Festival organizers welcome Family Federation entry as 40 members take part in Fukushima dance parade for first time, promoting “The Family Is a School of Love”
Logo of the Sekai NippoTokyo, 28th August 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.
Mixed Reactions Amid Dissolution Request
Family Federation Participates in Festival in Kōriyama, Fukushima
by Yasuhiko Nagano (長野 康彦) from the Fukushima Bureau of Sekai Nippo
See also Decline of Family Values Creates Social Crisis
Members of the Kōriyama Family Church participating in the Uneme Festival, 9th August 2025, Kōriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. Photo provided by Kōriyama Family Church of the FFWPU.In early August, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU, formerly the Unification Church) took part for the first time in the long-running “Uneme Festival” in Kōriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, now in its 61st year. Their participation drew attention since it came while court proceedings were underway regarding the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s request for a dissolution order against the organization.
The festival’s main event, the Odori Nagashi (dance parade), featured about 4,300 participants over two days, with 72 groups representing local citizens, organizations, and companies. On August 9, the Family Federation’s Kōriyama Family Church joined with 40 members, carrying placards and a banner reading “The Family is a School of Love,” while performing an original dance.
The Uneme Festival Executive Committee – organized by the Kōriyama Chamber of Commerce and Industry – approved the group’s application, reasoning that:
- A final court decision on the dissolution order had not yet been reached.
- The religious organization had not been designated as an antisocial force.
Therefore, the committee judged there was “no reason to refuse participation”.
Members of the Kōriyama Family Church participating in the Uneme Festival, 9th August 2025, Kōriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. Photo provided by Kōriyama Family Church of the FFWPU.Speaking to this paper, Junya Hirokawa (廣川淳也), Director of Education for the Kōriyama Family Church, explained:
“We participated out of a desire to show our church as it really is and to help liven up Kōriyama. There were no complaints. The only opposition came from a single post on X by attorney Masaki Kito (紀藤正樹).”
Attorney Masaki Kito, known as a leading critic of the Family Federation, posted on his X account (formerly Twitter) on 22nd August:
“The ‘Kōriyama Family Church’ participated in Kōriyama’s Uneme Festival parade. In Kagoshima, participation in the Ohara Festival was denied, but the Unification Church promoted itself under the alternative name ‘Association to Protect Freedom of Religion,’ using slogans like ‘The Family Is a School of Love.’ I am concerned about future harms.”
In response, Hirokawa said:
“We clearly participated under the name ‘Kōriyama Family Church.’ There is no way that promoting ‘The Family is a School of Love’ could cause harm. We are grateful for the executive committee’s handling of the matter.”
Regarding the dissolution request against the religious organization, responses have varied across regions. In October of last year, the executive committee of a city-run festival in Kagoshima rejected the organization’s participation. In contrast, Toyama Prefecture in July granted them use of a prefecture-managed park for a worship service. In March, the Tokyo District Court ordered the dissolution of the religious organization, which filed an immediate appeal with the Tokyo High Court.
See also Decline of Family Values Creates Social Crisis
Featured image above: Members of the Kōriyama Family Church participating in the Uneme Festival, 9th August 2025, Kōriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. Photo provided by Kōriyama Family Church of the FFWPU.
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