Sayuri Ogawa

Sayuri Ogawa (; born (In a September 2022 special news program by TBS News which features Ogawa, Yasuhiro Hanashi and Masaki Kito, Ogawa was noted as "26 years old".) appearing in government hearings and media interviews to address issues related to the malpractices of new religious organisations, particularly concerning the welfare of shūkyō nisei (, children from religious families). Ogawa is a shūkyō nisei, specifically a "blessed second generation" or "child of god" , as she was born to a couple paired by the UC in its mass wedding. The family struggled financially due to regular donations to the church, and Ogawa faced bullying at school due to poverty. While distancing herself from her family, she continued to suffer from symptoms such as hyperpnea. In April 2022, she gave birth to her first son.

Activism Motivation by Abe's death On 8 July 2022, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated during an election campaign in Nara. The 41-year-old prime suspect Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested at the scene. News outlets reported that Yamagami was driven by a grudge towards the UC for causing his mother's bankruptcy and Abe family's longstanding ties to the church. Consequently, the phrase shūkyō nisei trended on social media. Ogawa shared her past experiences and thoughts as a shūkyō nisei on Twitter. In one aspect, she expresses strong disapproval of the assassination, which she views as an act of terror. Conversely, she can also empathise with Yamagami, as both of them are victims of the UC, sharing similar experiences.

Subsequently, on 14 September 2022, Ogawa was invited by JNN to appear alongside Minister of Justice Yasuhiro Hanashi and anti-cult lawyer Masaki Kito on another featured news program. During the show, she directly addressed Hanashi, emphasising the challenges faced by shūkyō nisei in seeking assistance, particularly from government officials. Ogawa demanded the enactment of new laws to safeguard individuals like her from religious abuse.

Ogawa started advocating for "anti-sectarian laws" , modeled after the French About-Picard law, with the aim of more effectively regulating and prosecuting religious organisations that infringe upon human rights. She is seeking support from international organisations like the United Nations for this cause.

Press conference and legal threats On 7 October 2022, accompanied by her husband, Ogawa was invited by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) to speak about her experiences entangled with the UC at a press conference. During the conference, they noticed two fax messages from the UC, one of which was signed by Ogawa's parents and the other signed by the lawyer representing the UC. One fax demanded an immediate end to the conference, claiming that Ogawa "is suffering from serious mental health disorders, including dissociative identity disorder that had worsened since Abe's death. This had prompted her to make inaccurate statements to the media." Another fax made legal threat against FCCJ should they refuse to comply with the UC's demand.

Despite reading the message, Ogawa chose not to comply with the demand to cease the conference. Towards the end of the event, she stated that "I believe many who are witnessing this can tell which side is evil. If you think I am on the right side, please let this organisation be dissolved." One week after the conference, the UC released a statement claiming that "we deeply care about [Ogawa's] health condition, which might worsen if she continues to make public appearances."

Advocating for dissolving the church

On 11 October 2022, the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales (Zenkoku Benren) sent an open letter to Kishida's cabinet members, demanding the activation of Article 81, the "Dissolution Order," of the Religious Juridical Person Law against the UC. This order aims to revoke the religious entity status of an organisation that is considered to operate in a manner not consistent with a legitimate religion and is detrimental to public welfare. As a result, the organisation would no longer be eligible for tax exemptions while still practicing their faith, as guaranteed by the Constitution of Japan.

A petition supporting the Dissolution Order, endorsed by Ogawa and other victims of the UC, was launched on Change.org on 17 October 2022. On 9 December 2022, the petition has garnered over 200,000 signatures and Ogawa acted as one of the representatives to deliver the petition result to the Religious Affairs Division of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The plea prompted the ministry to initiate an investigation and exercise the right to question the church on 11 November 2022, indicating the potential for dissolving the church if sufficient evidence of wrongdoing is uncovered. The ministry eventually filed the dissolution order against the church with the Tokyo District Court on 13 October 2023.

Witnessing the passage of relief bills

On 2 November 2022, Ogawa was invited by the LDP to participate in a hearing about religious abuse and drafting new relief bills to help victims demand restitution who suffer financially from unfair religious fundraising activities, known as "spiritual sales" in Japan. On 9 December, Ogawa participated in a senate hearing of the special panel about consumer disputes. She advocated for the necessity to help people whose lives are ruined by religion. However, lawyers of Zenkoku Benren have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the relief bills. On the other hand, Ogawa expressed her gratitude for the relief bills to be made in such a short period of time while emphasising that there are still many challenges ahead. She pleaded with the public not to forget about all the victims.

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