Sayuri Ogawa

Japanese anti-cult activist (born 1996)

Sayuri Ogawa (Japanese: 小川 さゆり;[1] born c. 1996[a]) is the pseudonym of a Japanese woman who was a former follower of the Unification Church (UC). She left her parents and the church at the age of 20 after suffering sexual harassment and religious abuse. Since the assassination of Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, on 8 July 2022, she has become an anti-cult activist,[4] appearing in government hearings and media interviews to address issues related to the malpractices of new religious organisations, particularly concerning the welfare of shūkyō nisei (宗教二世, children from religious families).[5] Ogawa herself is also a shūkyō nisei, specifically a "blessed second generation" (祝福二世) or "child of god" (神の子), as she was born to a couple paired by the UC in its mass wedding.[6][7]

Background

Early life

Sayuri Ogawa was born as the eldest daughter among six siblings. Her parents were devoted followers of the Unification Church (UC) and their marriage was through a mass wedding ceremony of the UC. Ogawa's mother was a full-time housewife but often had to be away from home due to missionary duty and campaign activities, including canvassing for pro-UC politicians during elections, while her father held a district management position within the church.[8]

Entertainment such as television and manga were considered satanic and prohibited, and attendance at worship services and prayer meetings was compulsory. Ogawa sometimes experienced extreme physical distress, including dislocating her shoulder and fainting during these activities. Despite the challenges, her parents persisted in imposing their faith.[9] The family struggled financially due to regular donations to the church,[10] and Ogawa faced bullying at school due to poverty.[9] Ogawa recalled having fond memories with her parents and described them as being kind to her, despite the challenges their household faced. Therefore, she would obey her parents and engage in religious activities.[11]

As she entered high school, Ogawa became deeply immersed in her faith in the UC. She found solace in attending church, which helped distract her from other concerns. During her third year of high school, she participated in a speech competition on the teachings of the church and achieved second place at the national level. While engaged in such activities, she attended a residential training where she experienced sexual harassment. A male team leader took her to an isolated room where no one could see them, hugged her, and took photos, making her feel uncomfortable and violated.[10]

Even after the training ended, Ogawa received messages like, "If you do not reply, we will not meet in heaven," which left her in shock. When she confided in her parents about the incident, they attributed it to her being possessed by evil spirits, and as a result, they sent her to undergo "spiritual training" in Cheongpyeong, South Korea. The 40-day "exorcism" process left her emotionally unstable, and she reached a point where she felt compelled to write a farewell letter in which she expressed her desire to commit suicide.[10]

Runaway from home and the church

Afterwards, her mother started using Ogawa's savings and earnings from part-time jobs without permission, causing her further distress. This happened when she was 19 years old. She sought help by visiting government offices and the police to report the abuse, but she was not taken seriously, with responses like, "It's a family matter and a religious issue."[11] Frustrated and feeling trapped, Ogawa began isolating herself in her room. At the age of 20, she decided to run away from home[9] and simultaneously disassociated herself from the UC.[12][13] While distancing herself from her family, she continued to suffer from symptoms such as hyperpnea.[9] In a November 2022 interview, she expressed her post-runaway struggles as follows:[9]

I resented the church so much, but I also realized that my existence was tied to the church. I was born because of the church, and my life was shaped by the match arranged by Sun Myung Moon.[b] My identity felt like it was crumbling, and I couldn't understand my purpose. I wanted to die so badly. If there was no church, I wouldn't have been born. I think it would have been better to stay as a shinkō nisei.[c] My parents wanted me and gave birth to me to increase the number of followers, so I was born just for that purpose.

Subsequently, she met her current partner, who is an atheist, and got married.[9][14] In April 2022, she gave birth to her first son.[15]

Activism

Motivation by Abe's death

On 8 July 2022, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated during an election campaign in Nara. The 41-year-old prime suspect Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested at the scene. News outlets reported that Yamagami was driven by a grudge towards the UC for causing his mother's bankruptcy and Abe family's longstanding ties to the church. Consequently, the phrase shūkyō nisei trended on social media.[16] Ogawa shared her past experiences and thoughts as a shūkyō nisei on Twitter.[17] In one aspect, she expresses strong disapproval of the assassination, which she views as an act of terror. Conversely, she can also empathise with Yamagami, as both of them are victims of the UC, sharing similar experiences.[17]

