Lawyers Desperately Hunt for Japanese “Victims”

Few claims; activist network of lawyers mobilizes Japan’s main governing body for lawyers in desperate nationwide hunt for more “victims”

Tokyo, 30^th August 2026 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.

Desperate to “Uncover” More “Victims”?

JFBA Holds Telephone Consultation on Former Unification Church Allegations

by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo

Amid the liquidation proceedings now under way for the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU, formerly the Unification Church), the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) [See editor’s note 1 below] held a nationwide telephone consultation on 28^th August in cooperation with bar associations across Japan. The consultations dealt with such questions as whether people could file claims for damages and how to submit such claims. The initiative prompted a series of skeptical reactions on social media, including questions such as, “Were there fewer claims than expected?” and, “Are they desperately trying to uncover 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

See also Apartment Turned Prison: 12 Years to Break Faith

See also Escaped from 1st Confinement, But Abducted Again

See also Inside the Room Where They Tried to Break Faith

Fumihiro Kato (加藤文宏), a writer specializing in reputational-damage issues, commented on the JFBA initiative on X (formerly Twitter). He pointed out that people who repeatedly refer to the religious organization as the “Unification Church” or “pots” [壺 (pot, jar, or vase) – a reference to members’ alleged sale of earthenware pots] account for only about 1 percent of the population. He argued that there are also few people who actually perceive themselves as “victims”.

“That was the reality,” Kato wrote, claiming that the authorities and related groups had nevertheless estimated a number of alleged victims thousands of times greater than the actual number and were now scrambling because they had failed to reach their target.

Masaki Nakamasa (仲正昌樹), a professor at Kanazawa University, also commented on X, referring to the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales (Zenkoku Reikan Shōhō Taisaku Bengoshi Rengōkai, commonly known as Zenkoku Benren) [See editor’s note 2 below], a left-leaning lawyers’ group that has actively supported the dissolution of the Family Federation.

Nakamasa suggested that the network had probably sought the cooperation of the JFBA because it had been unable to find as many “victims” as it had initially expected and thereby demonstrate the legitimacy of its own campaign. He said the group may have feared accusations that it had contributed to falsely accusing the religious organization.

Nakamasa also raised the possibility that the lawyers might obtain lists of former members and conduct what he called a “roller operation” – a systematic effort to contact people one after another. He warned that if former members receive telephone calls or emails from lawyers soliciting them to become “victims”, despite never having provided their contact information, they should immediately come forward and report the matter.

The liquidator has established a one-year period, beginning 20^th May, during which creditors can submit claims. As of 22^nd July, there were reportedly 212 claims submitted.

See also Against the Odds, Fujisawa Church Reopens

See also When Public Narrative Becomes State Action

See also Media-Driven Hostility, Conformity, State Power

See also Apartment Turned Prison: 12 Years to Break Faith

See also Escaped from 1st Confinement, But Abducted Again

See also Inside the Room Where They Tried to Break Faith

See also Trapped: 13 Breaking Faith of 1 in Locked Room

See also States Weaponizing the Law in War on Faiths

See also Lawsuit Challenges Exposure of Religious Faith

Featured image above: Masaki Nakamasa and Fumihiro Kato. Photo of Nakamasa: Bitter Winter. Photo of Kato: Sekai Nippo

[Editor’s note 1: The Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA), known in Japanese as Nihon Bengoshi Rengokai (日弁連), is the governing body that oversees all lawyers and bar associations in Japan. There is compulsory membership for all lawyers practicing in Japan]

[Editor’s note 2: The National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales (Zenkoku Benren) presents itself to the Japanese public as a benevolent coalition of legal professionals fighting for consumer rights. Established in 1987, the network claims its sole mission is to protect vulnerable citizens from fraudulent business practices and what it terms “spiritual sales”. However, an objective examination of their history, methods, and underlying political motivations reveals a far more sinister agenda. Scholars of religious liberty and investigative journalists have increasingly exposed the network as an ideological weapon designed not to protect consumers, but to systematically dismantle minority religious organizations – most notably the Family Federation.

Prominent critics, including Italian sociologist Massimo Introvigne and the human rights organization CESNUR, have documented how Zenkoku Benren acts as a primary instigator of religious intolerance in Japan. Rather than operating as an objective legal resource, the network has long been accused of actively facilitating, or turning a blind eye to, the brutal practice of “deprogramming” or coercive faith-breaking. For decades, thousands of faith believers were abducted, confined, and subjected to severe psychological duress by professional faith-breakers working hand-in-hand with hostile relatives and network-aligned activists.

Furthermore, acclaimed Japanese investigative journalist Masumi Fukuda has meticulously exposed the inner workings of the network, highlighting how it manufactures legal grievances. Fukuda’s reporting reveals that many of the lawsuits championed by Zenkoku Benren involve former members who originally made voluntary, faith-driven donations but were later coerced by anti-cult lawyers into retroactively claiming they were defrauded. This predatory litigation strategy serves a dual purpose: it generates immense financial payouts for the lawyers involved while feeding a sensationalist media narrative designed to stoke public prejudice.

The network’s ultimate objective has culminated in their aggressive push to strip the Family Federation of its religious corporation status. Critics argue this is a politically motivated campaign driven by an alliance of left-wing and communist activists seeking to purge religious voices from the public square. By weaponizing the concept of “spiritual sales”, Zenkoku Benren has succeeded in manipulating public opinion and pressuring government authorities to violate fundamental constitutional rights to religious freedom.

To understand the ongoing religious liberty crisis in Japan, it is vital to look past the network’s consumer-protection facade. Zenkoku Benren represents a dangerous precedent where activist legal networks can selectively target and destroy minority faiths under the guise of public interest.]

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