We appeal to eradicate religious kidnapping and forced conversion against believers of the Unification Church
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Voices of Victims


Statement

O・K(M)


Statement

Attention to: Deliberation Section, Civil Department, Yokohama District Court
March 21, 2003

1. Introduction

 I am a member of the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (hereinafter called “Unification Church”). My parents, who were against my religious belief, conspired with my relatives and others to make me leave the Unification Church. They abducted and forcibly confined me three times in their attempt to persuade me to leave the church. When I was confined for the second time, I was taken to Nishifuji condominium where Ms. Rie Imari had been confined previously.
 Also, when I was confined second time and third time, my parents were receiving guidance from Rev. Yoshio Shimizu of the United Church of Christ in Japan Ohtahachiman Church. During my third confinement, Rev. Shimizu came to the condominium where I was confined and put me through coercive exit counseling. I will explain the facts of those incidents below.

2. Biography

   I was born in Fukiage-shi, Saitama Prefecture on June 3, 1970. My father’s name is M.O. and my mother’s name is F, and I have a younger sister, E. My grandfather on my mother’s side is a chief priest of a Buddhist temple and two elder brothers of my mother also serve as temple chief priests.
I entered the Faculty of Law of Hosei University as a student in 1989. In the same year, I joined the Collegiate Association for the Research of the Principle (CARP) and the Unification Church.
 I entered the Faculty of Law of Hosei University as a student in 1989. In the same year, I joined the Collegiate Association for the Research of the Principle (CARP) and the Unification Church.
 I graduated from Hosei University in 1993 and entered the Unification Theological Seminary (hereinafter called “UTS”), a New York state-certified theological seminary founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church. I studied Christianity and religions in general, education, philosophy and psychology among other things.
 I participated in the International Blessing Ceremony of 360,000 couples in Seoul, South Korea in August, 1995. K.J., who is Korean, was introduced to me as my eternal spouse by Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
  I graduated from UTS in June, 1998, and registered our marriage in November, 2000. We started our family life in Wako-shi, Saitama in June, 2001. After working as an entrepreneur, I incorporated a company that sells apparel products and manages websites. I am currently managing the company.

3. The First Confinement

While I was a university student, I told my parents that I had joined the Unification Church and they did not particularly oppose it. However, as the International Blessing Ceremony of 30,000 couples was held in 1992 and the media started spreading negative reports about it, my parents started to oppose my action. With my own marriage blessing, their opposition became more severe.
 When I returned to Japan during a recess of UTS in 1995, I stayed at my parents’ house and worked part time. At one point my parents asked me to have a thorough discussion with them about the Unification Church. I was then taken to the first floor of a condominium building in Fukiage-shi located about 10 kilometers away from my parents’ house in Gyoda-shi, Saitama Prefecture. I initially saw no problem in having a discussion with my parents, but our discussion did not make any progress after few hours. Then my parents started saying, “We are not going to let you leave this apartment.” I thought, “I will be placed in confinement if this goes on,” and felt fear. I was able to escape from the apartment before the end of the day. A that time, the front door was not locked with a key. Although my parents tried to stop me, I could get out by force.