In the same month, she was approached by Japan News Network (JNN) through social media to appear on a featured news program and talk about the religious abuse and other challenges faced by shūkyō nisei.[6] It was during this time that she adopted the pseudonym "Sayuri Ogawa".[6] Later her husband adopted a similar pseudonym "Ryō Ogawa" (小川 りょう).[3][14] Ogawa explained that Abe's incident made her realize that many victims share similar experiences with her, and she "wanted to eliminate the damage caused by religion", which motivated her to step forward and advocate for protecting the newer generation from similar suffering.[18][19]

Abe's assassination and the revelation of ties between the UC and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led to a significant decline in Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's approval ratings. In response, Kishida instructed members of his political party to provide detailed explanations regarding their connections to the UC. To restore public trust, he also conducted a cabinet reshuffle in August 2022.[20]

Subsequently, on 14 September 2022, Ogawa was invited by JNN to appear alongside Minister of Justice Yasuhiro Hanashi and anti-cult lawyer Masaki Kito on another featured news program. During the show, she directly addressed Hanashi, emphasising the challenges faced by shūkyō nisei in seeking assistance, particularly from government officials. Ogawa demanded the enactment of new laws to safeguard individuals like her from religious abuse.[2]

Ogawa started advocating for "anti-sectarian laws" (反セクト法), modeled after the French About-Picard law, with the aim of more effectively regulating and prosecuting religious organisations that infringe upon human rights. She is seeking support from international organisations like the United Nations for this cause.[1][21][19]

Press conference and legal threats

On 7 October 2022, accompanied by her husband, Ogawa was invited by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) to speak about her experiences entangled with the UC at a press conference.[22][11] During the conference, they noticed two fax messages from the UC, one of which was signed by Ogawa's parents and the other signed by the lawyer representing the UC. One fax demanded an immediate end to the conference, claiming that Ogawa "is suffering from serious mental health disorders, including dissociative identity disorder that had worsened since Abe's death. This had prompted her to make inaccurate statements to the media." Another fax made legal threat against FCCJ should they refuse to comply with the UC's demand.[23][7]

Despite reading the message, Ogawa chose not to comply with the demand to cease the conference.[24] Towards the end of the event, she stated that "I believe many who are witnessing this can tell which side is evil. If you think I am on the right side, please let this organisation be dissolved."[8] One week after the conference, the UC released a statement claiming that "we deeply care about [Ogawa's] health condition, which might worsen if she continues to make public appearances."[22]

Former UC follower turned anti-cult journalist Fumiaki Tada [ja] commented that the way the UC attempted to stop Ogawa's conference was cruel. He condemned the church's demand as an unforgivable act of silencing shūkyō nisei.[21] Eito Suzuki, an investigative journalist covering malpractice in the UC, commented that the church perceived Ogawa as a threat. They feared the potential impact of Ogawa's pleas reaching an international audience and that their actions have revealed their "malicious nature" in prioritising their image over the well-being of their victims like Ogawa.[8] Suzuki warned that the church was appealing to foreign media and human rights organizations about the "religious persecution" in Japan by attacking Ogawa's character, thus portraying themselves as victims.[8]

The UC filed a civil complaint in November 2022 against Ogawa, demanding that she retract her statement made during a meeting with the Constitutional Democratic Party. During this meeting, Ogawa claimed that her parents had made exorbitant donations. The church considered this statement to be untrue and damaging to their reputation. In March 2023, the Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of Ogawa. The judge recognised Ogawa's testimony that "donations were made when the family did not have much money left." The church immediately appealed to the Tokyo High Court, but the appeal was dismissed in August 2023.[25]

Advocating for dissolving the church

On 11 October 2022, the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales (Zenkoku Benren) sent an open letter to Kishida's cabinet members, demanding the activation of Article 81, the "Dissolution Order," of the Religious Juridical Person Law against the UC.[26] This order aims to revoke the religious entity status of an organisation that is considered to operate in a manner not consistent with a legitimate religion and is detrimental to public welfare. As a result, the organisation would no longer be eligible for tax exemptions while still practicing their faith, as guaranteed by the Constitution of Japan.[27]

A petition supporting the Dissolution Order, endorsed by Ogawa and other victims of the UC, was launched on Change.org on 17 October 2022.[28] On 9 December 2022, the petition has garnered over 200,000 signatures and Ogawa acted as one of the representatives to deliver the petition result to the Religious Affairs Division of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.[29] The plea prompted the ministry to initiate an investigation and exercise the right to question the church on 11 November 2022, indicating the potential for dissolving the church if sufficient evidence of wrongdoing is uncovered.[30] The ministry eventually filed the dissolution order against the church with the Tokyo District Court on 13 October 2023.[31]

