More and More Believers Raising Their Voices

A growing number of religious minority believers have started raising their voices 

Tokyo, 19th August 2024 – Published as the 22nd 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 3: Believers Suffering Discrimination and Human Rights Violations

Believers Speak Out

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, 38th 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, 48th article, 49th article, 50th article, 51st article, 52nd article, 53rd article, 54th article, 55th article

See Epilogue: 56th article, 57th article, 58th article

A request for a court order to dissolve the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) was issued in October last year. Many of the religious organization’s followers have been waiting to see how the organization would respond, but some have independently taken to the streets and begun to make their opinions known to society.

Kazuya Miseki (a pseudonym), a man in his 30s living in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, joined the religious organization after being approached in Shinjuku [Editor’s note: Tokyo’s major commercial and administrative center] at the age of 20. Since last October, he has been street preaching at JR Matsudo Station in Chiba Prefecture. He had felt since the shooting incident involving former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,

“There are too few voices from people of faith. Can’t someone counter this terrible media coverage?”

He said,

“Some church staff members have been hurt by past critical reports. Church staff are not the only believers, so I thought that if I want to do something, I should speak up without hesitation.”

Naturally, he was worried that if he stood on the street, he would be criticized, his private life might be negatively affected, and he might even be harmed. But once he started, more and more believers joined him, and some even began drawing illustrations for the flyers they distributed. Recently, he has also been talking about how he has matured through his faith.

In January this year, the “Chiba Prefecture Citizens’ Association to Protect Freedom of Religion and Human Rights” was established, mainly by believers. Hiroshi Ogasawara (小笠原裕) (61) from Yachiyo City became the representative. He emphasized the social backlash against the religious organization, stating,

“The proposition to socially exclude religion is spreading throughout society. The religious community needs to consciously stand up, and for that to happen, we, the people involved, must first raise our voices.”

In March, they held a symposium in Chiba City. They invited members of parliament, lawyers, and Christian pastors, but what Ogasawara values most is for the believers themselves to take to the streets and directly express their honest feelings to the public.

Yoshiaki Kawahara (川原義昭) (63), a board member of the organization living in Chiba City, also began giving speeches on the street in front of JR Chiba Station last autumn. Kawahara has expanded his street preaching efforts nationwide through connections among believers of the Family Federation community.  The circle is steadily expanding, with the number of locations holding such speeches exceeding 140 in July.

Being active on the streets, however, often led to disruptions. Around May of this year, a passerby repeatedly hurled insult at him. Even someone who initially stepped in to mediate turned against Kawahara and joined in the verbal abuse after learning he was associated with the former Unification Church. Although Kawahara called the police, the officers didn’t take the incident seriously and eventually left without resolving the issue.

Kawahara says,

“It is not easy to correct people’s prejudices, but it is important to sincerely convey the truth and find people who can empathize.”

He also hopes that this street speech activity may bring about internal reforms within the Family Federation.

He explains,

“Believers tend to operate in a top-down manner, which leaves little opportunity to express their own words and opinions. By taking to the streets, we hope to foster individual initiatives and open up new possibilities.”

Daichi Ito (伊藤大地) (70) from Fukuoka City shares this sentiment. Feeling the recent media coverage was unjust, he began speaking out about religious freedom through street campaigns after September 2022. When he shared these activities online, he received a flood of responses from believers nationwide, praising his courageous actions. Ito argues, “If the church as an organization isn’t going to act, then the believers must rise up.”

Furthermore, he enthusiastically states,

“It’s not just about asserting our own viewpoints, but also about considering what Japan, in its current national crisis, should be like. We need to send out a strong message with the country’s best interests in mind.”

In June this year, believers formed the “Kumamoto Prefecture Citizens’ Association to Protect Basic Human Rights and Freedom of Religion” in Kumamoto City and held a protest march in the city. These efforts to appeal to the general public are spreading across the country.

End of part 3 (16th – 22nd article).

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, 38th 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, 48th article, 49th article, 50th article, 51st article, 52nd article, 53rd article, 54th article, 55th article

See Epilogue: 56th article, 57th article, 58th article

Featured image above: Yoshiaki Kawahara sharing his experiences of street preaching at a symposium in March in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture. Photo: Tsuyoshi Toyoda (豊田剛) / Sekai Nippo

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