Escaped from 1st Confinement, But Abducted Again

His first confinement ended with a daring escape; four years later, his family guided by professional faith-breakers abducted him again and began a more than 12-year-long forced detention

Part 2 of “My Experience of Abduction, Confinement, and Forced Deconversion”, a testimony on 19^th September 2026 by Toru Goto (後藤徹), a Japanese member of the Family Federation and victim of attempted coercive faith-breaking – locked up for over 12 years in apartment turned prison. This first-hand witness account – of high relevance for the current dissolution case against the Family Federation in Japan – was delivered at a Zoom conference organized by Peace and Reconciliation Together (PnR-T), a Dutch-registered foundation focused on reconciliation, peacebuilding, dialogue, and healing historical conflicts.

Continued from part 1: Apartment Turned Prison: 12 Years to Break Faith

Continued in part 3: Inside the Room Where They Tried to Break Faith

Continued in part 4: Trapped: 13 Breaking Faith of 1 in Locked Room

Continued in part 5: For 12 Years They Took My Freedom, Not My Faith

Continued in part 6: Thrown Out After Being Locked Up for 12 Years

Continued in part 7: The Grueling, Lonely 10-km Walk to Freedom

Then a man named Takashi Miyamura (宮村峻) appeared, who was known for his involvement in faith-breaking activities. Miyamura and former members forced me to listen to attacks and insults against the church and its teachings. Gradually, I was driven to the limits psychologically. I became deeply afraid that I might lose my faith.

I barricaded myself in the bathroom, shouting, “Let me out! Help me!” I struggled with my father and brother. But there were several people against me, and I could not overpower them.

I realized that there was no way I could escape by force. So I decided that the only way to get out of confinement was to pretend that I had been deconverted. Several days later, I told my family that I had realized that the teachings of the Unification Church were wrong.

Even after leaving the hotel, however, I was moved to another apartment and remained under surveillance.

Then, when I was taken to a Christian church for Sunday worship, everyone began closing their eyes and praying. I thought, “This is my chance.”

I told my mother that I was going to the bathroom. I left the building, ran as fast as I could, and jumped into a taxi.

That was how I escaped from my first period of confinement.

But even after escaping, I continued to live with the fear that I might be abducted and confined again at any time.

My brother began acting together with Miyamura and helping with faith-breaking activities.

At that time, there were periods when the church was aware of around 300 cases a year, and fellow believers were disappearing one after another.

It is said that approximately 70 percent of believers subjected to this kind of confinement eventually were deconverted and left the church.

Faith-breaking conducted while a person was deprived of freedom in this way was an extremely intense experience that placed enormous psychological pressure on people’s minds and faith.

See also Abducted for Their Faith: Japan’s Untold Story

I changed the church congregation I belonged to so that my whereabouts would not be discovered. I moved my base of residence without telling even my fellow believers where I was living.

Even then, I did not feel safe, so I adopted the alias Yuji Suzuki.

I was also forced to resign from a major general construction company and lived in a way that concealed my identity.

Later, my younger sister was also abducted and held captive, and she lost her faith.

Furthermore, the woman to whom I had been engaged through a Marriage Blessing and with whom I had pledged our future was also abducted and confined. She lost her faith and left me.

In this way, because of these abductions and confinement, the people most precious to me were gradually taken away from me.

I lived each day wondering when I might again be abducted and confined, and I became consumed by loneliness and anxiety.

But then I was given one “weapon” to tackle this situation: praying day after day.

And as I continued praying, I received an answer from God.

Even if I were abducted and confined again, I had to build within myself a faith that could never be destroyed.

The problem was not the environment. The problem was myself.

In addition to praying, I earnestly immersed myself in God‘s word. In particular, I memorized the words of Sun Myung Moon during his time of suffering and recited them repeatedly, so that I could recall them at any time, even if I were confined.

In 1995, I received the Marriage Blessing again. I told my partner, who was worried that I might once again be kidnapped and locked up, “Don’t worry. Even if I am abducted and confined, I will definitely come back. Please believe me.”

I was 31 years old at the time. I was working hard in my mission and was filled with dreams and hope for the future.

One month later, my second abduction and confinement began.

On 11^th September 1995, I was having dinner with my family at my parents’ home.

When I finished eating and was about to leave, my father suddenly said,

“Wait a moment. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

The peaceful atmosphere suddenly changed.

My mother looked down. My brother, sister-in-law and younger sister all fell silent.

My father said, “Everyone has been very worried about you,” and suggested that we go somewhere else. I said,

“If you have something to discuss, we can discuss it here.”

But my family would not accept that.

Then my uncle, a large, physically strong man who lived some distance away, also appeared.

I realized that it was happening again.

I immediately understood that they intended to confine me.

My mind was overwhelmed by tension and fear, and I became unable to move.

Eventually, my father and brother grabbed me by both arms, while my uncle also surrounded me. I crouched down and resisted, but an overwhelming sense of despair ran through my entire body.

They dragged me out of the house and forced me into a van. Inside the vehicle, I was squeezed between people on both sides of the seat so that I could not escape.

After we had been driving on the expressway for about two hours, I needed to use the bathroom. I thought that if I could go to the bathroom, I might be able to take advantage of the opportunity and escape.

But my brother handed me a portable plastic toilet that they had prepared in advance. They had done this specifically to prevent me from having any opportunity to escape. Having to relieve myself in that vehicle, surrounded by my family and strangers, was a humiliation I can never forget.

The van continued through the darkness. Feeling as though I was about to be crushed by despair, I closed my eyes and prayed:

“Heavenly Father, I believe a difficult battle awaits me from this point onward. But I will never betray you. I will surely return to you. Please be with me and protect and guide me.”

Continued in part 3: Inside the Room Where They Tried to Break Faith

Continued in part 4: Trapped: 13 Breaking Faith of 1 in Locked Room

Continued in part 5: For 12 Years They Took My Freedom, Not My Faith

Continued in part 6: Thrown Out After Being Locked Up for 12 Years

Continued in part 7: The Grueling, Lonely 10-km Walk to Freedom

Continued from part 1: Apartment Turned Prison: 12 Years to Break Faith

See also Abducted for Their Faith: Japan’s Untold Story

Featured image above: The abduction of Toru Goto on 11^th September 1995. Illustration: Grok xAI, September 2026, based on original by Japanese Victims’ Association against Religious Kidnapping and Forced Conversion

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