Witnessing the passage of relief bills

On 2 November 2022, Ogawa was invited by the LDP to participate in a hearing about religious abuse and drafting new relief bills to help victims demand restitution who suffer financially from unfair religious fundraising activities, known as "spiritual sales" (霊感商法) in Japan.[32] On 9 December, Ogawa participated in a senate hearing of the special panel about consumer disputes. She advocated for the necessity to help people whose lives are ruined by religion.[13] On 10 December, along with another victim of the UC, Tatsuo Hashida (橋田 達夫), they were invited to spectate an extraordinary parliamentary session in the National Diet when the relief bills were deliberated and passed.[33] However, lawyers of Zenkoku Benren have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the relief bills.[34] On the other hand, Ogawa expressed her gratitude for the relief bills to be made in such a short period of time[35] while emphasising that there are still many challenges ahead. She pleaded with the public not to forget about all the victims.[34]

Other activism efforts

Ogawa also contributes to raising awareness about victims of other religious groups beyond the UC.[3] In 2023, she collaborated with a third-generation member of Jehovah's Witnesses, who uses the pseudonym "Nana Natsuno" (夏野 なな), to advocate for the necessity of enacting stronger laws to safeguard their well-being. Natsuno explained that her parents were involved in religiously motivated child abuse, which included instilling fear of Armageddon if she disobeyed the church, enforcing the carrying of a card to declare refusal of blood transfusion and subjecting her to severe corporal punishment.[36]

Book

  • 小川さゆり、宗教2世 [Sayuri Ogawa, Shūkyō Nisei] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. 7 March 2023. ISBN 9784093801256.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In a September 2022 special news program by TBS News which features Ogawa, Yasuhiro Hanashi and Masaki Kito, Ogawa was noted as "26 years old".[2] In a May 2023 short documentary about Sayuri Ogawa and her family produced and broadcast by Fuji News Network, she was noted as "27 years old".[3]
  2. ^ Founder of the Unification Church
  3. ^ Shinkō nisei (信仰2世) has the same essential meaning as shūkyō nisei (宗教2世), as shinkō means "religious faith" and shūkyō means "religion".

