Japan: FFWPU Case Signals Dangerous State Power

Japanese author issues warning that the FFWPU dissolution Is about far more than religion, as it raises constitutional concerns and threatens the rule of law

Tokyo, 11^th August 2026 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.

Dissolution of Religious Organization Raises Questions About Japan as a State Governed by Law, Says Eitaro Ogawa in Sendai

Abe Was Loved by Many

by Yasuhiko Nagano (長野 康彦)

A special lecture entitled “Cutting Through the Issues of the Day” by Eitaro Ogawa (小川榮太郎), a literary critic and chairman of the Japan Institute for Peace Studies, was held in Sendai [large city on east coast of Japan’s main island Honshu] on 1^st August. Ogawa discussed Japan’s political situation and the issues surrounding the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU, formerly the Unification Church), while reflecting on the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三) more than four years ago.

More by Eitaro Ogawa: Experts Question Legal Basis for Dissolution

More by Eitaro Ogawa: “Media Deliberately Killed 2 Birds with 1 Stone”

See also When Children Are Taught to Suspect the Parents

See also Today the Family Federation, Tomorrow a Temple?

See also “Even 20 Years If Needed”: Believers Vow to Endure

See also Lawyers Desperately Hunt for Japanese “Victims”

See also Against the Odds, Fujisawa Church Reopens

Dissolution of the Religious Organization Is an Example of Conformist Pressure

During the latter half of his lecture, Ogawa devoted considerable time to the series of issues surrounding the Family Federation.

He characterized the government’s request for a dissolution order against the religious organization and the subsequent judicial decisions as “not simply a matter concerning one religious corporation, but a question of what Japan should be as a state governed by the rule of law.”

He also referred to his own involvement in submitting written opinions as an expert and said,

“At first, I thought I would keep my distance and observe the matter from the outside. But the more I investigated, the more astonishing things I found.”

In particular, Ogawa expressed strong concern about the proceedings allegedly moving forward without sufficient examination in closed court sessions, as well as the authorities’ handling of the religious organization‘s facilities. He asked,

“Police were even mobilized, making it look almost like a raid. Was this degree of exercise of state power really justified? […] For the judiciary to go so far as to examine the content of religious doctrines is extremely unusual in a modern state.”

He argued that this situation requires renewed consideration of freedom of religion as a constitutional value.

Ogawa also addressed the attitude of the mass media, in addition to that of the judiciary and administrative authorities. He described Japanese society as currently being in a state “like the frog in the boiling water”, expressing concern that people have become increasingly reluctant to voice opinions that differ from those of the prevailing consensus.

Citing media coverage of political affairs in Hyogo Prefecture and other examples, he analyzed the problem not as the result of “some gigantic conspiracy”, but rather as a consequence of the failure of society’s elite to fulfill their responsibilities. He said,

“The courts and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) are corrupt. The dissolution order in this case is symbolic of that.”

Ogawa warned,

“If the organs of state power, which are supposed to be separated under the principle of separation of powers, all end up facing in the same direction, that is an extremely dangerous sign.”

Indicating that he intends to further deepen constitutional discussions involving experts in the future, Ogawa said,

“The Family Federation issue is not merely one concerning a religious organization. It is an issue that we must put before society as a matter concerning Japan’s Constitution, freedom of religion, and human rights.”

At the conclusion of the lecture, Ogawa said,

“Something has been growing over these past four years. And since July of this year, it has begun to blossom.”

He then added, “Today, 1^st August, has become a day when we begin a new start together with all of you.”

The audience responded with enthusiastic applause.

The lecture was organized by the Association for Considering Japan’s Future, chaired by Tetsuo Ando (安藤哲夫), and co-sponsored by the Miyagi Prefecture Peace Ambassadors Council and the Miyagi Prefectural Headquarters of the International Federation for Victory over Communism (IFVOC). Approximately 450 people attended the event.

More by Eitaro Ogawa: Experts Question Legal Basis for Dissolution

More by Eitaro Ogawa: “Media Deliberately Killed 2 Birds with 1 Stone”

See also When Children Are Taught to Suspect the Parents

See also Today the Family Federation, Tomorrow a Temple?

See also “Even 20 Years If Needed”: Believers Vow to Endure

See also Lawyers Desperately Hunt for Japanese “Victims”

See also Against the Odds, Fujisawa Church Reopens

See also When Public Narrative Becomes State Action

See also Media-Driven Hostility, Conformity, State Power

Featured image above: The Family Federation case and the power of the state. Illustration: ChatGPT, August 2026.

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