University Student Kidnapped and Confined for Deprogramming Purpose in Japan

Mr. M.F. is believed to have been kidnapped and confined by his family members for forceful religious de-conversion since Nov 10, 2012.

Mr. M.F. is a 22-year-old university student at Okayama University of Science in Japan.   

Asako's Existence Encouraged Other Victims to Speak Out.

Ms Asako Shukuya was a victim of deprogramming (kidnapping and confinement for the purpose of forcible conversion).   After renouncing the faith in the Unification Church, she was true to her heart and courageously started to speak out about inhumane acts of deprogramming.

I regret that Asako passed away.  She died of Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) at the age of 48 at home on Oct 15, 2012.  I would like to write about Asako today.

Ms Asako Shukuya
Photo from: http://kidnapping.jp/news/20121120.html

Japanese Wife Murders Korean Husband (UC Couple) Due to Tiring Nursing Care

2012-08-30 A follow up article at the end of this page.

The following article is about a Unification Church international couple (Korean - Japanese) who is involved in murder case in Korea.   I would  like to introduce a newspaper article which was published on Aug. 22., 2012 on Choson Online Japanese Version.

You may say that this story has nothing to do with this blog's topic which is Human Rights Violations in Japan, more specifically deprogramming practices in Japan. 

However, I think that this case will be used by  deprogrammers to make good excuses for abduction and confinement which they call  "protection and persuasion". 

The active deprogrammers and anti Unification Church groups will use this case to convince the parents that parents must "rescue" their children (carry out the abduction and confinement).

If the Unification Church does not handle this issue in a responsible and open way, abductions and confinement in Japan may increase.  The parents would risk more to "rescue" their sons and daughters to prevent their children from becoming murderers or serious offenders of crimes .

Female UC Member Suspected of Being Kidnapped & Confined

The website of Japan Victims' Association against Religious Kidnapping & Forced Conversion reported today (Aug 4, 2012) that another kidnapping and confinement case had occurred.

http://kidnapping.jp/news/20120804.html

Title: Another case of Kidnapping and Confinement
Aug. 4, 2012  Tokyo, Japan

The contact from a female member was lost after she visited her parents' home in Takaoka city*, Toyoma at the end of July.  From the circumstances around that time, it is highly suspected that she was kidnapped and confined for deprogramming purpose.

The female victim (Ms T.A. - 29 years old) belongs to Seijou Church in Tokyo.  She started to learn the Divine Principle at 2002.  She notified her parents of her faith in the Unification Church.

(*Takaoka city is about 300km north west from Tokyo.)

About  Japan Victims' Association against Religious Kidnapping & Forced Conversion

It was founded by the Unification Church members who were victims of Kidnapping and Confinement on Jan 8, 2010.  The president is Mr. Toru Goto who was confined for 12 years and 5 months against his will.

Civil Suit Filed Against the Unification Church and the State in Japan as a Result of Deprogramming

In my article dated on Jan 25, 2011, I reported on a missing Unification Church member  (Ms. T.T.) believed to be kidnapped and confined for deprogramming purpose by her family members.

There was an interesting development in Ms T.T.'s case.  Ms T.T. is Taeko TANAKA according to an investigative reporter, Mr. Kazuhiro YONEMOTO.   

As a result of the forcible deprogramming, she withdrew herself from the church.  Taeko filed a lawsuit against the Unification Church and the central government, demanding compensation of 4,200,000 Yen (= US$ 525,000). 

Today's story is about Ms Taeko TANAKA and her lawsuit.  

CARP Student Fights for Religious Freedom at Court.

The Unification Church Website reports as follows;

A female university student and her parents filed a lawsuit with Saga District Court on May 17, 2012 against Saga University (President - Takao HOTOKEBUCHI) and an associate professor of Department of  Culture and Education, Yoshinori MORI, demanding 4,400,000Yen (US$50,000) for compensation of violation of religious freedom and slander caused by them.

 

The university student is a CARP member at Saga University and also a member of the Unification Church.  Her parents married in the Unification Church’s 6000 couples wedding ceremony.

According to the written complaint, Ms A. (22) was summoned to the associate professor Mori’s room on Feb. 10, 2012, and Mori repeatedly insulted her by disesteeming her faith, and she was relentlessly pressured to withdraw from both CARP and the Unification Church. 

Also the associate professor mentioned Ms. A’s parents marriage as “Brace of Animal”, and also mentioned her family life as “Animal’s Life”.

Ms. A and her parents have requested sincere apologies from the university and the associate professor.  As they rejected, they decided to take the case to the court.  (End of Translation)

NikkanSports.Com (Daily Sports Newspaper in Japan) reports:

Saga University says they will consider what to do when the written complaint arrives.(End of Translation)

 -------------------------------------

CARP(Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles) is a university based organization founded by Rev.Sun Myung Moon and Unification Church members.
Reference: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Unification_Church_affiliated_organizations
  

Saga is in Kyushu, which is an island located southwest of the main Island. 

Saga University
Contact Details:
Division: Public Relations Division
Phone / Fax: +81-952-28-8153 / 8921
E-mail: sagakoho@mail.admin.saga-u.ac.jp


###

Victim Escapes from 120-day Confinement

Here is a story of Ms N.I.(34 yo) who was confined in an apartment for 120 days for forcible conversion and miraculoursly managed to escape from the private prison by herself.

A website “Religious Kidnapping & Forced Conversion” published a post on May 11, 2012 that Ms.N.I. escaped from 120-day confinement. This artcile here is traslation of the reports, traslated by Yoshi - this blog's owner.

