19: UC Protest in South Korea Targets Japanese Media (Asahi Shimbun)

Aug. 20: Donald Trump & Mike Pompeo Spoke at a 'Moonies'-Affiliated Event, Despite Japan Controversy (Business Insider)

Aug. 23: Agency Oversight of Unification Church Halted After 2009 Lawsuit (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteThe Agency for Cultural Affairs, after learning about dodgy donation-collection practices at the Unification Church, held at least nine interviews with the group over 11 years from 1998, documents obtained by The Asahi Shimbun showed.

At these meetings, the agency instructed the Unification Church to conduct "adequate management and administration." But these interviews stopped in 2009 when a former follower of the group sued both the church and the government. The agency acknowledged on Aug. 22 that the halt in interviews weakened its oversight of the group. Its previous objections to the church's plan to change its name also disappeared after the lawsuit was filed.

The agency in 2015 gave the green light to the new name, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), despite complaints from a lawyers group and other concerned parties that the organization was trying to conceal its notoriety.

Aug. 29: Ex-member: Church Used Close-knit Circle to Lure Followers (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteIt started with a harmless invitation that developed into a sense of belonging with a close circle of friends. But eventually, the well-meaning and leisurely activities of the circle became focused primarily on providing money, including personal earnings, to the group. That was the experience of a man in his 30s who spent much of his university life as a Unification Church member.

University campuses have been called recruiting grounds for the Unification Church, now formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and other groups. Schools have told their students to be wary of such recruitment activities by religious organizations. ..

The man in his 30s said he was in a first-year student on a national university campus after summer break about 10 years ago when a stranger asked him, "Do you have a minute?" The stranger was a junior at the university who belonged to a "circle" that did volunteer activities. The stranger appeared nice and gave a favorable impression, so the man agreed to hear about the group.

He was impressed by the circle's activities, such as playing with children at an after-school care program and cleaning up around the university campus. He leaped at the opportunity to join.

During the following winter break, he went camping with the circle and played volleyball. On one evening when he returned to the camp accommodations, a meeting was suddenly called, and all participants were summoned to a room. A middle-aged man showed up, describing himself as a "lecturer." He showed a picture of an elderly man and said: "This is Sun Myung Moon. He is a messiah."

Before the winter break, the then freshman had been told that the name of the circle was CARP, for Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles. He said he had no idea that CARP was connected to the Unification Church until the evening meeting when the picture of the organization's founder was shown.

Afterward, the man's volunteer activities included door-to-door sales with fellow circle members. He said they sold wind chimes, postcards and tea leaves, but they were never compensated for their work. If they failed to sell such items, they were scolded by senior members, he said. He said he did consider quitting the group. "But I couldn't because I already had established relationships with the people around me."

He was also asked to "donate" about 10 percent of his allowance and scholarship money to the church every month, and he agreed. When he became sophomore, he started living in a dormitory of the circle. All residents there were members of the Unification Church.

Constantly surrounded by church members and hearing about its doctrine, "I started thinking that the church's teachings were the most correct," he said. When he became senior, a church official told him that he needed to give more than 10 million yen to the church to commemorate his ancestors after graduating from the university. He was also asked to get married at a collective wedding.

Aug. 31: Japan's Kishida Vows to Sever LDP Ties With Unification Church (Asia Nikkei)

Sept. 2022

Sept. 9: Half of Japan Governing Lawmakers Tied To UC (Associated Press)

Sept. 12: Brainwashed by The UC: A Former Student Follower Tells His Story (The Japan Times)

Sept. 13: UC & $210 mil. Annual Donation Target in Japan: Ex-Top Official (Mainichi Shimbun)

QuoteA former senior official of the Unification Church, who belonged to the religious group's headquarters for around 20 years before leaving in 2017, told the Mainichi Shimbun that the group set an annual target of collecting donations in Japan totaling around 30 billion yen (about $210 million), which put immense pressure on followers to meet quotas.

Masaue Sakurai, 48, was the deputy director of the family education bureau at the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, better known by its former name, the Unification Church. He responded to a Mainichi Shimbun inquiry in a rare case where a former executive exposed the group's internal affairs while revealing their real name. Sakurai condemned the group's stance, stating, "The group's methods clearly went against social morality, and the collection of donations through coercion continued even after 2009, which is when the group claimed it enforced adherence to laws and regulations."

Sept. 16: After Failures in South Korea, 'Heretical' Church Turned to Japan (Asahi Shimbun)

Sept. 21: Shinzo Abe: Man Sets Himself Alight in Protest at State Funeral for Killed Japan PM (The Guardian)

Sept. 23: Unification Church Says it Accepted 'Excessive' Donations from Mother of Suspect in Abe killing (The Guardian)

QuoteThe church has acknowledged that Yamagami's mother donated more than 100m yen, including life insurance and real estate, to the group. It said it later returned about half at the request of the suspect's uncle. A church lawyer, Nobuya Fukumoto, said he considered the donations by Yamagami's mother "excessive", and that "we have to take it seriously if that tormented [the suspect] and led to the outcome". ...

