Volunteer Group Barred After Question Over Ties

Japanese volunteer group loses city registration after 15 years amid concerns over affiliation to persecuted faith minority

Tokyo, 15^th July 2026 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.

Experienced Volunteer Group Excluded

Registration Not Renewed, Possibly Due to “Former Unification Church” Ties – Tokorozawa City

by Takahide Ishii (石井孝秀)

Cleanup Participants Say They “Feel Outraged”

Following the court decision ordering the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly known as the Unification Church), criticism and scrutiny of the religious organization and its affiliated groups have intensified. The volunteer organization “APTF Tokorozawa,” which had participated in an environmental beautification program run by Tokorozawa City (所沢市) in Saitama Prefecture, has been unable to continue as a registered participant since April.

See also Dissolution Case: Attorney Reveals Inside Story

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After a Japanese Communist Party city council member raised concerns during a city council session last September, arguing that the group was affiliated with the religious organization, the city declined to renew APTF Tokorozawa’s registration in the environmental program. The group’s representative stated,

“I feel anger that a public institution is attaching a negative label to us.”

Tokorozawa City operates an environmental beautification initiative called the “Adopt Program”, through which the city supports citizen groups that clean roads, parks, rivers, and other public spaces. Participating groups receive supplies such as garbage bags and are covered by insurance against accidents that occur during activities. Organizations wishing to participate are registered by signing an agreement with the mayor regarding their activities.

APTF Tokorozawa, a branch of APTF (Association for the Promotion of a True Family Movement – 真の家庭運動推進協議会), which is described as an association affiliated with the religious organization, began monthly cleanups of station areas and parks in May 2009. It joined the Adopt Program in 2010 and had carried out activities without issue for more than fifteen years.

According to representative Masami Soma (相馬正美), most participants are members of the religious organization, but the activities are not intended for proselytizing or religious purposes, and no complaints about the group have ever been reported to the city.

Influenced by a Communist Party Council Member

However, APTF Tokorozawa became a topic of discussion at a Tokorozawa City Council session in September of last year.

Kenta Hanaoka (花岡健太), a member of the Japanese Communist Party city council group, referred to the objectives stated on APTF’s website and emphasized that the association seeks to realize ideals based on the teachings of Sun Myung Moon and his wife. He pointed out that the Adopt Program’s guidelines require participating groups not to engage in political or religious activities and argued that APTF Tokorozawa “may be in serious violation of these guidelines”.

Hanaoka further stated that the group may have “conducted recruitment activities while concealing its true identity” and that “it is absolutely unacceptable for the government to effectively endorse associations related to the former Unification Church.”

In March of this year, Tokorozawa City’s Road Maintenance Division informed Soma that the volunteer group’s registration could not be renewed. Soma requested a written explanation of the reasons for non-renewal, but the city declined to provide one.

Believing there was no problem with submitting an application itself and wishing to hear a fuller explanation, Soma submitted another application to city hall in April. At that time, he again requested a written explanation, but a city official responded:

“We appreciate your activities. However, the Adopt Program is a private agreement between the city and participating organizations. If the city unilaterally expresses its intention not to continue the agreement, that is sufficient. We understand that you may not accept this, but there is no need to disclose the reasons.”

When Soma asked whether the registration had been denied because APTF was affiliated with the Family Federation, the official replied that:

“Based on its website, APTF appears to have strong ties to the former Unification Church,” and that “it is difficult for Tokorozawa City to determine whether it is a religious organization.”

At the same time, the official maintained that:

“The city is not refusing to continue the registration because it is related to the former Unification Church.”

Officially, the city’s position is not that the decision was based on a particular belief system, but rather that the organization possesses a “strong religious character” that may conflict with program guidelines. Soma said he felt this reflected an attitude of avoiding responsibility by leaving matters ambiguous instead of clearly stating them in writing.

In June, Soma received a voicemail message from the city stating that, following review, “the agreement (registration) cannot be continued.”

Excluding “Ordinary People”

APTF Tokorozawa also included participants who were not members of the religious organization. A man in his fifties who lived in Tokorozawa until June said that he joined the activities knowing that the group was affiliated with the religious organization.

“When you actually participate in cleanup activities with them, they are just completely ordinary people. Those who have negative images of the Family Federation are probably people who have never interacted with current members.”

Regarding the refusal to renew the volunteer registration, he added:

“If there had been a written notice terminating the registration, I could have sent a protest email to the mayor as an ordinary citizen. But it is difficult to protest something that exists only as a phone call and leaves no formal record.”

Soma said:

“Even though our registration was not renewed, we are continuing our cleanup activities. We want to treat this as a new beginning.”

At the same time, he expressed concern that:

“This kind of exclusionary movement could spread to other regions. I feel there is prejudice not only against the Family Federation but against religious activities themselves. The government should have exercised greater caution in making such decisions.”

See also Dissolution Case: Attorney Reveals Inside Story

See also When Giving Becomes Grounds for Dissolution

See also How Media Narrative Was Changed to Attack Faith

See also: The Anatomy of Japan’s Hostile Media Campaign

See also When Religious Intolerance Turns Violent

Featured image above: Cleanup activities conducted by the volunteer group “APTF Tokorozawa”. Photo provided by the association.

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