CultNEWS101 Articles 4/17/2026
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Patrick Ryan
Apr 17, 2026, 3:01:20 AM (5 days ago) Apr 17
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Japan, Legal, Jehovah's Witnesses, Life Coaches
"Around 20 followers of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious group have filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government, seeking to invalidate its guidelines on the abuse of children born to parents devoted to a particular religion.
The plaintiffs, who filed the lawsuit with Tokyo District Court, claim that the guidelines violate religious freedom and are unconstitutional, also demanding compensation of ¥2 million per person from the state. The lawsuit is believed to be the first to challenge the constitutionality of the government guidelines.
In December 2022, the welfare ministry issued the guidelines to local governments across the country calling for child consultation centers to take temporary custody of a child if there are acts that constitute child abuse, even if religious beliefs are involved.
The guidelines were issued after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot in July that year by a suspect whose mother was a follower of the controversial Unification Church. The shooter believed that Abe had ties with the church, against which he had a grudge.
According to court records, the plaintiffs are the Japanese branch of the U.S.-headquartered Jehovah's Witnesses in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, and couples of believers with children from Tokyo and six other prefectures.
The government guidelines, presented in a question-and-answer format, give examples of what it deems physical abuse, such as whipping during religious activities. The guidelines also cites parental acts it considers neglect, such as refusing blood transfusions deemed necessary for a child by doctors.
Followers of Jehovah's Witnesses met with Japanese government officials in 2023 over the refusal of blood transfusions and other issues and demanded a revision of the guidelines.
The lawsuit was filed in March last year. The first oral argument was held in July of the same year, and the closed proceedings have been continuing since then.
"...The FBI recently issued a warning about ... “violent online networks,” that work to establish trusting relationships with kids, especially ones with issues like depression or eating disorders.
Once they’ve gotten a kid to do something humiliating — say, mutilating themselves on camera — they can threaten to show this to the kid’s friends or families.
As for why the gangs do this, the FBI lists sexual gratification, criminal extortion, social status and/or the desire to sow chaos."
"It all starts in front of a screen, in the most innocent way possible. Accepting a friend request on Facebook. Following an influencer. Signing up for a study skills course about investing in cryptocurrencies. Entering a Roblox minigame. These are all gateways into a labyrinth of psychological manipulation that, in just a matter of months, can end with the innocent internet user trapped in a cult-like community, isolated and ruined. This mental and physical kidnapping occurs — and this is the worst part — voluntarily.
The internet has transformed how cults operate. Street preachers are now influencers or life coaches. Messianic leaders — who once prophesied the end of the world — have moved on to talking about cryptocurrencies, luxury cars, burpees and personal growth. The methods have changed, but the substance remains just as murky.
“Cults have the ability to camouflage themselves, to adapt to the needs and cultural values of the moment,” explains Hortensia Valcárcel, a clinical psychologist specializing in groups that utilize coercive persuasion. Last month, the expert participated in the 11th National Meeting on Psychological Abuse and Cults, in Salamanca, Spain, where she warned about these new forms of online recruitment.
“There’s still a more spiritual aspect,” she clarifies. The classic cults — with their leaders, their end-of-the-world ravings and their esoteric trappings — still exist… but modern society is more skeptical. And that old story doesn’t fool everyone. “Young people are more easily recruited with this idea of financial success, this shark mentality, especially boys,” Valcárcel asserts."
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