Sayuri Ogawa

Sayuri Ogawa (小川 さゆり; born c. 1996) is the pseudonym of a Japanese woman who was a former follower of the Unification Church (UC).

She left her parents and the church at the age of 20 after suffering sexual harassment and religious abuse.

Since the assassination of Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, on 8 July 2022, she has become an anti-cult activist, 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 (宗教二世, children from religious families).

Ogawa herself is also a shūkyō nisei, specifically a "blessed second generation" (祝福二世) or "child of god" (神の子), as she was born to a couple paired by the UC in its mass wedding.

Sayuri Ogawa was born as the eldest daughter among six siblings.

Her parents were devoted followers of the Unification Church (UC) and their marriage was through a mass wedding ceremony of the UC.

Ogawa's mother was a full-time housewife but often had to be away from home due to missionary duty and campaign activities, including canvassing for pro-UC politicians during elections, while her father held a district management position within the church.

Entertainment such as television and manga were considered satanic and prohibited, and attendance at worship services and prayer meetings was compulsory.

Ogawa sometimes experienced extreme physical distress, including dislocating her shoulder and fainting during these activities.

Despite the challenges, her parents persisted in imposing their faith.

The family struggled financially due to regular donations to the church, and Ogawa faced bullying at school due to poverty.

Ogawa recalled having fond memories with her parents and described them as being kind to her, despite the challenges their household faced.

Therefore, she would obey her parents and engage in religious activities.

As she entered high school, Ogawa became deeply immersed in her faith in the UC.

She found solace in attending church, which helped distract her from other concerns.

During her third year of high school, she participated in a speech competition on the teachings of the church and achieved second place at the national level.

While engaged in such activities, she attended a residential training where she experienced sexual harassment.

A male team leader took her to an isolated room where no one could see them, hugged her, and took photos, making her feel uncomfortable and violated.

Even after the training ended, Ogawa received messages like, "If you do not reply, we will not meet in heaven," which left her in shock.

When she confided in her parents about the incident, they attributed it to her being possessed by evil spirits, and as a result, they sent her to undergo "spiritual training" in Cheongpyeong, South Korea.

The 40-day "exorcism" process left her emotionally unstable, and she reached a point where she felt compelled to write a farewell letter in which she expressed her desire to commit suicide.

Afterwards, her mother started using Ogawa's savings and earnings from part-time jobs without permission, causing her further distress.

This happened when she was 19 years old.

She sought help by visiting government offices and the police to report the abuse, but she was not taken seriously, with responses like, "It's a family matter and a religious issue."

Frustrated and feeling trapped, Ogawa began isolating herself in her room.

At the age of 20, she decided to run away from home and simultaneously disassociated herself from the UC.

While distancing herself from her family, she continued to suffer from symptoms such as hyperpnea.

In a November 2022 interview, she expressed her post-runaway struggles as follows:

"I resented the church so much, but I also realized that my existence was tied to the church. I was born because of the church, and my life was shaped by the match arranged by Sun Myung Moon. My identity felt like it was crumbling, and I couldn't understand my purpose. I wanted to die so badly. If there was no church, I wouldn't have been born. I think it would have been better to stay as a shinkō nisei. My parents wanted me and gave birth to me to increase the number of followers, so I was born just for that purpose."

Subsequently, she met her current partner, who is an atheist, and got married.

In April 2022, she gave birth to her first son.

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.

In the same month, she was approached by Japan News Network (JNN) through social media to appear on a featured news program and talk about the religious abuse and other challenges faced by shūkyō nisei.

It was during this time that she adopted the pseudonym "Sayuri Ogawa".