Shūkyō nisei explained

, literally 'religion second generation', is a Japanese phrase, which refers to children being raised by their parents with a strong religious beliefs. These children may be forced to practice the same religion against their will by their parents.[1] [2] They are also called or .[3] [4] These children are reportedly often challenged by hardships, such as child neglect, child abuse and lack of psychological, financial, academic, and social independence because of their religious parents and the predatory practices of the religious organization. While the shūkyō nisei is a longstanding social issue in Japan, Japanese government has been accused of inaction. Within the Unification Church, children born to the parents married in church sponsored mass wedding ceremonies are called the .

In July 2022, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by Tetsuya Yamagami while giving a speech at the upper election campaign in Nara, which increased media scrutiny on the matter.

Overview

Testimonies from those who are concerned reveal that many of those children suffer from poverty caused by large donations that their parents make to their religious organizations. They also suffer from child neglect due to their parents disappearing for religious activities for several months at a time.[5] Many may be suffering from being forced to accept religious demands. Examples could include prohibitions on watching television, reading manga, attending a friend's birthday party, physical contact with the opposite gender, visiting temples and shrines of other religions, and participating in other religions' events, such as Christmas.[6] [7] [8]

There are cases where their human rights are violated by being prevented from enrolling in higher education[9] [10] [11] or finding employment. Moreover, some are forced to live with bizarre names selected by the founder or forced to drink wine that is said to contain the guru's blood.[12]

Some shūkyō nisei who want to abandon their faith hesitate in fear of losing their parents' love. In addition, even if they are able to leave the religious organization, they must sever relations with their parents. Therefore, they often struggle when they need a guarantor for employment or relocation of residence, which is a common requirement in Japan. Even if they consult a local government office or hotline regarding child abuse or livelihood support, freedom of religion may be entangled with receiving support, as many of these cases are handled differently from those involving livelihood protection or domestic violence. Some are told that the authorities cannot intervene in religious matters, and that family matters should be discussed within the family first and turned away. There have also been cases in which people requested restrictions on access to residential records of their new addresses in order to escape their parents, but they were denied on the grounds that the issue was one between parent and child.

Assassination of Shinzo Abe and its impacts on the shūkyō nisei

On 8 July 2022, Tetsuya Yamagami, using a firearm that he had made,[13] shot and killed former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe while he was giving a speech at the upper election campaign in Nara. Yamagami stated that he targeted Abe due to his ties to the Unification Church (UC).

On December 31, 1984, when Yamagami was at the age of four, his father aged 37 committed suicide by jumping from the nearby apartment building. Yamagami's mother subsequently joined the UC when he was still a child. Later, his mother declared bankruptcy after donating most of the family assets to the church while leaving her children unattended and their illness untreated.[14] As a result, matters related to shūkyō nisei have been trending on social media, and members of the Japanese government are urged to take drastic measures.[15] [16]

Following Abe's assassination, online petitions for protecting shūkyō nisei are launched. One petition pleads for freedom of religion for shūkyō nisei so they are not bound by their parents' spiritual beliefs. This petition garnered over 37000 signatures on 30 July 2022.

In October 2022, an outspoken shūkyō nisei victim under the pseudonym Sayuri Ogawa called for the disbandment of the UC at the press conference, but received messages from her parents via the church accusing her of being mentally unstable and demanding an end to the press conference. An online petition for dissolving the UC accumulated over 200 thousand signatures on 22 November 2022.

Government responses

In October 2022, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had ordered his ministers to launch a probe against the UC to decide if the government would request the court to issue an order of removing the UC of its religious corporation status. One focus of this probe was the allegedly illegal child adoption arrangement among the UC followers. The UC denied any organized arrangement. In December 2022, when the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare submitted a second inquiry about the child adoption practice, the UC refused to answer more than half of the questions, and sent a letter of protest for the ministry.

In December 2022, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare considered drafting new guidelines which would define what kinds of actions constitute religious abuse against children to better help shūkyō nisei. These include intimidating an individual with language such as "[you will] be damned to hell" (地獄に落ちる) and coercing an individual into participating in any religious activity.

