Christian evangelist starts petition against dissolution order requested by authorities and describes it as extreme and cruel, making members of large religious minority social outcasts
Tokyo, 25th January 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.
Teachings to Eliminate Heterodoxy – Opinions or Doctrines at Variance with Official Position – Not Found in the Bible
Concerned about dissolution order, Christian evangelist Satoshi Mizota starts petition
by the Religious Freedom Investigative Team of the editorial department of Sekai Nippo
Prepared by Knut Holdhus
A Christian has stepped up to express regret over the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology‘s (MEXT) petition to the Tokyo District Court for a dissolution order against the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church). This individual is Satoshi Mizota (溝田悟士), an evangelist at Matsudo Rokukodai St. Stephen Chapel (松戸六高台聖ステファン礼拝堂) in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture. In December of last year, Mizota launched an online petition opposing the dissolution order. As of 23rd January, the petition had gathered 1,636 signatures and over 560 messages of support.
“We should pause and reflect using our own reason.”
Mizota explains in the petition’s statement that the growing criticism of the former Unification Church, particularly following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三), has led to excessive media coverage that sometimes crosses the line. He declares his concern over the movement toward a dissolution order against the Family Federation and calls for the dissolution order not to be approved.
Historically, Mizota viewed the Family Federation as heretical, given its doctrinal framework differing from Christianity. However, during his university years, he had the opportunity to interact with former Family Federation members after discovering that a pastor at his church was involved in activities to help people leave the group. Through these interactions, Mizota came to realize that Family Federation members, like mainstream Christians, practiced love in their own way, leaving him with complex feelings.
The Bible contains accounts of Jesus Christ engaging without discrimination with individuals who were labeled as “heretics” by Jewish society. Mizota asserts, “It goes against the teachings of the Bible to ostracize Family Federation members simply because they are considered heretics or to deny them the status of neighbours.”
For him, efforts to exclude the Family Federation conflict with the spirit of Christianity, compelling him to take a stand. He emphasizes that the religious community has an obligation to trust individual members of the Family Federation who are attempting to address their issues and to “guide them in a positive direction”.
If the dissolution order is finalized, the assets of the religious organization, including its buildings, would inevitably be confiscated. Mizota fears that this scenario could lead to unintended and undesirable consequences.
“If told not to gather, believers will be forced underground”: Mizota warns against marginalization and calls for the Family Federation’s continued existence”
“If told not to gather, believers will have no choice but to go underground. Being excluded from society and losing their place could lead to radicalization and extremism.”
With this concern, Satoshi Mizota argues that the Family Federation’s organization must be allowed to continue.
In reality, some believers have already faced human rights violations, such as being denied apartment rental agreements or having job offers rescinded, due to the declaration [by then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (岸田 文雄)] of severing ties with the religious organization. Mizota, preempting criticism of his comparison, said, “I’m not sure if I should use this example, but imagine a scenario where yakuza [Japanese mafia] are banned from owning homes. Would society become safer with homeless yakuza roaming the streets?”
Mizota strongly criticizes the sudden push to dissolve the organization, stating: “Since the Family Federation was officially recognized as a religious corporation in 1964, there had been no significant issues raised. Now, just two years after the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, demands for dissolution have surfaced out of nowhere – this is an extreme and cruel measure.”
He argues that if there were genuine issues, they should have been addressed when they became apparent, through guidance or other measures. The government’s abrupt attempt to dismantle the organization without even issuing a warning is, in Mizota’s words, “baffling”, akin to “a death sentence without probation”. He strongly asserts that it is the government’s failure to exercise its supervisory responsibility.
Mizota points out that since the Family Federation’s 2009 Declaration of Compliance, the organization has been reflecting on its past actions and adjusting its activities. He notes, “Just as we reflect on and atone for the atrocities of the past, the members of the former Unification Church have been confronting their own ‘evils’ and striving to improve their conduct.”
In the petition’s statement, Mizota likens the government and media’s treatment of the Family Federation to “a modern witch hunt”. At the same time, he does not shy away from criticizing the organization itself, especially regarding its controversial “spiritual sales” practices involving exorbitantly priced religious goods. Mizota insists that the Family Federation must publicly apologize for these actions, which he criticizes as being “far from reasonable”, even compared to the goods sold at Shinto shrines. He asserts that unless the Family Federation reflects on and addresses these past misdeeds, it cannot hope to rebuild itself.
Satoshi Mizota (溝田悟士): Evangelist at Matsudo Rokukodai St. Stephen Chapel. Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1976. After completing a master’s program at Aichi University, he completed a doctoral program at the Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University. He has served as a visiting researcher at the Utrecht Institute of Linguistics, Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and as a researcher at Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences. His publications include Deciphering the Gospels: The Linguistics of the Resurrection Narratives (Kodansha).
Featured image above: Facsimiles from the front page of the Sekai Nippo 25th January 2025. The person portrayed is evangelist Satoshi Mizota.