A party survey found nearly half of its lawmakers had ties to the church. The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has pledged to cut all such ties, but many Japanese want a further explanation of how the church may have influenced party policies.

Sept. 26: As World Gathers to Honor Abe, Japan Grapples With Church's Influence (The Washington Post)

QuoteOther families emerged to say that their lives were similarly upended because of donations made by their relatives, some of whom have ongoing legal battles with the Unification Church. The accounts highlighted a controversial practice known as "spiritual sales," in which goods or services that supposedly possess supernatural powers were sold to members at often exorbitant prices.

Note: The UC-Owned Washington Times uses the phrase "So-called spiritual sales".

Sept. 28: Predatory Cult: The Shadow of Unification Church Over Abe's Funeral (The Interpreter)

Sept. 29: Japan's Lower House Chief Admits Links With Dubious Religious Group (Kyodo News)

Sept. 29: UC Lures Gifu Politicians to Events Via BHigwig (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteThe church's reach into local politics does not stop at the prefecture's borders. Nearly 300 prefectural assembly members across Japan reported having ties with the organization or its affiliated groups, according to an Asahi Shimbun survey.

But the case in Gifu is illustrative. One LDP member of the prefectural assembly told The Asahi Shimbun that  he was lured by this high-ranking politician's name into attending an event that was, unbeknownst to him, linked to the controversial religious group, now officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

October 2022

Oct. 1: Hotline to Stay for Victims of UC Scams (Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteOne caller said, "A family member who belongs to the church had to file for bankruptcy after donating in excess of 100 million yen ($691,000). We want to get the money back." ... Thirteen percent of the calls touched upon problems among family members while 8 percent were about psychological problems.Of the calls related to money problems, 48 percent were made by relatives, while 24 percent came from former members and 7 percent from current members. About 30 percent of all calls were about so-called spiritual sales tactics in which the individual felt coerced to purchase expensive items or make hefty donations. When asked when the most recent payments were made to the church, 37 percent of the callers said more than 20 years ago, while 18 percent said within the past year.

Oct. 5: Agency Panel Agrees on Draft Proposal to Restrict Donations (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteA panel of experts set up by the Consumer Affairs Agency to discuss malicious sales practices such as those that are a hallmark of the Unification Church agreed Oct. 4 on a draft of proposed legislation to restrict unjust donations to religious corporations.

In the case of the Unification Church, now formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, victims said they came under immense pressure from church followers to purchase hugely overpriced items, a tactic known as "spiritual sales," and more lately make hefty cash donations instead.

"There have been many cases in which donating a lot of money to the church destroys not only the life of a follower but the lives of the person's family," said Shoji Kawakami, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo who chairs the panel.

Oct. 7: Unification Church Tries to Derail Ex-Believer's Press Conference (Kyodo News)

QuoteThe controversial Unification Church on Friday attempted to stop a former believer's press conference by sending a message purportedly signed by her parents, but she pressed ahead and spoke out on alleged abuses that she and other believers endured at its hands.

In a summarized version of the faxed message read out during the event, Sayuri Ogawa's parents called for the press conference to be halted immediately, saying their daughter has a "tendency to lie," and the psychiatric issues she said she suffers had worsened since a gunman killed former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

At the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, which hosted the event, Ogawa, who uses a pseudonym to protect her real identity, relayed her traumatic experiences as a so-called second-generation church believer. ...

Born and raised in the church, founded in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon and often labeled by critics as a cult, Ogawa said that after graduating from high school, she was sexually harassed by a public minister during a retreat. The woman said that at the retreat, she was also told she was "possessed by an evil spirit" and subsequently sent to a facility in South Korea for a supposed exorcism.

Ogawa said the contradictory practices of the church and her witnessing other believers suffer mental breakdowns impacted her own stability, leading to her being hospitalized in a psychiatric ward.

An emotional Ogawa also said she grew up in financial difficulty, with her parents making frequent donations to the church. She said her family confiscated 2 million yen ($14,000) that she had saved by working a part-time job, adding the money has not been returned.

Oct. 8: Hotline Info Can Uncover Truth About UC (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteAccounts about shady Unification Church practices told by people who called a government hotline for victims offer a disturbing glimpse into the dark side of the religious organization. Why did the government fail for so long to respond to the proliferation of money-related problems involving the organization, now formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification? ...

A raft of court rulings handed down since the 1990s concerned cases involving reikan shoho and huge donations to the church.

Some of the rulings acknowledged "organizational illegal actions" or the church's "vicarious liability." The latter refers to a situation where an employer can be held liable for the unlawful actions of an employee.

Selling goods without disclosing ties with a religious group has also been ruled unlawful.

In 2009, a court found church followers, including the president of a Tokyo company selling seals, guilty of fraudulent sales by using a "manual that is inseparably integrated with the tenets" of the church.

