Family Federation wins appeal in donation case as Sapporo High Court rejects ‘mind control’ claims advocated by activist lawyer
Tokyo, 14th March 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.
Plaintiff Drops Claims in “Donation Lawsuit”
Sapporo High Court Confirms Victory for Former Unification Church
by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo
prepared by Knut Holdhus
In an appeal trial at the Sapporo High Court, a lawsuit filed by the relatives of a husband against him, his wife, and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU, formerly the Unification Church) came to an end on March 12th, 2025, after the plaintiffs withdrew their claims. The plaintiffs had argued that they had suffered harm because the couple donated money from the deceased father’s estate to the religious organization. As a result of the withdrawal, the Family Federation‘s victory was confirmed. The first trial, held at the Sapporo District Court in March of last year, had also ruled in favor of the Family Federation.
On March 13th, the Family Federation released a statement regarding its “complete victory in the donation-related lawsuit at the Sapporo High Court,” emphasizing that the district court had already “entirely rejected” claims based on “mind control.”
The statement also criticized attorney Masaki Gouro (郷路征記), who represented the plaintiffs, arguing that his claims were effectively advocating for the “mind control” theory. As an example, it cited his written arguments, which stated that “a person’s entire personality is transformed into a Unification Church-type personality (統一協会的人格) for life” and that “through the process of missionary work and indoctrination, individuals are made to engage in unlawful activities and become subservient (隷属) to the Unification Church.”
Additionally, the Family Federation urged the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to carefully consider the implications of civil court rulings in cases where former Unification Church members, who allegedly were victims of abduction and coercive faith-breaking (forced de-conversion) [See editor’s note below], acted as plaintiffs. The organization pointed out that of the 32 civil lawsuits cited as evidence in the ministry’s dissolution request filed with the Tokyo District Court, four were handled by attorney Gouro, all of which promoted the “mind control” theory.
[Editor’s note: Coercive faith-breaking in Japan refers to the practice of coercively attempting to separate individuals from their religious affiliations or beliefs, typically through intervention by family members, professional faith-breakers (deprogrammers) or organizations hostile to new religious movements (NRMs). This phenomenon often targets members of such movements, e.g. relatively large faiths like the Family Federation or Jehovah’s Witnesses, but also smaller groups like Happy Science (Kōfuku no Kagaku) and other newer religious movements. However, also Soka Gakkai, a Buddhist-based lay organization with more than 8 million Japanese members, and affiliated with Nichiren Buddhism, has occasionally been subject to faith-breaking attempts.
The practice gained attention in the latter half of the 20th century, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s. Parents or concerned family members often hired faith-breakers who taught them how to abduct and forcibly detain believers. Almost all such cases involved confining the individual believer and cutting him or her off from the religious community. During the confinement, the believer was subjected to intense questioning or indoctrination designed to break his or her faith. The aim was to “rescue” the person from what the family often had been tricked by faith-breakers or lawyers to regard as harmful influence from the religious organization.
Critics of forced deconversion argue that it violates fundamental human rights, including freedom of thought, religion, and association. Reports of psychological trauma and accusations of unlawful detention have sparked debates over its ethical and legal implications. In response, some religious groups, particularly NRMs, have lobbied for greater protections against such practices.
Japanese courts have been inconsistent in addressing cases of coercive faith-breaking. While some verdicts have condemned the practice as illegal detention, others have been more lenient, citing family concerns about “mental health” or alleged “exploitation” as mitigating factors.]
Featured image above: Photograph of Sapporo High and District Court in Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Photo: J o / Wikimedia Commons. License: CC ASA 3.0 Unp