References

  1. ^ a b 【元統一教会二世】 小川さゆり 『自己紹介』 ー日本にも反セクト法をー, Sayuri Ogawa, 23 September 2022, archived from the original on 8 January 2023, retrieved 8 January 2023 – via YouTube
  2. ^ a b 葉梨法務大臣に直接訴え…／旧統一教会宗教２世「救ってほしい」 [Appealing directly to Minister of Justice Hanashi... Former Unification Church Nisei: "Please Save Us"], TBS News (in Japanese), 14 September 2023, archived from the original on 5 August 2023, retrieved 5 August 2023
  3. ^ a b c 私が「小川さゆり」になったワケ [The reasons I have become "Sayuri Ogawa"], Fuji News Network (in Japanese), 22 May 2023, archived from the original on 2 August 2023, retrieved 2 August 2023 – via YouTube
  4. ^ Ryall, Julian (19 April 2023), "Is Japan losing its religion? Cults, Unification Church scandal seen driving rising distrust", South China Morning Post, archived from the original on 16 August 2023, retrieved 16 August 2023, 'I think it can be said that people no longer need religion' Sayuri Ogawa, activist and Unification Church critic
  5. ^ Mckenna, Shaun; Takahara, Hanako (7 December 2022), "The Church, the State and Kishida's headache", Japan Times, archived from the original on 14 December 2022, retrieved 11 August 2023
  6. ^ a b c そして彼女は「小川さゆり」となった 顔を隠さず被害訴える旧統一教会・元2世信者 初取材から救済法成立までの133日 [And she has become "Sayuri Ogawa". The former follower comes out to criticise the Unification Church. 133 days after the initial coverage until the enactment of the Relief Law], TBS News (in Japanese), pp. 1–3, 11 December 2022, archived from the original on 15 March 2023, retrieved 2 August 2023
  7. ^ a b Nishimura, Karyn (November 2022), "Sayuri Ogawa confronts the Unification church – and her parents – during a day of drama at the FCCJ", Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, archived from the original on 12 August 2023, retrieved 12 August 2023
  8. ^ a b c d 『両親の署名入り』会見中止要求は「“教団”の悪質性が如実に表れている」 鈴木エイト氏が解説 元2世信者が涙の訴え、語られた切実な思いとは [Eito Suzuki Explains the Demands for Cancellation of the Press Conference Signed by Parents as 'Revealing the Malicious Nature of the Religious Organisation': Former Follower's Tearful Plea and Profound Emotions Revealed], Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (in Japanese), 11 October 2022, archived from the original on 15 October 2022, retrieved 3 August 2023
  9. ^ a b c d e f 旧統一教会など宗教2世は訴える “宗教虐待”を知ってほしい [A shūkyō nisei addresses issues about the Unification Church. Details regarding the religious abuse], NHK (in Japanese), 26 October 2022, archived from the original on 6 April 2023, retrieved 2 August 2023
  10. ^ a b c 「祝福２世」が語る壮絶な過去 「恋愛は殺人以上の罪」なのに教団関係者からセクハラ 合同結婚式で結ばれた夫婦から生まれた自分自身への問い 旧統一教会元信者・小川さゆりさんインタビュー [Interview with Sayuri Ogawa. The blessed second generation speaks about a tumultuous past. "Love is a sin graver than murder" yet sexually harassed by a fellow follower, a question baffles the child born by a couple from the mass wedding], Kansai TV (in Japanese), 23 November 2022, archived from the original on 11 May 2023, retrieved 2 August 2023
  11. ^ a b c "Press Conference: Escaping the Clutches of a Cult by Sayuri Ogawa, Unification Church Defector", Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, 7 October 2022, archived from the original on 6 August 2023, retrieved 6 August 2023
  12. ^ 鈴木エイト氏×元2世信者・小川さゆりさん対談「旧統一教会の解散がゴールではない」 [Exchange between Eito Suzuki and former follower Sayuri Ogawa. "Disbanding the Unification Church is not the final goal"], News Post Seven, Shogakukan, 31 October 2022, archived from the original on 18 December 2022, retrieved 2 August 2023
  13. ^ a b 「被害拡大の張本人が動かず、声あげた」 小川さゆりさん、陳述全文 [Sayuri Ogawa: The ringleaders remain silent, and I raise my voice], Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese), 9 December 2022, archived from the original on 1 August 2023, retrieved 2 August 2023
  14. ^ a b 《ついに解散命令請求》統一教会“元2世信者”小川さゆりさんの夫が初めて明かした妻との“本当の関係性”「妻は神社でお賽銭をめちゃくちゃ渋ってたんです」, Bungei Shunjū (in Japanese), 13 October 2023, retrieved 17 October 2023
  15. ^ 旧統一教会元2世信者・小川さゆりさん、鈴木エイト氏に明かした「会見での涙の真相」 ["The truth behind the tears at the conference" former follower Sayuri Ogawa reveals to Eito Suzuki], News Post Seven (in Japanese), Shogakukan, 31 October 2022, archived from the original on 18 December 2022, retrieved 2 August 2023
  16. ^ Oi, Mariko (23 July 2022), "Shinzo Abe killing: Why a religious group has been put in the spotlight", BBC News, archived from the original on 18 October 2022, retrieved 12 October 2022
  17. ^ a b Sayuri Ogawa (8 April 2023), 「安倍さんが殺されたみたいだよ」最初は犯人を嫌悪していたが…旧統一教会2世が“山上被告”に抱いたあまりにも複雑な感情 [At first I was disgusted by the perpetrator, but then I hold a mixed feeling for the defendant Yamagami who is a Unification Church nisei], Bungeishunjū (in Japanese), pp. 1–2, archived from the original on 10 June 2023, retrieved 2 August 2023
