The media emphasize the issues of a few discontented children who left their parents’ church. What about the majority who remained and face discrimination and slander?
by Seijin Anthony Shirotori*
*A testimony presented at the session “Second-generation Apostates from New Religious Movements and Anti-Cult Campaigns” of the Eighth Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion, Vienna, Austria, July 10, 2025.
My name is Seijin Anthony Shirotori. I am a second-generation member of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly called the Unification Church).
Today, I would like to speak about my faith and share my thoughts about the situation of my church in Japan. Since “Family” is at the heart of our faith—it is even in the name of our church—I would like to begin by sharing about my family. My parents joined the church and participated in a Blessing ceremony (a “mass wedding”) after being matched by the late Reverend Sun Myung Moon.
My father is Japanese, and my mother is Mexican American. I was born in the United States, and after my family moved to Japan, I attended school and grew up there. Growing up, I received a lot of love not only from my parents but also from my Japanese and American grandparents. Their love allowed me to experience the best of both Eastern and Western cultures. I have one younger sister, and I am incredibly proud of her. She has always brought joy to our family, and I am delighted to be her older brother.
In 2008, I was matched to my wife by Reverend Moon, and just like my parents, we attended a Blessing ceremony in New York. My wife and I have been happily married for sixteen years and are blessed with a son we love dearly. I have also been blessed to have wonderful in-laws who love me like their own son and have excellent relatives as well. As a second-generation member, I did not choose this faith in the way converts do—I was born into it, raised by it, shaped by it. Some may consider that a reason to pity me or assume I was indoctrinated. But it has been a deep source of meaning, grounding, and community for me.
While my parents’ generation found faith after searching for truth and peace amid chaos, my generation was raised to embody those ideals from the beginning. That may not make us perfect, but it makes our sincerity no less real.
Growing up as a second-generation believer in Japan meant living with constant tension: trying to be loyal to both my upbringing and the society around me, one that often misunderstood or mocked my beliefs. I have tried my best to be a bridge, not a wall.
I speak three languages, have worked as a translator and interpreter, and have done everything possible to serve Japan and my faith community with dignity. But watching the government dismantle my spiritual home while the media cheers has made me feel like a stranger in the land I grew up in.
I have been suffering from depression and have been treating it for a few years now, but my condition has worsened after the Tokyo District Court issued an order of dissolution against my church. My anxiety has become so great that I have trouble sleeping and must rely on both antidepressants and sleeping pills. The relentless negativity in the media has made me feel dehumanized, as if I do not deserve to exist.
I understand that some claim that even if my church is dissolved, we members can still continue our faith. However, seeing how some young members have already committed suicide and how there are multiple incidents in which our members are treated with cruelty and contempt, I am greatly concerned that Japanese society will see the dissolution as a confirmation that we are less than human.
Those antagonistic to our church have labeled us as “anti-social,” and people from the media have mocked us, calling us “mentally deranged lunatics” and “cockroaches in their breeding season.” I feel that many in Japan believe that they can do or say whatever they want to if it is against my church.
Sometimes I wonder how many members’ rights must be violated before people realize we are suffering. How much blood needs to be spilled; how many lives must be shattered before society realizes that we are human just like they are?
I am also deeply concerned that the dissolution order has been issued because of the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. I would understand calls for dissolution if a church member, acting in support of its teachings, had taken the life of Abe to further the church’s goals. However, Abe’s assailant attacked him wanting to hurt the Family Federation, not support it.
The Japanese government and judiciary, requesting and issuing a dissolution order, have sent out the message to their people and the world that in Japan, those who commit acts of terror will get precisely what they want. It seems to me that recently Japanese society has been busy vilifying and attacking the Family Federation while doing almost nothing to fight terrorism. Not surprisingly, after Abe’s death, former Prime Minister Kishida, as well as Takashi Tachibana, who is the founder of the NHK Party, have been attacked in broad daylight.
I worry that unless the order of dissolution of the Family Federation is overturned, Japan will become a hotbed of dangerous terrorists. Also, China-supporting leftist forces such as the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, which promotes the dissolution of the Family Federation, have been against creating a spy prevention law in Japan since its founding. If they get their way, I can see Japan becoming a haven for spies and terrorists, which will also function as agents of the Chinese Communist Party to stamp out religious freedom in Asia and around the world.
Although I feel deeply hurt by the Japanese media and government, I understand that there have been many who have suffered for their faith in history: such as early Christians in Rome, Jews during Nazi Germany, and more recently, Falun Gong practitioners in China.
As I feel the pain of trying to uphold my faith and be true to who I am, I will always keep these martyrs in my heart. I pray I can honor them by standing firm in my faith and values. I want to never lose sight of the joy in life and strive to lead a virtuous life centering on God and my family.
I pledge to work hard so that the tragic death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not be in vain. Parenthetically, the day of his funeral was on the same day as my birthday.
I feel that staying in my church and continuing in my life of faith is the best way for me to honor Abe and Japan, the nation that is my second home. I will work hard to continue to share the many wonderful things about the Family Federation and strive to make the world a better place.
The situation in Japan has been regrettable, to say the least, but I have been greatly encouraged to see so many church members, both young and old, stand firm in our beliefs in the face of intense hostility. We believe that there are much greater forces behind the crisis facing our church and that by taking a stand, we are standing for other religious people.
We pray and hope that by fighting for our church, we can contribute to securing religious freedom throughout the world.
Seijin Anthony Shirotori is a second-generation member of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly known as the Unification Church) of Japanese and Mexican American descent. He has worked as a translator and interpreter.