4. The Second Confinement

 In autumn of the next year, I took a leave of absence from UTS, and I started commuting from my parents’ house to my nighttime part-time job at the Mitsubishi factory in Ota-shi, Gunma Prefecture in order to raise money for my seminary tuition.
 On the night of December 17, 1996, immediately after I left the house for my part-time job after dinner, I was seized by three or four people including my father and relatives on my father’s side. My mother and female relatives were keeping guard nearby. I resisted with all my might, but I could not break away and escape. I was quickly put into an eight passenger van parked there. Someone immediately put his hand over my mouth, so I could not shout or ask for help.
 The van traveled for about 40 minutes, and I was taken to Nishifuji condominium in Ohta-shi. This time I was confined to an apartment on the 6th floor. Although I resisted before being put in the apartment, it was in vain and I was forcibly dragged into the apartment. The apartment had one bedroom and one dining kitchen which had been remodeled for my confinement. All of the windows were double-locked with keys and could not be opened. There was a short corridor between the front entrance and the room, but a door had been installed there and was locked with a key.
 After a few hours most of my relatives went home one by one but my parents, my younger sister and one relative remained there overnight. After everyone else went to sleep, I was able to take the cell phone of the relative and go into the bathroom and call a church member. I described the buildings I could see from the apartment. Immediately after I finished my call, my father woke up and came in and found out about my telephone call.
 The next day, I pleaded repeatedly with my parents to release me from confinement, but they refused to do so. My father left the apartment and communicated with Rev. Shimizu to ask for instructions. After I argued with my family for about one week, I was finally released. In retrospect, during my third confinement, Rev. Shimizu told me about my second confinement and said, “During your previous confinement, I found out that you had communicated with people outside so I did not visit you and talk.”
 After I was released from confinement, I tried to convey the teachings of the Unification Church to my parents and there was an occasion where my parents came to our church service.
 I visited the United States from March to June, 1997 and attended the spring classes of UTS. According to what I heard from Ms. Rie Imari, my parents attended Rev. Shimizu’s study session titled “Mistakes of the Unification Church and the Divine Principle” held at the United Church of Christ in Japan Ohtahachiman Church starting from 7:30 pm on Thursday, June 5, 1997. During the study session, Rev. Shimizu scolded my parents in a derogatory tone for attending the Unification Church service and told them, “You followed your son and went to the Unification Church during confinement. What on earth were you thinking? You are terrible parents!” “You are truly fools!” When I heard about this, I realized again that Rev. Shimizu was not interested in the dialogue among family members at all. It is unbelievable that a Christian minister would call other’s people’s parents “fools.”

5. The Third Confinement

In June, 1997, the summer recess started at UTS and I returned to Japan. On July 24, about one month after my return, I was put by force in a van by my parents and a male stranger, called Yamashita from Nagasaki, and confined again in Apartment #601 of Higashiyama condominium in Ota-shi. It was located only about a-few-minutes drive from Nishifuji condominium. The next day, Yamashita boasted that he had just recently confined a 34-year-old woman, the younger sister of his wife, who had participated in the Unification Church’s International Blessing Ceremony of 30,000 couples, in the apartment for four months and had been successful in influencing her to leave the church.
 This apartment had 2 bedrooms and one dining kitchen that had also been remodeled for confinement purposes and the security was even stricter than in the apartment in Nishifuji condominium. The window leading to the balcony was completely covered with acrylic boards and it was not possible to directly touch the window glass. Other small windows in the kitchen and other rooms were locked and could not be opened.
 There was a door between the rooms and the front door, and one lock was installed right above the original door knob and another lock right below the knob. The keys to unlock them were always kept by my father in his waist bag. My parents did not go out unless it was really necessary, and the refrigerator was filled with frozen foods to make a long period of confinement possible. My younger sister was in charge of the food shopping.
 I knew that their purpose was to confine me there and force me to talk to a Christian minister. It was not possible to escape from such a fortified environment of confinement on my own, and it was obvious that I would be confined for many months. So, I told my parents, “I want to talk to the minister as soon as possible.” In response to this, Rev. Shimizu came by on the second day of my confinement as if he was waiting for the opportunity.
 The Christian ministers who mastermind abduction and confinement typically say, “I have never visited those who do not desire to talk with me. I went to have discussions with them because they desired me to do so.” In reality, victims will never be released from confinement unless they agree to have an interview with a Christian minister, so this is nothing other than an interview by extortion.私はこの当時は信仰を持って7年くらいのときでしたが、統一教会の教えを学べば学ぶほど、入会以前に悩んできた問題がことごとく解決され、また、教えを学び初めて以降に疑問に思った問題点に対しても、ことごとく解答が与えられてきたときでした。
 またUTSの宗教教育学部で神学を勉強していたので、多少自信はありましたが、同時に、多くの教会員達がこの監禁によって信仰を失っていったことを知っていたため、牧師の話すいい加減な話に騙されないように気をつけなければならないという緊張感がありました。また母親は監禁中、「ここから出ていくんだったら、私を殺してから出ていきなさい」と言っており、実際このような状況下から過去に死傷事故が生まれたことを知っていたので、自分がその中の1人になってもおかしくないという恐怖心が常にありました。

