Editing Shūkyō nisei

{{Short description|Japanese children with extremely religious parents}}
{{italic title}}
{{Nihongo|'''''Shūkyō nisei'''''|宗教2世}}, literally 'religion second generation', is a Japanese phrase, which refers to children being raised by their [[parent]]s with strong religious beliefs. These children may be forced to practice the same religion against their will by their parents.<ref name="hoshinoko">{{Cite journal |last=Tsukada |first=Hotaka |date=2022-03-31 |title=小説・映画「星の子」が描く宗教・家族・学校 |trans-title=Religion, family, and school as represented by the novel and film Hoshi no Ko（Child of the Stars, Under the Stars） |url=https://juen.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=8543&item_no=1&attribute_id=22&file_no=1 |journal=Joetsu University of Education Research Bulletin |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=393–406 |access-date=October 8, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kiyonaga |first=Satoshi |date=2022-08-22 |title=旧統一教会と『宗教２世』問題 |trans-title=The former UC and shūkyō nisei problems |url=https://www.nhk.or.jp/kaisetsu-blog/100/472463.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008124936/https://www.nhk.or.jp/kaisetsu-blog/100/472463.html |archive-date=October 8, 2022 |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=News Commentators Breau |publisher=Japan Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref> They are also called {{nihongo|''karuto nisei''|カルト2世||'cult second generation'}} or {{nihongo|''nisei shinja''|2世信者||'second generation follower'}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fujikura |first=Yoshiro |date=2021-06-22 |title=「カルト2世問題」の行方 |trans-title=The whereabouts of the cultist second generation problem shaken by NHK's special feature series |url=https://webronza.asahi.com/national/articles/2021061500002.html |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=RONZA |publisher=Asahi Shimbun Company}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-05 |title=「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」 |trans-title=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!" |url=https://www.mbs.jp/news/feature/kansai/article/2022/08/090318.shtml |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=MBS News |publisher=Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc.}}</ref> 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 shūkyō nisei are a longstanding social issue in Japan, the Japanese government has been accused of inaction.<ref name="bbc 0723">{{citation
|last=Ōi |first=Mariko
|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62173865
|title=Shinzo Abe killing: Why a religious group has been put in the spotlight
|work=[[BBC News]]
|date=2022-07-23
|accessdate=2022-10-12
}}</ref> Within the [[Unification Church]], children born to the parents married in church sponsored [[Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church|mass wedding]] ceremonies are called the {{nihongo|''shukufuku nisei''|祝福2世||'blessed second generations'}}.<ref name="tbs ogawa 0812">{{citation
|url=https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/123274?display=1
|title=『祝福２世』と呼ばれた女性「大人になっても苦労している２世信者は多い」 旧統一教会会長がほとんど言及しなかった"２世信者問題"
|script-title=ja:'Second-generation believers continue to face hardship as adults,' voice from the 'blessed second generation'. The 'second-generation problems' not touched on by the Unification Church chairperson
|work=[[Tokyo Broadcasting System]]
|date=2022-08-12
|accessdate=2022-10-08
|language=ja
}}</ref>

In July 2022, former [[Prime Minister of Japan|Japanese Prime Minister]] [[Shinzo Abe]] was [[Assassination of Shinzo Abe|assassinated]] by [[Tetsuya Yamagami]] while giving a speech at the [[2022 Japanese House of Councillors election|upper election campaign]] in [[Nara, Japan|Nara]], which increased media scrutiny on the matter.<ref name="nhk yamagami 0825">{{citation
|url=https://www.nhk.jp/p/ohayou/ts/QLP4RZ8ZY3/blog/bl/pzvl7wDPqn/bp/pBk6E6j184/
|title=安倍元首相銃撃の波紋 "宗教2世"の苦悩
|work=[[NHK]]
|date=2022-08-25
|accessdate=2022-10-10
|language=ja
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128154926/https://www.nhk.jp/p/ohayou/ts/QLP4RZ8ZY3/blog/bl/pzvl7wDPqn/bp/pBk6E6j184/
|archive-date=2022-11-28
}}</ref><ref name="mainichi 0730 petition">{{citation
|url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220730/p2a/00m/0na/010000c
|title=Over 37,000 sign petition urging freedom of belief for Unification Church followers' kids
|work=[[Mainichi Shimbun]]
|date=2022-07-30
|accessdate=2022-12-13
}}</ref>

