Japan’s Dehumanizing View Shocks Young Members

Dehumanizing view sold by hostile activist lawyers to Japanese authorities frightens young members of religious minority 

Tokyo, 6th November 2024 – Published as the 38th 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 5: The Distorted Image of the “Second-Generation”

Have Second-Generation Followers of Religions Been Deprived of Their Freedom?

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

See part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders: 39th article, 40th article, 41st article, 42nd article, 43rd article, 44th 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

Have second-generation followers of religions been deprived of their freedom?

“The so-called ‘second-generation followers’ of religious organizations have been deprived of freedom to choose their religion, the freedom to date and marry, the freedom to continue their education and find employment. as a result, they have been deprived of their entire personality in all stages of life, including adulthood.”

This paragraph, from a statement issued by the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales (Zenkoku Benren) on 21st September 2024, calling for legal measures to aid victims of the former Unification Church, can be said to succinctly capture the image of “second-generation followers” commonly portrayed in the media. But when parents of faith practice their beliefs together with their children, does it necessarily mean they are depriving their children of freedom and taking away their entire personality?

In his paper “The Rights of Children and ‘Second-Generation Followers of Religions’” published in the academic journal Religious Studies (宗教研究 – September 2024), Professor Nobuyuki Kojima (小島伸之) of Joetsu University of Education [Editor’s note: located in Joetsu, Niigata] notes that it would be “excessive if all such struggles, suffering, and hardships are viewed without qualification as ‘human rights issues’ or ‘social issues’.”

He warns that such an approach may “lead to serious conflicts between freedom of religion and parental rights” and “could also disrupt the delicate nuances of parent-child relationships and the process of human development.”

He also touched on the media and political response to issues related to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church). Kojima expresses concern that “fundamental discussions about how to draw the limits of religious freedom and to what extent and how the state should mediate conflicts over religious freedom between parents and children have been obscured by the assumption that there must be a quick response to individual Unification Church issues.”

How do current second-generation followers perceive these issues?

Yasumori Ikeda (池田泰盛), a 26-year-old church staff member living in Saitama Prefecture, dropped out of vocational school six years ago. He says his current work was his own choice, with no one influencing him. He recalls,

“I originally liked training, so while I was in vocational school, I thought about becoming a sports trainer to help people with weight loss and fitness.”

It was a career that offered economic stability and respect from clients if one was skilled. However, he shares,

“Part of me wanted to live for something bigger, not just for what I personally liked.”

While he also had an interest in politics, he felt his faith could help improve a “distorted society” and serve as a guiding principle for his life. This belief ultimately influenced his choice of career.

There are other perspectives on the issues faced by second-generation believers.

Koji Maki (牧孝治), a 28-year-old second-generation believer and church staff member living in Tokyo, often interacts with various second-generation believers due to his position.

In one case, a second-generation follower resented being pressured into faith by his parents. Although he is already an adult, he continues to rely on his parents financially. The parents, having experienced salvation through their faith, are eager to pass it on to their children. The children, however, even while complaining, end up becoming more and more dependent.

In such cases, Maki encourages parents to allow their children the freedom to decide for themselves whether to attend church, saying,

“Faith is not something to be forced. If all they can do is criticize, maybe they should try experiencing freedom first.”

However, he notes that there are cases where someone will threaten the parents, “If I live on my own, I’ll stop going to church.” That way the person makes faith a “weapon” to extract parental support, a situation Maki finds troubling.

In many cases, religious beliefs are passed down from parents to children, but in many cases they are not. The inner conflicts that arise are part of the parent-child relationship and can vary widely. Viewing second-generation followers purely as victims, as implied by the statement from the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, is an extreme view that is harmful.

End of part 5: The Distorted Image of the “Second-Generation” (29th – 38th article)

Featured image above: Yasumori Ikeda (left) and Koji Maki on 22nd October 2024, in Tokyo. Photo: Takahide Ishii (石 井 孝 秀).

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

See part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders: 39th article, 40th article, 41st article, 42nd article, 43rd article, 44th 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

More about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Harsh Reality of 4300 Forcibly Deprogrammed

And more about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Lawyer Exposes Dirty Leftwing Plot

Yet more about Japan’s dehumanizing view: 12 Years of Forcible Detention and Awful Abuse

Still more about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Inhuman Government-Supported Mass Deprogramming

Even more about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Collusion to Rob Minority of Its Rights

And yet more about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Malicious One-Sided Government Source Selection

And still more about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Government’s Foul Play Pointed Out

And even more about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Lawyers Using Witnesses under Duress

And more about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Parents Pay for Activism of Pastors and Lawyers

More about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Vicious Smear Tactic Used to Hide Criminal Acts

More about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Lawyers Exploiting Fear of the Unknown

More about Japan’s dehumanizing view: Sinister Plot of Hostile Lawyers Exposed

And more, related to Japan’s dehumanizing view: Leaders from 18 Faiths Send Protest to Regime

Yet more, related to Japan’s dehumanizing view: UN Body Watching: Japan Triggering Hate Crimes

Still more, related to Japan’s dehumanizing view: Conference and Demo Protesting Dissolution

Even more, related to Japan’s dehumanizing view: Steep Battle to Counter Hostile Propaganda

Also related to Japan’s dehumanizing view: Media Helping Terrorist Reach His Goal

More, related to Japan’s dehumanizing view: Kishida Administration Giving in to Terrorism

And more, related to Japan’s dehumanizing view: Kishida Has Opened Can of Worms

And even more, related to Japan’s dehumanizing view: Conference on Religious Freedom Violations

Still more, related to Japan’s dehumanizing view: Japan: Threat to Religious Freedom

Even more, related to Japan’s dehumanizing view: Call to End Witch Hunt