  18. ^ "Unification Church tries to derail ex-believer's press conference", Kyodo News, 7 October 2022, archived from the original on 10 August 2023, retrieved 9 August 2023, Following Abe's shooting, Ogawa said she realized "many victims were suffering the same way I was" and that she "wanted to eliminate the damage caused by religion."
  19. ^ a b 『原動力は母親になったこと【後編】』旧統一教会元2世信者・小川さゆりさん「被害を子どもたちの代に残したくない」他宗教の元2世信者らと共に被害者救済の法整備訴え ["Becoming a mother is my driving force" former follower Sayuri Ogawa "I don't want to leave that suffering to our children"], MBS News (in Japanese), 28 October 2022, archived from the original on 10 August 2023, retrieved 9 August 2023
  20. ^ "Japan PM purges Cabinet after support falls over church ties". Associated Press. 10 August 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  21. ^ a b 【旧統一教会】元２世信者の小川さん（仮名）に両親から「会見中止せよ」のメッセージ...「２世の声を封殺するのは許されない」元信者のジャーナリスト多田文明氏が解説 [Former follower Ogawa told by her parents to stop the conference. Censorship against nisei's voices is unforgivable by former follower turned journalist Fumiaki Tada], MBS News (in Japanese), 7 October 2022, archived from the original on 10 August 2023, retrieved 9 August 2023 – via YouTube
  22. ^ a b 会見中止要求「親心から」 旧統一教会が声明 [The Unification Church claims they demanded an end to the conference because they "care for Ogawa"]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). Kyodo News. 15 October 2022. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  23. ^ 元2世信者が記者会見 両親が中止を要求 [Former follower's press conference and they were demanded to cease from the parents], Arab News Japan (in Japanese), 7 October 2022, archived from the original on 12 August 2023, retrieved 12 August 2023
  24. ^ "Unification Church tries to halt ex-member's news conference", Asahi Shimbun, 8 October 2022, archived from the original on 10 August 2023, retrieved 8 August 2023
  25. ^ 元２世信者への教団反論を却下 東京地裁「名誉毀損成立しない」 [Church's demand against former believer dismissed by court], Kyodo News (in Japanese), Okinawa Times, 14 September 2023, retrieved 22 October 2023
  26. ^ 「旧統一教会への解散命令請求を」…弁護士団体が国に申し入れ書 [Lawyers group's open letter for the country "Request for dissolving the Unification Church"], Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese), 11 October 2022, archived from the original on 10 August 2023, retrieved 10 August 2023
  27. ^ 検証第４弾・旧統一教会②内部資料入手...地方政界進出の思惑 [Inspection vol.4: Internal documents of the Unification Church reveal motive of stepping inside the political circle], TBS News (in Japanese), 28 August 2022, archived from the original on 5 April 2023, retrieved 10 August 2023 – via YouTube
  28. ^ 旧統一教会の解散求める署名20万超、文科省に提出 鈴木エイト氏「教会にとって脅威だ」 [Petition Demanding Dissolution of the Unification Church Surpasses 200,000 Signatures, Submitted to Ministry of Education - Eito Suzuki: 'A Threat to the Church'], Bengoshi Dot Com (in Japanese), 9 December 2022, archived from the original on 10 August 2023, retrieved 10 August 2023
  29. ^ 旧統一教会の元信者ら “解散命令請求”求め文化庁に署名提出 [Former followers of the Unification Church submitted signed petition for disbandment to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology], NHK (in Japanese), 9 December 2022, archived from the original on 11 August 2023, retrieved 10 August 2023
  30. ^ French, Alice; Imahashi, Rurika (22 November 2022), "Japan builds case to dissolve scandal-hit Unification Church", The Nikkei, archived from the original on 14 August 2023, retrieved 15 August 2023
  31. ^ 【速報】旧統一教会の解散命令請求 文化庁、東京地裁に, Kyodo News (in Japanese), 13 October 2023, retrieved 13 October 2023 – via YouTube
  32. ^ 自民党 旧統一教会などの宗教2世からヒアリング [Hearing of the Liberal Democratic Party from Shūkyō Nisei about the Unification Church and more], TV Asahi (in Japanese), 2 November 2022, archived from the original on 3 August 2023, retrieved 3 August 2023
  33. ^ 旧統一教会 被害者救済法成立「宗教2世」ら被害訴える人たちは [Shūkyō Nisei on the Unification Church Relief Bills], NHK (in Japanese), 10 December 2022, archived from the original on 13 December 2022, retrieved 16 December 2022
  34. ^ a b 旧統一教会の被害者救済法案成立へ 厳格な規制求めた立憲民主党はなぜ与党に急に「妥協」したのか… [Former Unification Church Victim Relief Bills to be Enacted - Why Did the Constitutional Democratic Party, Which Advocated Strict Regulations, Suddenly 'Compromise' with the Ruling Party?], Tokyo Shimbun (in Japanese), p. 2, 9 December 2022, archived from the original on 26 December 2022, retrieved 14 August 2023
  35. ^ "Family members of Unification Church followers welcome upcoming legislation on donations", Yomiuri Shimbun, 9 December 2022, archived from the original on 14 August 2023, retrieved 14 August 2023
  36. ^ 【宗教２世】小川さゆりさんと夏野ななさん「子どもへの宗教虐待の禁止規定を」「今もアイデンティティーが否定される不安」新たな法整備を訴える理由, MBS News (in Japanese), 30 March 2023, archived from the original on 25 September 2023, retrieved 17 August 2023

External links

  • Sayuri Ogawa's official Twitter account
  • Sayuri Ogawa's official YouTube channel
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