In literature

In popular culture

The phrase shūkyō nisei entered the 2022 top 10 buzzword list in Japan.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Tsukada . Hotaka . 2022-03-31 . 小説・映画「星の子」が描く宗教・家族・学校 . Religion, family, and school as represented by the novel and film Hoshi no Ko(Child of the Stars, Under the Stars) . Joetsu University of Education Research Bulletin . 41 . 2 . 393–406 . October 8, 2022.
  2. Web site: Kiyonaga . Satoshi . 2022-08-22 . 旧統一教会と『宗教2世』問題 . The former UC and shūkyō nisei problems . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20221008124936/https://www.nhk.or.jp/kaisetsu-blog/100/472463.html . October 8, 2022 . October 8, 2022 . News Commentators Breau . Japan Broadcasting Corporation.
  3. Web site: Fujikura . Yoshiro . 2021-06-22 . 「カルト2世問題」の行方 . The whereabouts of the cultist second generation problem shaken by NHK's special feature series . October 8, 2022 . RONZA . Asahi Shimbun Company.
  4. Web site: 2022-08-05 . 「教会のせいで人生をめちゃくちゃにされた」...『神の子』と言われて育った元2世信者が語る"苦悩とジレンマ" 自死を考えた際の"遺書"には「悔しい。悔しい。悔しい」 . My life was ruined by U C: A former shūkyō nisei who grew up being called a 'God's Child' talks about her anguish and dilemma. The death note she wrote when she was about to commit suicide says "mortified! mortified! mortified!" . October 8, 2022 . MBS News . Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc..
  5. Web site: Nakai . Natsumi . 2022-08-17 . 「毒親」の背景にあるもの 宗教2世の生きづらさ、議論すべき点とは . What lies behind 'toxic parents'–The life struggles of shūkyō nisei and what should be discussed . October 8, 2022 . Asahi Shimbun Digital.
  6. Web site: Shimada . Hiromi . 2019-06-14 . 親が創価学会の子の悲惨すぎる学校生活 . The miserable school life of children whose parents are in Soka Gakkai . October 8, 2022 . PRESIDENT Online.
  7. Web site: ABEMA Prime . 2022-08-09 . 電話相談もシャットダウン「宗教絡みはおうちでなんとか…」 自助グループを立ち上げた元2世信者の研究者 . Telephone counseling shut down: 'Please solve religious affairs by yourself…' A former shūkyō nisei researcher launched a self-help group . October 8, 2022 . ABEMA TIMES.
  8. Web site: Nippon Television Network . 2022-08-17 . 統一教会"2世「自由恋愛は最大の禁忌」「3日断食」――"宗教虐待"周知へ署名活動「宗教2世を助けてください」 . Unification Church nisei: Free love is the greatest taboo, 3-day fasting — Petition drive to spread awareness of religious abuse. Please save shūkyō nisei . October 8, 2022 . NittereNEWS.
  9. Web site: Hisanaga . Ryuichi . 2022-08-19 . 宗教2世の子どもは置き去り? 政府会合に厚労省不参加で疑問の声 . Shūkyō nisei children left behind? Questions raised about the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's non-participation in the government meeting . October 8, 2022 . Asahi Shimbun Digital.
  10. Web site: Japan Broadcasting Corporation . 2022-09-05 . 旧統一教会の他にも…"宗教2世"たちの知られざる苦悩 . Not just the former Unification Church… the unknown sufferings of shūkyō nisei . October 8, 2022 . Close-Up Gendai.
  11. Web site: Japan Broadcasting Corporation . 2022-09-05 . "宗教2世"旧統一教会・信者の子どもたち 知られざる現実 . Shūkyō nisei: Children of former Unification Church believers — The unknown reality . October 8, 2022 . Close-Up Gendai.
  12. Web site: Nippon Television Network . 2022-07-19 . 統一教会「2世信者」の苦悩 子供のころ"文鮮明氏の血が入っているとされるワイン"飲まされ… . The agony of the Unification Church shūkyō nisei. When I was a child, I was forced to drink 'wine with Sun Myung Moon's blood' . October 8, 2022 . NittereNEWS.
  13. https://www.newsweek.com/japan-shinzo-abe-shooting-nara-tetsuya-yamagami-suspect-gun-homemade-1722965 Who Is Tetsuya Yamagami? Suspected Shinzo Abe Assassin Had Homemade Gun
  14. Web site: 2022-07-13 . 容疑者母が旧統一教会に「献金1億円超」 親族が証言、夫の保険金も . Relatives testify suspect's mother donated over 100 million yen to the former UC, including her husband's insurance money . October 9, 2022 . Asahi Shimbun Digital.
  15. Web site: Amamiya . Karin . 2022-07-20 . 「人生をめちゃくちゃにされた」安倍元首相銃撃事件、そして宗教二世問題 . My life was ruined: The assassination of former prime minister Abe and the problems of the shūkyō nisei . October 8, 2022 . HuffPost.
  16. Web site: Oi . Mariko . 2022-07-23 . 安倍氏殺害事件で注目を集める「宗教2世」 . Shūkyō nisei in the spotlight after Abe's assassination . October 8, 2022 . BBCNEWS JAPAN.