6. Rev. Shimizu’s Exit Counseling By Extortion

 On July 25, Rev. Shimizu first commented on the confinement and stated, “Regardless of religious freedom or the Constitution, this is justice in the eyes of ‘my God’ and there is no problem with this kind of confinement. Members of the Unification Church absolutely have to listen to what I say.” He also said, “Unless you listen to what I say and unless you leave the Unification Church, I will not allow you to go out from this place even one step.”
 One the same day, Rev. Shimizu also said, “Liars are no good. You people are lying,” and “the most serious crime in this world is to tell a lie.” He also talked about my previous confinement and stated unequivocally, “I found out that you communicated with the outside, and I did not visit you for discussions because of that. I will not talk to a person unless he is under confinement because he will escape otherwise.” Through these remarks, it became clear to me that my parents were already in communication with the minister even before my previous confinement.
 It is supposed to be my choice whether I stay or not. Why do I have an obligation to listen to what Rev. Shimizu says? The Unification Church has never forcibly imposed its ideas on people. I was surprised by the degree of arrogance displayed by Rev. Shimizu as a Christian minister. Rev. Shimizu also said, “You absolutely must hear my point of view, my justice.” I believe that no one has the right to confine others, but Rev. Shimizu was using his dogmatic “justice” to justify confinement.
 On July 26 and 29, Rev. Shimizu came again, criticized the Unification Movement, attacked “Spiritual Commerce,” and told me to read some magazine clippings and court case materials he would leave for me. I read them all, but they were all old materials that were at least10 years old or more. There were some articles whose mistakes were pointed out after publication and subsequently corrected.
 

 He also said, “There is no such thing as the truth. To make efforts to know the truth, that is the truth,” and he denied my belief in the Divine Principle as the truth. I asked him, “What is the most important thing in this world?” and he responded, “It is to stop the activities of the Unification Church.” When he did not like what I said, he threatened me saying, “I will kick your ass,” and seized me by the collar and made me apologize by force.
 On August 5, I could not stand the life of confinement any longer and asked my parents to let me go out. My father called Rev. Shimizu by his cell phone, and Rev. Shimizu came there in about 15 minutes. He said to me, “A liar can’t be trusted,” and he told my parents, “When he behaves wildly, bind his hands and feet. Even if you call me now, I can’t do anything. I will rightly state my view. That is all. As father and mother, you should solve this.” Then he went back.

7. Escape

 After the first week of confinement, I found out that whenever I took a nap or a shower my mother would go down to the first floor of the condominium building to dispose of garbage and only at that time my father, who remains inside the apartment, leaves the door unlocked. So I realized that time was my only chance to escape. During the night of August 14, while pretending to take shower, I paid close attention to the outside, and acted on my escape plan. My father noticed my move and pulled the T- shirt I was wearing. I turned toward my father, took off my T- shirt and rushed down the emergency stairs to the first floor. I was naked down to my waist and wearing only shorts. Thus I managed to escape.

8. After My Escapeと

I was told that my parents were harshly scolded by Rev. Shimizu who said, “Why did you let him escape?” My parents say they are not in communication with Rev. Shimizu anymore. My parents’ physical energy is less now, and they also feel they can no longer carry out a confinement that is physically taxing. I still feel fear about living in my parents’ house so I have not returned to their house since my escape.
 For a few years after my escape I called my parents only once every few months, and was too afraid to let them know my address. Now I call them once every few weeks and meet them and have meals together somewhere outside once every two months or so.
Already five years have passed since my escape, so I can now write about my experience calmly like this. In the first one or two years after my escape, I really hated remembering my confinement experience. I was always living with the fear that I might be abducted again and was nervous about my back whenever I went out. I had nightmares of being caught by someone and woke up in a cold sweat several times. Even now after five years, I occasionally have such a nightmare. I currently live happily with my wife who was introduced to me by Rev. Sun Myung Moon through the International Blessing Ceremony.

9. In Conclusion

 I think it is difficult for someone who does not have a strong religious faith to understand someone with a strong religious faith. However, in the United States and many countries in the world, it is taken for granted that everyone has the right to live in the pursuit of happiness based on one’s faith. I believe that one should never be confined and pressured to be converted because of a difference in faith.
 I believe that it would have been impossible for amateurs like my parents to deliberately install additional locks on every window and door and remodel an entire apartment for confinement purposes. It is obvious that their confinement activities were carried out with instructions from Rev. Shimizu.
 I feel indignant about the fact that such blatant violations of human rights have continued for years without any criticism. I desire a harsh sentence against Rev. Shimizu and others lest such action be repeated again.

(end)

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