Art of Balancing World Peace and Family Peace

President Tanaka of the Family Federation in Japan shares about the persecution and creating family peace in a movement devoted to world peace 

Tokyo, 30th November 2024 – Published as the 44th article in a series in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article

Series: Freedom of Religion Under Threat – Part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders

“The government has crossed a line”: Kishida cuts ties without providing grounds

Part 1 of interview with Tomihiro Tanaka (田中富広), President of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Japan

See part 2, part 3 of interview 

by the Religious Freedom Investigative Team of the editorial department of Sekai Nippo

See part 1: The Kishida Administration’s Reckless Actions: 1st article, 2nd article, 3rd article, 4th article, 5th article, 6th article

See part 2: Ripples to Local Assemblies: 7th article, 8th article, 9th article, 10th article, 11th article, 12th article, 13th article, 14th article, 15th article

See part 3: Believers Suffering Discrimination and Human Rights Violations: 16th article, 17th article, 18th article, 19th article, 20th article, 21st article, 22nd article

See part 4: Media Crossing the Line: 23rd article, 24th article, 25th article, 26th article, 27th article, 28th article 

See part 5: The Distorted Image of the “Second-Generation”: 29th article, 30th article, 31st article, 32nd article, 33rd article, 34th article, 35th article, 36th article, 37th article, 38th article

See part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders: 39th article, 40th article, 41st article, 42nd article, 43rd article, 45th article, 46th article

See part 7: Religion in Japan in a Global Context: 47th article, 48 article, 49th article, 50th article, 51st article, 52nd article, 53rd article, 54th article, 55th article

See Epilogue: 56th article, 57th article, 58th article

Question:

It has been reported that Tetsuya Yamagami (山上徹也), the suspect in the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三), stated that his motive for the crime was linked to the substantial donations his mother made to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) after becoming a member. How do you respond to the suggestion that the circumstances of members’ families contributed to this tragic incident?

Answer:
The core of the Family Federation, as its name suggests, is that it places great emphasis on the family. In that sense, it is truly heartbreaking if the defendant Yamagami committed such an act due to his family environment. Since no trial has been held, we still do not know his true motive. However, if it is indeed the case that the incident [Editor’s note: the assassination of Shinzo Abe] was caused by family circumstances, I believe there are aspects of our organization that we must reflect on and improve.

However, as an organization, there are many areas we need to reconsider and improve, and these past two and a half years have made us reflect deeply.

Question:
What have you thought about over these two and a half years?

Answer:
I feel that Japanese democracy is starting to crumble. Religious freedom itself is also starting to collapse. I was reminded once again that Japanese society is silently ignoring this.

In Japan, both religious freedom and democracy are givens, and I feel that we are a country that has come this far without ever truly discussing what religious freedom and democracy are.

Question:
In October of last year, the government requested the Tokyo District Court to issue a dissolution order against the Family Federation as a religious corporation.

Answer:
I believe this is unjust, and I feel the government has crossed a certain line. The environment surrounding the Family Federation has completely changed since the incident occurred. There has been a relentless wave of critical media coverage, and I think it has been very difficult for our members.

If you ask where this all originated, there’s only one answer: the Prime Minister’s declaration to sever ties. At the time, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in his capacity as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, stated,

“We will not associate with organizations that are socially problematic.”

Although he made this comment as party president and not as Prime Minister, in Japan, the president of the Liberal Democratic Party is effectively the Prime Minister. As a result, this declaration was perceived by the public as a statement from the government.

However, while saying “socially problematic”, not once did he clarify what the problem actually was. He reportedly met with former members of the organization but not with any current members. In a sense, the grounds for severing ties were left to others. In other words, it wasn’t a decision he made himself but rather one influenced by society’s claim that there was a problem. If that’s the case, is the government applying the same standard to every organization? I don’t think so.

Question:
In a past interview with Kyodo News, you mentioned that there were areas where the organization lacked consideration for families. Why do you think such a situation arose within a group that teaches the importance of the family?

Answer:
As may be the case with any religion during its early stages, ours initially – just to make it extremely clear – leaned towards a form of monasticism. Religions that start with a monastic focus (centered on monks/nuns), over time, evolve – like Theravāda Buddhism changed into Mahāyāna Buddhism. [See editor’s note below]

In the case of the Family Federation in Japan, this year marks the 60th anniversary since its registration as a religious corporation and the 65th anniversary since its first worship service.

While we have upheld a vision of family peace, community peace, national peace, and world peace, with the family being the core of our teachings, during the early years, many of our senior members devoted themselves to overseas missions.

These members often prioritized the goal of world peace over their own families and set out on global missions with a strong sense of purpose. Among many members who shared this mindset, there was a tendency to lose balance, which led to irregularities (歪) within their families.