A Man Who Delivered Lawyer’s Letter to Ken’s Parents

Previous articles in the same Label

Lawyer Hiroshi Watanabe's Letter to Solicit Abduction & Confinement  

Yukari's Testimony - From Lawyer's Letter To Abduction and Confinement

In the previous articles, I revealed that Lawyer Hiroshi Watanabe has been actively involved in forcible deprogramming by sending out letters to the parents of the Unification Church members.  The exaggerated and untrue contents of the letters prompted parents’ fear and anxiety.  The letters were – without exception – urging parents to consult the lawyer.

If the lawyer was consulted, deprogrammers (Christian ministers) were referred to parents, and abduction of their son/daughter was planned and carried out.

One of the lawyer’s letters was hand-delivered to Ken’s parents at the end of April 2011 by a man who calls himself “an Anti-Cult Activist”.  His name is “Eito”.  He uses the name of “Eito SUZUKI” when he speaks at the ICSA International conference.  Today’s article is about “Eito”.

Yukari's Testimony - From Lawyer's Letter To Abduction and Confinement

If you are here for the first time, previous article will help you understand more.

Lawyer Hiroshi Watanabe's Letter to Solicit Abduction & Confinement

Sachiko submitted a disciplinary claim against the lawyer, Hiroshi Watanabe to the Daini Tokyo Bar Association in April 2010.  Yukari came to know Sachiko’s action against the lawyer on someone’s blog.  Yukari decided to submit her statement to the disciplinary committee to support Sachiko’s claim.

Here is the Yukari’s statement submitted to the disciplinary committee.

Lawyer Hiroshi Watanabe's Letter to Solicit Abduction & Confinement

Hiroshi WATANABE is a lawyer in Japan.  He is a Secretary General of Anti Unification Church Organization called "National Network of Lawyers Against Spirit Sales". 

It was revealed that the lawyer sends out letters to the parents of the Unification Church members, requesting parents to consult the lawyer by prompting parents’ fear and anxiety. 

Then Watanabe introduces deprogrammers or Christian ministers to parents when they contact him.  He is not involved with kidnapping, nor confinement.  Upon the child’s successful withdrawal from the church as a result of forcible deprogramming, he works to claim the refund of the donations that the member offered during his/her time at the church, and he demands commission on the amount of the sucessfull refund.

If Watanabe is a lawyer working for anti-Unification Church, he should know the Jason Scott case (1995) and the fate of CAN in the USA.  CAN (Cult Awareness Network) was ordered by court to pay $1 million punitive compensation to Jason Scott, a deprogramming victim as CAN introduced a deprogrammer (Rick Ross) to his mother.  As a result, CAN declared bankruptcy. 
(Reference URL:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Scott_case )

Isn’t Watanabe's act same as CANs'?  CAN introduced a deprogrammer to Jason Scott’s mother.  Watanabe also introduces deprogrammers to parents.  If Watanabe acted in the USA, his life as a lawyer would have ceased long time ago.  However, the lawyer has been committing the same act as CAN’s in Japan without having any disciplinary punishment.

This series of articles will reveal the acts of Hiroshi Watanabe based on the evidences from his victims. 

Another Abuduction Case in Japan

The National Association of the Victims of Abduction, Confinement and Religious De-conversion reported on its website that a UC member (Ms. N.I., 34yo) who visited her father's parents' home on Jan 3, 2012 went missing and her contact was cut off. According to informed sources, Ms Kyouko Kawsasaki who is an deprogramming activist and the head of the NPO "Home of Life" in Nagano is suspected of being involved with Ms. N.I.'s missing and it is highly probable that Ms. N.I.has been abducted for deprogramming purpose.

Ms.N.I. started to learn the Divine Principle in 1998 while she was a university student in Tokyo.  She now goes to the Unification Church in Adachi, Tokyo.  She told her parents that she had faith with the church.  Ms N.I. planned to attend the church wedding ceremony in March this year.

Mr. Usami appeal to a higher court.

If you are here for the first time, please refer to the follwoing articles for more details.

Links to the article in the same label. 
http://humanrightslink.blogspot.com/2011/12/prosecutors-opening-statement-in-usami.html
http://humanrightslink.blogspot.com/2011/12/defening-lawyers-final-defense-plea-in.html
http://humanrightslink.blogspot.com/2011/12/outrageous-and-unjust-verdict-in-usamis.html

Mr. Usami was sentenced to 3 months in prison with a 4-year suspended sentence on Tuesday, 27 Dec 2011 for stalking.

The website of Association of Against Religious Kidnapping and Forced Conversion reported that Mr. Usami had appealed to a higher court on Jan 6, 2012.

Mr. Usami said that rational grounds of "the purpose of filling of feelings of love in order to restore the relationship" were not shown, and the verdict was in line with the prosecutors scenario without being verified, and I could not accept the verdict at all.

The website said that the decision did not mention the backgrouds of the case, which involvoed forcible conversion practices such as abduction or confinement, therefore it could possibly foster the deprgramming practices, and that Mr. Usami was a collateral victim of the deprogramming practice and that the decision had no sympathy or consideration to Mr. Usami who depearately searched for his fiance who went missing all of sudden.

You can send a message to Mr. Usami via the following page of Assocication Against Religious Kidnapping and Forced Conversion.

http://kidnapping.jp/support/form.html

Top box - Name (mandatory)

Second box - Email Address (mandatory)
Third box - Telephone Number (optional)
Fourth box - Suject (mandatory)
Fifth box (large one) - Message (mandatory)

Then press on the right button (Continue) at the bottom. (The left button is to RESET.)

Then again press on the right button (SEND) at the bottom. (The left button is to GO BACK.)