Rescue for Victims of Religious Parents Still Lacking in Japan

Tokyo, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–Rescue for people who were harmed by their parents’ religious beliefs is still insufficient in Japan although public attention grew on so-called second-generation followers after the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. An expert emphasized the importance of continuing to review support systems for such victims, amid lackluster progress in aid and awareness activities. In the July 2022 murder, perpetrator Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, was motivated by his belief that Abe had ties with the controversial religious group Unification Church. Yamagami’s mother, a follower of the Unification Church, made large amounts of donations to the organization, putting her family in a dire financial situation. After the high-profile incident, the welfare ministry compiled guidelines for local governments and child consultation centers stipulating that forcing children to participate in religious activities constitutes child abuse. The incident also prompted Japan to enact a law banning malicious solicitations of donations. The Japan Legal Support Center, known as Houterasu, set up a hotline to offer consultation services to second-generation followers and others. Still, the leader of an organization tackling issues surrounding second-generation followers warned that the problem is at risk of being forgotten, lamenting the lack of progress in making it easier for second-generation followers to seek help, such as creating consultation services and awareness-raising posters that explicitly mention “religion.” Children of religious followers cannot establish their own lives unless they end their dependence on their parents for basic needs, the leader said, calling for discussions to create a system helping minors stand on their own feet. “Although there has been progress, such as the passage of the law on donation solicitations, voices calling for revisions are being ignored,” said Hotaka Tsukada, a professor of sociology of religion at Bunkyo University. Japan should increase the effectiveness of relief measures by constantly making improvements through, for example, hearings with children of followers of not only the Unification Church but also many other religious groups, Tsukada said. The professor also pointed to the need to build a system enabling schoolteachers to receive training continuously to deal with related problems with the understanding that issues linked to second-generation followers are human rights concerns. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]