The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has requested the Tokyo District Court for a dissolution order against the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (hereafter the Family Federation or the Unification Church). However, victims told related parties that affidavits prepared by MEXT and submitted to the court contained statements that were NOT true. The hearing is being held behind closed doors, but it is believed that multiple affidavits submitted as evidence of “unlawful acts” to dissolve the Family Federation were NOT written by the alleged victims and contains false information. (Religious Freedom Reporting Team)
Elderly Mother: “I Didn’t Ask for My Money Back.”
“Well, the truth is, I didn’t even ask (my son) to get back the money I donated. They’re just using (my name).”
Ms. Kimiyo Sagayama (pseudonym), a resident of Aichi Prefecture whose name appears in the affidavit filed by MEXT, told (the statement above to) her daughter, Ms. Miyuki Kawaguchi (pseudonym). After learning that her mother had written a statement for MEXT, Miyuki met with Kimiyo last summer, who was living alone, to confirm whether she had indeed written the statement, which lists damages amounting to approximately 35 million yen.
The mother then made it clear to her daughter, whom she had evangelized, that she did “not even want the money back.” At over 60 years old, Miyuki has been a follower of the faith alongside her mother for more than 30 years and knew that Kimiyo had made the donations of her own volition.
However, the affidavit in Kimiyo’s name claimed that she was “urged” to make the donations by Miyuki. Miyuki says she was stunned by the unnatural allegation that her mother, who had evangelized her, was swayed by her daughter, but was unsurprised. “I supposed that was the case,” she said, wondering if MEXT had made up the story by drafting a template of alleged narratives and adding details taken from interviews, and then exaggerating them. Kimiyo, an elderly woman, was likely made to sign the affidavit without having a clear understanding of its contents.
Kimiyo is over 90 years old and has been a believer of the Family Federation for 38 years and brought her daughter Miyuki to the faith. Both Kimiyo and Miyuki converted their respective husbands and participated in the international blessing ceremony in Seoul, Korea in 1992, to renew their marriages according to the religion’s customs.
Kimiyo has been a devout believer, but as she has aged, her declining health has left her unable to attend church. Then came the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe two years ago, which was followed by intense media coverage criticizing the Family Federation.
On New Year’s Day in 2023, Miyuki was summoned by her elder brother. Her younger brother was also present, and the two of them pressured her to “leave the Family Federation.” Miyuki refused on the spot. However, according to her, Kimiyo is currently disfellowshipped against her will because of her sons. She laments, “It is a lack of filiality to take advantage of our mother’s old age and vulnerability, making her deny her entire life’s faith.” Having heard from Kimiyo in person that she did “not ask for her money back,” Miyuki is terrified that the government is taking advantage of the family’s anxieties amplified by critical media coverage and using false statements to force the dissolution of the Family Federation.
The request for a dissolution order against the Family Federation is currently being adjudicated by the Tokyo District Court. According to reports by NHK and major newspapers, four hearings have been held so far, and the Yomiuri Shimbun online edition (December 13, 2024) reported that “current members claim that the allegations by former believers contain falsehoods.” According to a source close to the Family Federation, two witnesses presented by MEXT admitted that there were discrepancies between their affidavits and the facts during the hearings.
The Sagayamas are not the only ones accusing MEXT of falsifying their affidavits. In a separate affidavit, Mr. Shinji Toyama (pseudonym), a male believer in his sixties, was stated as making donations after being threatened by believers that he would face misfortune if he did not give to resolve ancestral karma. Mr. Toyama, however, had told those involved that he had a “different motive for making the donations.”
Toyama has been a member of the religion for about 30 years and has continued making donations to support Japanese believers engaged in missionary work and overseas activities. However, he was struggling to make ends meet around the time of the former prime minister’s assassination, so he contacted a helpline that was advertised on a TV program discussing the Family Federation, in hopes of getting his donations refunded. He was then referred to a lawyer, who coordinated a meeting with two MEXT officials and cooperated during the questioning process.
When his refunds were not forthcoming, Toyama appealed directly to the organization and was able to reach a settlement after negotiations with its representatives.
Regarding the affidavit from MEXT, he said, “That was not written by me.” It concluded with the sentence, “I only wish that (the religious organization) would be dissolved.” However, Toyama insists he made no such remarks when questioned by MEXT. In fact, he claims the officials never informed him that his affidavit was going to be used for the dissolution of the organization. Although Toyama asked MEXT for multiple corrections, his statements were never revised.
Ms. Mayumi Adachi (pseudonym), an active female believer living in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, discovered that an affidavit made in her mother’s name had been submitted by MEXT. When she went to confirm this directly with her mother, Adachi was clearly told that she “did not write it.”
Adachi’s own father had been seeking a refund of his donations and was represented by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, a lawyer with the National Association of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales (Zenkoku Benren). However, the repayments had already been completed and the matter settled and resolved. The reason an affidavit that her mother “did not write,” nor consented to, was submitted to the court for a dissolution order remains unclear.
According to a related source, one of the affidavits filed by MEXT mentions Family Federation doctrine and refers to the biblical female ancestor as “Eve.” However, the organization uses the term “Eva” in accordance with the Japan Bible Society’s version of the Bible. “This alone shows that the document was written by MEXT, not by the individual,” the source said.
MEXT’s method of using names of believers and including falsehoods and exaggerations in affidavits has come to light, and the inability to check its potential abuse of power in a closed court hearing remains a concern.
The main basis for MEXT’s request for an order to dissolve the Family Federation is the 32 civil lawsuits the organization has lost and that approximately 300 written affidavits have been submitted. However, a number of “victims” are claiming that MEXT has fabricated the content of their statements in accordance with the ministry’s objectives, which significantly undermines MEXT’s claims.
