Christian pastor warns against Japanese authorities joining leftist campaign to control domain of faith
Tokyo, 27th November 2024 – Published as the 41st article in a series in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article
Independent YouTuber Pastor Tatsuhiro Iwamoto
United Church of Christ in Japan: Systematic Faith-Breaking Activities
by the Religious Freedom Investigative Team of the editorial department of Sekai Nippo
Prepared by Knut Holdhus
Tatsuhiro Iwamoto (岩本龍弘), a former pastor of the United Church of Christ in Japan (Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan) and currently an independent YouTuber pastor residing in Aichi Prefecture, released a video on YouTube six years ago titled ‘The United Church of Christ in Japan: A Hotbed of Leftists’. In the video, he exposed the church as a breeding ground for leftist activists.
At the time of its release, the video received no response. However, in mid-March this year, Iwamoto received a request to edit and post the video on social media. The request came from someone active in defending religious freedom, who mentioned that they were affiliated with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) and wanted permission to use the video.
“This video became a turning point,” Iwamoto explained. “Many members of the Family Federation began following me on X (formerly Twitter) and subscribing to my video channel. In particular, members of the Family Federation whom I just had become acquainted with named my channel ‘Dragon Pastor’. I have developed friendly interactions with them. Through sharing Bible teachings and other content, I hope to offer even a little comfort and encouragement.”
Reflecting on his connections with the Family Federation, Iwamoto recalled his time as a pastor in the United Church of Christ in Japan, during which he viewed the former Unification Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Mormon Church as heretical groups. He was also familiar with faith-breaking activities targeting these groups.
Iwamoto explains, “One of the instructors at an orientation for new pastors was Sadao Asami (浅見定雄), a prominent anti-Unification Church advocate, so I heard the full spectrum of lectures on faith-breaking activities targeting Family Federation members.”
At the time, Tatsuhiro Iwamoto regarded these efforts as “protective persuasion”, believing that pastors volunteered for the cause without compensation.
However, after meeting Family Federation members, Iwamoto learned about cases where believers were confined for long periods – up to 12 years and 5 months – and that pastors received substantial compensation for their involvement.
He remarked, “Through my own research, I became convinced that most of the negative claims about the Family Federation were fabrications.”
Iwamoto expressed concern that the activities of so-called “faith-breaking activists” have already led to an increase in religious hatred and violence against Jehovah’s Witnesses, among others. He warned that such trends risk cementing religious hatred and discrimination in society.
He also became aware that many Family Federation members suffered severe consequences, such as complex PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression, or even suicide, due to abduction, confinement, and forced renunciation of their faith. Iwamoto emphasized, “This is an extremely grave and serious issue. We must not allow pastors or lawyers who incite such acts of abduction and forced renunciation to go unchecked.”
For Iwamoto, both the severing of ties between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Family Federation and the government’s request to dissolve the organization constitute “religious persecution”. He pointed out, “The principle of separation of religion and state is meant to prohibit specific religious organizations from receiving special privileges from the government, not to prevent religious groups from lobbying politicians.”
He further criticized the dissolution request as overreach, arguing, “The government encroaches on the domain of faith, where it should not tread.”
Iwamoto decided to leave the United Church of Christ in Japan upon realizing it was a hotbed of leftist ideologies, “In 2015, when the Peace and Security Legislation was being debated in the National Diet, a Christian student group called SEALDs gained media attention. At the time, I witnessed not only socially active pastors but also church-affiliated pastors praising this student movement. I also noticed that those opposing the Peace and Security Legislation were deliberately spreading false information to criticize the Abe administration.”
Iwamoto argues that the same leftist pastors now support the government’s dissolution order against the Family Federation. He highlights this issue through his video broadcasts and lectures organized by Family Federation members, urging people not to turn a blind eye to these realities.
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Featured image above: Independent YouTuber pastor Tatsuhiro Iwamoto (岩本龍弘) delivering a speech 23rd September 2024 in Chuo Ward, Chiba City, Japan. Photo: Tsuyoshi Toyoda (豊田剛)