== 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.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nakai |first=Natsumi |date=2022-08-17 |title=「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 |trans-title=What lies behind 'toxic parents'–The life struggles of shūkyō nisei and what should be discussed |url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ8J6WH0Q7XUTFL01R.html?iref=ogimage_rek |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=Asahi Shimbun Digital}}</ref> 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]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Shimada |first=Hiromi |date=2019-06-14 |title=親が創価学会の子の悲惨すぎる学校生活 |trans-title=The miserable school life of children whose parents are in Soka Gakkai |url=https://president.jp/articles/-/28971 |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=PRESIDENT Online}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=ABEMA Prime |date=2022-08-09 |title=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 |trans-title=Telephone counseling shut down: 'Please solve religious affairs by yourself…' A former shūkyō nisei researcher launched a self-help group |url=https://times.abema.tv/articles/-/10034611 |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=ABEMA TIMES}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nippon Television Network |date=2022-08-17 |title=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」 |trans-title=Unification Church nisei: Free love is the greatest taboo, 3-day fasting — Petition drive to spread awareness of religious abuse. Please save shūkyō nisei |url=https://news.ntv.co.jp/category/society/5b725b8c33d2477db77f9f84814e5a47 |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=NittereNEWS}}</ref>

There are cases where their human rights are violated by being prevented from enrolling in higher education<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hisanaga |first=Ryuichi |date=2022-08-19 |title=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 |trans-title=Shūkyō nisei children left behind? Questions raised about the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's non-participation in the government meeting |url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ8M52S6Q8MUTFL00G.html?iref=ogimage_rek |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=Asahi Shimbun Digital}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Japan Broadcasting Corporation |date=2022-09-05 |title=旧統一教会の他にも…"宗教2世"たちの知られざる苦悩 |trans-title=Not just the former Unification Church… the unknown sufferings of shūkyō nisei |url=https://www.nhk.jp/p/gendai/ts/R7Y6NGLJ6G/blog/bl/pkEldmVQ6R/bp/pMoZaW8J9r/ |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=Close-Up Gendai}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Japan Broadcasting Corporation |date=2022-09-05 |title="宗教2世"旧統一教会・信者の子どもたち 知られざる現実 |trans-title=Shūkyō nisei: Children of former Unification Church believers — The unknown reality |url=https://www.nhk.or.jp/gendai/articles/4698/ |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=Close-Up Gendai}}</ref> or finding employment. Moreover, some are forced to live with bizarre names selected by the founder<ref name=":1" /> or forced to drink wine that is said to contain the guru's blood.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nippon Television Network |date=2022-07-19 |title=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… |trans-title=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' |url=https://news.ntv.co.jp/category/society/031a8c1ef6394cdd9b61c3131cca25ee |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=NittereNEWS}}</ref>

Some shūkyō nisei who want to abandon their faith hesitate in fear of losing their parents' love.<ref name="kamisama no iru ie de">{{Citation
|url=https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/culture/manga-anime/20221216-77471/
|first=Kanta|last=Ishida
|title=Balanced portrayal of religion unexpectedly well-timed
|work=[[Yomiuri Shimbun]]
|date=2022-12-16
|accessdate=2022-12-28
}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

===Assassination of Shinzo Abe and its impacts on the ''shūkyō nisei''===
{{details|Tetsuya Yamagami#Motive}}

[[File:The vicinity of Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji station northern entrance on 8th July 2022.jpg|thumb|alt=The vicinity of Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji station northern entrance, where the Shinzo Abe shooting-to-death incident took place on July 8, 2022.|The vicinity of Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji station northern entrance, where former Japanese Prime Minister [[Shinzo Abe]] was [[assassination of Shinzo Abe|assassinated]], took place on July 8, 2022.]]
On 8 July 2022, [[Tetsuya Yamagami]] [[Assassination of Shinzo Abe|assassinated]] former Prime Minister [[Shinzo Abe]] while he was campaigning in [[Nara, Japan|Nara]] for a candidate in the [[2022 Japanese House of Councillors election|upper house election]]. Yamagami stated that he targeted Abe due to his ties to the [[Unification Church]] (UC), which he blamed for ruining his family.

Yamagami's mother had joined the UC around 1998, after his father committed suicide, leaving behind three children. She donated to the church extensively &ndash; more than 100 million yen in total, including her husband's life insurance payout, which put the family in a difficult financial position, to the extent that they sometimes went hungry. She declared bankruptcy in 2002. Yamagami did well at school and was admitted to the top high school in [[Nara Prefecture]], but could not afford to attend university. At one point he attempted suicide, hoping that the insurance payout would save his siblings from poverty.<ref name=":0"/><ref name="asahiyogisha">{{Cite web |date=2022-07-13 |title=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 |trans-title=Relatives testify suspect's mother donated over 100 million yen to the former UC, including her husband's insurance money |url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ7F7428Q7FPTIL00Z.html |access-date=October 9, 2022 |website=Asahi Shimbun Digital}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Amamiya |first=Karin |date=2022-07-20 |title=「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 |trans-title=My life was ruined: The assassination of former prime minister Abe and the problems of the shūkyō nisei |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/entry/story_jp_62d78c10e4b06e213fb84cbd |access-date=October 8, 2022 |website=HuffPost}}</ref>

