Exhibition Shows Shocking Faith-Breaking Cases

Behind closed doors: The harrowing reality of thousands of shocking faith-breaking cases in Japan. Exhibition held.

Tokyo, 19th March 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article. 

Panel Exhibition in Yokohama Highlights Abduction and Confinement Victims, Calls for Reconciliation

by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo

A panel exhibition shedding light on the experiences of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU, formerly the Unification Church) followers who were allegedly abducted and confined to force them to renounce their faith is being held in Yokohama from 19^th to 20^th March 2025.

The exhibition explains how, under the guidance of so-called “faith-breakers” (professional deprogrammers), parents of believers and Christian pastors have carried out abduction and coercive faith-breaking. The exhibition claims that these individuals were confined for extended periods, subjected to physical and psychological abuse, and coerced into renouncing their faith, violating their fundamental human rights as guaranteed by the Constitution.

A section of the exhibition, occupying about one-third of the space, introduces the activities of Ame no Yachimata no Kai (Heaven’s Eight Crossroads Association) [See editor’s note below], a group working to restore parent-child relationships that were severed due to abduction and confinement.

Two women in their twenties who attended the exhibition commented,

“We had heard about this issue before, but listening to the detailed explanations today was truly heartbreaking.”

They emphasized the importance of raising awareness through lawsuits and other means but also noted,

“Legal action alone won’t resolve the conflict with opposing parents and pastors. Efforts like those of Ame no Yachimata no Kai [See editor’s note below], which seek resolution through reconciliation, are also necessary.”

The exhibition is organized by the Yokohama Citizens’ Association for the Protection of Freedom of Religion and Fundamental Human Rights, a group consisting of Family Federation followers. On 20^th March, Toru Goto, a Family Federation member who was allegedly confined and abused for 12 years and five months, is scheduled to give a lecture.

[Editor’s note: The Japanese expression Yachimata (八衢) refers to a crossroads or intersection where multiple paths converge. It is often used in a metaphorical sense to symbolize choices, encounters, or the meeting of different fates.

In mythology and classical literature, 八衢 (Yachimata) can also evoke a mystical or sacred space where important decisions or transformations occur. It appears in the name of the deity Ame no Yachihoko (天の八衢), associated with crossroads and divine encounters in Japanese folklore.

As for the above-mentioned association Ame no Yachimata no Kai (天の八衢の会), the term symbolizes a place for reconciliation, dialogue, and resolution – a meeting point where estranged families can reconnect.]

Featured image above: A panel exhibition raising awareness about abduction and confinement victims – 19^th March 2025, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo: Yasuhiro Uno (宇野泰弘)

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