The church issued a "compliance declaration" following the conviction. It claims there has not been a single case of reikan shoho involving its followers since then.

However, a group of lawyers who monitor the church's reikan shoho activities and provide support for its alleged victims said many people had fallen victim to the group's devious tactics to recruit members through invitations to "fortune-telling sessions" and other measures even after the church issued its compliance declaration.

The group estimated that such shady activities of the church caused damage worth at least close to 800 million yen ($5.52 million) to the victims. Of the money-related problems handled by the government hotline, more than one-third involved payments made within the past 10 years.

Oct. 14: Panel to Call for Investigation of UC Activities (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteAccording to the agency, only two dissolution orders have been issued in Japan, and they were made because of legal violations committed by the organizations. One was the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult, which carried out the deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes.

The other was the Myokakuji temple group, whose leader and executives were accused of defrauding followers through exorbitant fees paid for memorial services for departed souls. In both cases, no government investigation was conducted before the courts made their dissolution rulings.

October 2022 Continued

Oct. 15: The Dark Shadow Cast by Moon Sun-myung's UC & Abe Shinzo (Asia Pacific Journal)

QuoteIn 1984, the Washington Post was told by two renegade former officials of the Unification Church in Japan that from 1975 to 1984 it had transferred at least US$800 million to the United States, to finance a myriad of the cult's businesses, publications, and political operations, including the money-draining Washington Times newspaper.

Most of the money came from gullible and superstitious Japanese who were peddled marble vases, ivory seals, and miniature pagodas said to have miraculous powers, along with ginseng teas, at vastly inflated prices. Japanese members of the cult were given sales quotas requiring them to transfer to the United States about $2.5 million a month earmarked for the Washington Times, which lost an estimated $150 million in its first two-and-a-half years of operation, according to Soejima Yoshikazu.

Soejima had been editor of the cult's Japanese newspaper, Sekai Nippo, but was fired on Moon's orders for attempting editorial independence. A gang of toughs from the Unification Church, led by members of the affiliated anti-communist group Kokusai Shokyo Rengo, ransacked the newspaper office, and beat him up, according to Soejima. Then in June 1984, Soejima was attacked outside his Tokyo home and repeatedly stabbed. At the time, he had been preparing an article critical of Moon for Bungei Shunju magazine.

In 1987, the Asahi calculated there had been 15,000 complaints since 1980 of Japanese citizens being defrauded by Unification Church members, through total purchases amounting to ¥317 billion. A national network of lawyers to combat reikan shoho (霊感商法, selling of spiritual goods) was set up.

Oct. 17: Ex-UC Executive Reveals Quotas For Donations (The Yomiyuri Shimbun)

QuoteSakurai said there are several types of contributions, such as monthly offerings where a follower pays one-tenth of his or her income when attending religious services, so-called "blessing contributions" for marriages, and special contributions.

For special contributions, the church sets a target period and monetary amount to be collected, and allocates quotas to each of its prefecture-based districts according to the number of followers. General members of the group are not informed of the quota, and executives ask for donations in person or by fax, Sakurai said. Around 2000, a teaching called "ancestor liberation," which was not previously in the group's doctrine, began to spread within the church.

A former member of the church, now in her 60s and living in the Kanto region, told The Yomiuri Shimbun that she paid a total of ¥2.8 million five years ago in exchange for "liberating" seven generations of her and her husband's ancestors. She was told she needed to liberate their ancestors going back 420 generations, and she in fact made contributions that exceeded ¥5 million to liberate up to the 28th generation of their ancestors.

Oct. 17: Panel Urges Rules to Help Protect 'Brainwashed' Group Followers (The Asahi Shimbun)

QuoteA report released on Oct. 17 by the expert panel of the Consumer Affairs Agency said legal requirements should be eased to allow consumers to cancel contracts that they signed with religious organizations under "unjust solicitation."

The panelists said the statue of the right to cancel such contracts should be extended beyond the current five years because many brainwashed victims require a great deal of time to become "deprogrammed" and recognize the damage they have suffered. The panel also recommended a rule to ban religious organizations from collecting donations if they are found to have pressured individuals to provide money when they cannot make rational decisions. ...

The church, now formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, could lose its status as a religious corporation and be ordered to disband. The panel noted that court rulings have piled up in civil lawsuits that have recognized the church's organizational responsibility for dubious financial activities. Its shady practices constitute a reason for seeking a court order to disband the church, the panelists said.

Oct. 19: Japan Police Consulted About UC Some 200 Times in Sept. (Mainichi Shimbun)

QuotePolice across Japan received some 200 consultations about the controversial Unification Church in September, the Mainichi Shimbun has learned from a source affiliated with the police.

These included matters that possibly violate the Penal Code, but no illegal activities have apparently been confirmed at this point. ... Matters that could run counter to the Penal Code included six cases about monetary damage and physical damage, respectively, and five cases of slander.