The assassination drew attention to the plight of shūkyō nisei, and as a result, the issue began trending on social media.<ref name="bbc 0723"/> [[Online petition]]s for protecting shūkyō nisei were 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.<ref>{{Citation|url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220730/p2a/00m/0na/010000c|title=Over 37,000 sign petition urging freedom of belief for Unification Church followers' kids|work=[[Mainichi Shimbun]]|date=2022-07-30|access-date=2023-08-06}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{citation
|url=https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/173687?display=1
|title=元2世信者が会見も…途中で旧統一協会が"中止要求"「私が正しいと思って下さるなら、どうか団体解散させて」 一方、細田衆院議長は"伝言ゲーム"で追加説明
|work=[[Tokyo Broadcasting System]]
|date=2022-10-08
|accessdate=2022-10-12
|language=ja
}}</ref> An online petition for dissolving the UC accumulated over 200 thousand signatures on 22 November 2022.<ref>{{Citation
|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/Japan-builds-case-to-dissolve-scandal-hit-Unification-Church
|title=Japan builds case to dissolve scandal-hit Unification Church
|work=[[The Nikkei]]
|date=2022-11-22
|access-date=2023-08-06
}}</ref>

==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.<ref name="kyodo 1016 kishida probe">{{citation
|url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/10/dcac697578dc-urgent-japan-pm-eyes-launching-probe-into-controversial-unification-church.html
|title=Japan PM eyes launching probe into controversial Unification Church
|work=[[Kyodo News]]
|date=2022-10-16
|accessdate=2022-12-27
}}</ref> One focus of this probe was the allegedly illegal [[child adoption]] arrangement among the UC followers. The UC denied any organized arrangement.<ref>{{Citation
|url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUF068QO0W2A201C2000000/
|title=旧統一教会の養子縁組、2018年度以降31件 調査に回答
|trans-title=The Unification Church answered that there have been 31 cases of child adoption arrangements since 2018
|work=[[The Nikkei]]
|date=2022-12-06
|accessdate=2022-12-27
|language=ja
}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Japan to probe Unification Church's adoption system |date=2022-11-18 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/11/18/national/unification-church-adoption-probe/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118124240/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/11/18/national/unification-church-adoption-probe/ |archive-date=November 18, 2022 |accessdate=2022-12-28}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Citation
|url=https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/883e573c7ad588f2aff079ba2868e0e5f2c59b95
|title=半分以上が「回答拒否」…"統一教会"養子縁組の追加質問 厚労省に抗議文送付
|trans-title=The Unification Church refused to answer more than half of the questions regarding the child adoption arrangement additional inquiry. Letter of protest for the Health Labour Ministry
|work=[[Nippon TV]]
|date=2022-12-20
|accessdate=2022-12-27
|language=ja
|via=Yahoo News
}}</ref>

In December 2022, [[Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare|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.<ref>{{Citation
|url=https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/252540?display=1
|title=「信仰の強制は虐待」厚労省が宗教2世虐待めぐりガイドライン作成を検討
|trans-title= 'Imposing faith is an act of abuse.' The Health Labour Ministry considers making guidelines regarding the shūkyō nisei issues
|work=[[Tokyo Broadcasting System]]
|date=2022-12-26
|accessdate=2022-12-27
|language=ja
}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
|url=https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/politics-government/20221227-79777/
|title=Forced participation in religious activities to be classified as child abuse
|work=[[Yomiuri Shimbun]]
|date=2022-12-27
|accessdate=2022-12-28
}}</ref>

==In literature==
* ''{{ill|Under the Stars (2020 film){{!}}Under the Stars|ja|星の子}}'' (星の子, lit. ''Child of the Stars'') by [[Natsuko Imamura]], a novel published in 2017 and adapted into a movie in 2020<ref name="hoshinoko"/>
* ''{{ill|We Grew Up in a House Where 'God' Dwells|ja|「神様」のいる家で育ちました 〜宗教2世な私たち〜}}'' (「神様」のいる家で育ちました), a manga by {{ill|Mariko Kikuchi|ja|菊池真理子}} premiered in 2021<ref name="kamisama no iru ie de"/>
* ''[[Revolution+1]]'', a fictional-biographical film based on [[Tetsuya Yamagami]] directed by [[Masao Adachi]]
* ''Sayuri Ogawa, Shūkyō Nisei'' (小川さゆり、宗教2世), an autobiography of [[Sayuri Ogawa]]

==In popular culture==
The phrase ''shūkyō nisei'' entered the 2022 top 10 [[buzzword]] list in Japan.<ref>{{citation
|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/12/02/national/japan-yakult-swallows-murakami-buzzword/
|title=Yakult Swallows slugger 'Murakami-sama' tops Japan 2022 buzzword list
|work=[[Kyodo News]]
|publisher=[[The Japan Times]]
|date=2022-12-02
|accessdate=2023-01-08
}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Religion in Japan]]
* [[Religion and children]]
* [[New religious movement]]
* [[Cult]]
* [[Religious abuse]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Wikipedia Student Program]]
[[Category:Child abuse in Japan]]
[[Category:Religion and children]]
[[Category:Unification Church controversies]]