Outrageous and Unjust Verdict in Usami's Stalking Case

This article is continuation of Mr. Usami’s Court Case.  If you are here for the first time, please read the previous articles. 
http://humanrightslink.blogspot.com/2011/12/prosecutors-opening-statement-in-usami.html
http://humanrightslink.blogspot.com/2011/12/defening-lawyers-final-defense-plea-in.html

Mr. Usami was sentenced to 3 months in prison with a 4-year suspended sentence on Tuesday, 27 Dec 2011.  The full text of the verdict won’t be available until next year.  Mr. Kazuhiro Yonemoto, an investigative reporter and author of “Our Unpleasant Neighbors (A book detailingdeprogramming practices in Japan)” posted an article in regards to the verdict.

The following is the translation of Mr. Yonemoto’s article. (Some part may have been omitted or edited by Yoshi.)

Defending Lawyer's Final Defence Plea in Usami Case

The statement goes over 40 pages. Here is a summary and extract of the defending lawyer’s final plea.

If you are here for the first time, please go to my previous article posted a few days ago.  Prosecutor's Opening Statement in Usami Case

The main issue in this Usami’s Stalking Case is “if Usami acted for the purpose to fill the feelings of love”.  The final defense plea spent many pages to verify Usami’s motive and prove that Usami’s acts were not for the purpose of filling the feeling of love, but for the purpose of confirming the partner’s will on marriage, which the defendant and Ms K pleaded and were preparing for.  If filling feelings of love does not exist in Usami’s motive, the anti-stalking control law can’t be applied.

The following is a summary and/or extract of the lawyer's final defence plea.

<General Statement>

1. The defendant suspected that there’s a possibility that Ms K pretended to renounce the church to be freed from the captivity.   The defendant carried out each act in order to confirm Ms K’s will on marriage, not for the purpose to fill the feelings of love.
   
   
2. Ms K’s intention to cancel the engagement did not reach the defendant or the defendant could not acknowledge Ms K’s notice as her real intention on rational grounds.  At each time of the facts of the charged offences, Ms K was regarded as a fiancee of the defendant.
   
   
3. At the time of the fact No.1 of the charged offences, the defendant did not acknowledge nor expect Ms K was in the car. 
   At the time of fact No.2, the defendant even did not find the car.
   At the time of fact No.3, the defendant saw Ms K, but he just observed Ms K.
   At the time of fact No.4, the defendant witnessed incidentally Ms K as a result, but he did not wait to expect to see Ms K.
   At the time of fact No.5, the defendant unexpectedly saw Ms K, but he did not expect that Ms K was appearing.   Afterwards, the defendant was just waiting at the general waiting area of the sauna facility.
   
   The above mentioned acts are not the acts to “wait in ambush”, which anti-stalking control law requires.
   
   
4. Lack of criminal intent
   The defendant did not have criminal intent of stalking.
   
   
5. Anti-stalking control law should not be applied to this case.
   Ms K showed a positive attitude towards marriage with the defendant and went missing all of sudden.  As Ms K did not make a direct contact with the defendant, the defendant’s motive was to find her and confirm Ms K’s will.  The defendant’s act differs from the act which the anti-stalking law should control.  It is not appropriate that the anti-stalking law is applied to this case.

<Meaning of “Waiting in ambush”>

“Waiting in ambush” generally means that
1. Knowing or expecting that someone is or may be coming, and
2. Waiting for the person at a particular place in hiding.
In addition, “Waiting in ambush” in the anti-stalking control law should fill the following 3^rd requirement.
3. Will to express one’s heart to the other person (for example –  starting to speak to the person)

The defense lawyer spent many pages to counterattack each of the prosecutor’s “facts constituting offenses charged”, and proved that the charged offenses are not stalking activities. (details omitted)

<“Lack of Criminal Intent” in the defendant's acts>

The anti-stalking act 2-2 says “Only when stalking acts deprive victims of physical safety and peace of the dwelling or defame victim’s character or only when the victim feels extreme fear and their freedom of movement is severely restricted, such acts are regarded “stalking acts”.

The defendants acknowledged Ms K’s cancellation of engagement during the time of the fact No.5 in the charged offenses.  Until then, the defendant thought that Ms K was pretending to renounce the church and thought that Ms K should have been glad to know that the defendant was searching for Ms K.  

Even if the defendant’s acts fall in “waiting in ambush” category, the defendant thought Ms K was glad to know the defendant’s actions.  In the defendant’s subjective view, the defendant did not acknowledge that his acts deprived Ms K of physical safety, peace of the dwelling and defamed Ms K.  or caused extreme anxiety enough to restrict her freedom of movement.

Therefore , it is clear that the defendant did not have criminal intent of stalking.   

<Application of the anti-stalking control law to this case>

If someone repeated to contact the partner by phone, email, letters etc in order only to fill the feelings of love, and/or chased or waited in ambush for the partner to demand to reinstate after the person received a clear message of breaking off the relations from one’s partner, this is the case which anti-stalking control law should be applied.

However in this Usami’s case, Ms K had kept intimate relationships with the defendant and had been positive towards the marriage with the defendant until the moment when Ms K went missing all of sudden.  As there were no contacts from Ms K, the defendant searched for Ms K to confirm her will.  This case completely differs from the case which anti-stalking law can control.

<Credibility of prosecutor’s evidences and police record of investigation>

There are inconsistency and contradiction of presented evidences by Ms K and her side including Ms K’s mother and Miyamura(introduced as a Ms K’s friend in this court case*).  