Looking ahead, we need to redirect the passion that our members have poured into world peace. We need to redirect it toward their families and communities. This shift represents a crucial point of transformation for the organization.

Reflecting on this, if there are people who have suffered as a result, I believe it is my duty as president to sincerely apologize. That is why I spoke on this topic.

[Editor’s note: Theravāda Buddhism and Mahāyāna Buddhism both trace their origins to early Indian Buddhism, but they represent different streams of thought and practice that developed over time:

Theravāda: This tradition is associated with the Sthavira (Elder) school, one of the early Buddhist monastic communities. It preserved what it regarded as the original teachings of the Buddha, as codified in the Pāli Canon. Theravāda is prominent in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia).

Mahayana: Emerging around the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD, Mahāyāna developed as a movement within the broader Buddhist community, emphasizing the bodhisattva path – dedication to achieving enlightenment not just for oneself but for all sentient beings. It introduced new scriptures (e.g., the Mahāyāna sūtras) and philosophical developments (e.g., Madhyamaka and Yogācāra).

Mahāyāna often regards itself as a “greater vehicle” (the literal meaning of Mahāyāna) that builds upon and transcends the teachings preserved in Theravāda and other early schools. However, Theravāda does not consider Mahāyāna teachings as part of the Buddha’s original teachings.

Theravāda focus: Emphasis on personal liberation (nirvāṇa) through the Eightfold Path, following the example of the arhat.

Mahāyāna focus: Emphasis on universal salvation through the bodhisattva ideal, which aims to liberate all beings. Mahāyāna also introduced more expansive metaphysical concepts like śūnyatā (emptiness) and Buddha-nature.]

See part 2, part 3 of interview

Featured image above: Tomihiro Tanaka (田中富広), President of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, during the interview. Photo: Kato Reiwa (加藤 玲和)

See part 1: The Kishida Administration’s Reckless Actions: 1st article, 2nd article, 3rd article, 4th article, 5th article, 6th article

See part 2: Ripples to Local Assemblies: 7th article, 8th article, 9th article, 10th article, 11th article, 12th article, 13th article, 14th article, 15th article

See part 3: Believers Suffering Discrimination and Human Rights Violations: 16th article, 17th article, 18th article, 19th article, 20th article, 21st article, 22nd article

See part 4: Media Crossing the Line: 23rd article, 24th article, 25th article, 26th article, 27th article, 28th article 

See part 5: The Distorted Image of the “Second-Generation”: 29th article, 30th article, 31st article, 32nd article, 33rd article, 34th article, 35th article, 36th article, 37th article, 38th article

See part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders: 39th article, 40th article, 41st article, 42nd article, 43rd article, 45th article, 46th article

See part 7: Religion in Japan in a Global Context: 47th article, 48 article, 49th article, 50th article, 51st article, 52nd article, 53rd article, 54th article, 55th article

See Epilogue: 56th article, 57th article, 58th article

Related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: 2nd-Generation Denouncing Wry Media Portrayal

Also related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: 2nd-Generation Members Protesting Persecution

Also related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: Inhuman Government-Supported Mass Deprogramming

And also related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: Bias: No Right to Respond for Religious Minority

More, related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: Collusion to Rob Minority of Its Rights

And more, related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: State and Media Creating “Today’s Non-Citizens”

Still more, related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: Japan Criticized for Glaring Rights Violations

Even more, related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: Japan Following the Way of China

And still more, related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: 12 Religious Freedom NGOs Denouncing Japan

And even more, related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: Conference on Religious Freedom Violations

Still more, related to creating family peace in movement for world peace: Japan: Threat to Religious Freedom

Even more, related to family peace and world peace: Call to End Witch Hunt

More, related to family peace and world peace: Government’s Foul Play Pointed Out

More, related to family peace and world peace: Japan: 4300 Abductions and Forcible Detentions

And more, related to family peace and world peace: Illegalities of Activist Lawyers Exposed

Yet more, related to family peace and world peace: Lawyers Manipulating, Coercing, Lying

Still more, related to family peace and world peace: Biased Information from Leftwing Lawyers

Even more, related to family peace and world peace: Dangerous Precedent to Crush Religions

Even more, related to family peace and world peace: Kyodo News: 100s of Rights Violations Claimed

Even more, related to family peace and world peace: Fabricated Torts Part of Wily Strategy in Japan

Related to family peace and world peace: Media Helping Terrorist Reach His Goal

Related to family peace and world peace: Kishida Administration Giving in to Terrorism

Related to family peace and world peace: Kishida Has Opened Can of Worms

Related to family peace and world peace: Bizarre Atlantic Report Condoning Terror

Related to family peace and world peace: Japan Times: Warning of Terror

Related to family peace and world peace: Did constant hate-mongering cause terror?