(*Miyamura - He’s a professional deprogrammer.  He was just introduced as a K’s friend in the court.  The defendant lawyer asked a question on Ms K and Miyamura's relattioships and Miyamura’s attribute.  The prosecutors objected to the defending lawyer and the judge agreed with prosecutors by saying the question is nothing to do with the main issues.)

The defendant was forced or pressured to sign the statement (police record of investigation) which was not accurate.  The defendant was told by police, “Your penalty will be lesser if it’s written like this.”  The defendant asked the police to re-write the statement next day, but it was rejected.  The statement (record of investigation) was made by the police and against the defendant’s memory and will, and the credibility of the statement should be denied.

<Conclusion>

The defendant’s motive was not for the purpose to fill the feelings of love.  The defendant did not have criminal intent of stalking, nor waited in ambush for Ms K.  Therefore stalking acts are not established, and the court should hand down not guilty verdict in a timely and decisive manner.

Mr. Usami’s Final Statement (First half omitted)

What would you do if you were in my situation?

Suppose your family member was abducted by North Korean Agent, and you received a letter saying, “I’m happy now.  Please don’t worry.  Please don’t look for me. ” Are you taking the letter as real?  Do you believe it?  Don’t you look for your family member using all possible ways?  Isn’t it everyone’s heart?

If Ms Kudo became to dislike me and wanted not to be searched, why didn’t she tell me so directly?

My contact details such as email address or phone number are same as before.

I was always ready for Ms Kudo to contact me.  Why didn’t she tell her will or feelings to me clearly and directly?

If she did contact me and did send the message to me clearly, I could understand.  I didn’t bother to look for her by fitting GPS.  GPS mobile phone system is a tool to prevent crimes from occurring before hand or to look for missing child.  I want the court to judge from the background and the purpose.

I wanted to release Ms Kudo who may have suffered in the captivity as quickly as possible.  If I couldn’t use technology when I needed most, what was the technology for?  If I didn’t use the technology, Ms Kudo may have suffered more.  If so, how regrettable it was.

Look at the fact No.1 of the charged offences.  I completely don’t understand why is my act to see the car understood to wait for someone in ambush in order to fill feelings of love.  I didn’t know who were inside, nor saw Ms Kudo.  Even if I saw Ms Kudo, what was filled by such a thing?

Same thing for the 2^nd to 4^th offence charged.

Let’s pick up 5^th offence charged.  Why did the prosecutors say that I filled the feelings of love by visiting the sauna facility where Miyamura and his supporters were or by seeing Ms Kudo.  Also when I started to speak to Ms Kudo, I didn’t demand to reinstate the relationship nor said that we should get married.  

I feel strong indignation about this unjust accusation and rude treatment.  However, I feel very sorry for Ms Kudo, because she was made up by her surroundings.

Ms Kudo was really a warm hearted person.  But now she has become a horrible person. 

Ms Kudo hasn’t got back into society yet, nor has returned to her parents’ home.  Ms Kudo did not initiate to make this situation happen.  I feel she is in the difficult situation which she cannot do but avoid.  I feel she is struggling to survive anyhow by balancing the mental stability.

Again as I mentioned earlier, I repeat that the motive of the series of my act was out of my heart that I wanted to confirm her real heart by seeing face to face, and it was not to fill the selfish feelings of love.

If Ms Kudo felt anxiety by my acts as results after she underwent forcible de-conversion process and changed her position and mind at some stage, I feel very sorry about it.  I clearly remember what she said to me.  She said to me that she wanted to build a happy family with me.  Please do understand that I believed in what she said and that my acts were based on that.

It was possible for Ms Kudo to talk, but she was led on to fighting against me.  It is very regrettable that she was deformed by those who practice forcible de-conversion and say forcible de-conversion does not exit.

What remains in her by dumping her original sincerity, kindness and important things as a human?  Is she really happy now? 

I have nothing to do with Ms Kudo in the future.  I want her to wake up and restore original herself, and I wish she become independent as soon as possible and she spends her natural and constructive life.  I also wish from the bottom of my heart that she return to her parents’ home(*) and become happy.

* Notes by Yoshi - Ms Kudo still lives in an apartment with other ex-UC members near Miyamura (deprogrammer)'s house.

The court decision was handed down at the session starting at 2:30pm on Tue, Dec 27, 2011. Mr. Usami was sentenced to 3 months in prison with a 4-year suspended sentence. 

According to the information updated on the web, the defending lawyer's every claim was rejected or ignored, and "abduction" and "confinement" were not mentioned at all in the ruling.  

One of the defending lawyers said,"I am not able to accept the ruling totally."  The other defending lawyer said,"It's an outrageous decision."

As soon as I receive the details of the ruling, I'll post it in Enlgish.


###

Prosecutor's Opening Statement in Usami Case

Mr. Usami and Ms K were both Unification Church members, and they were engaged and attended the Church wedding ceremony in Feb. 2007. They planned to start their married life one year later, and developed a love each other by having dates in various occasions. Their date spot was usually Kita-Senju area in Tokyo.

Ms K disappeared from Mr Usami when she visited her parents’ home on Jan 1, 2008. (Ms K was abducted and confined in an apartment room for deprogramming purpose.  The deprogrammer was Takashi Miyamura.)

Mr. Usami suspected that Ms K was abducted and confined by her family members, and he started to find her.  Mr. Usami contacted the police, but police didn’t help him as they were not married. 

In Dec. 2008 which was one year after her dispearance, the Unification Church Head Office received a piece of letter from Ms K, declaring her intention of withdrawal from the church and cancellation of the engagement.  Mr. Usami suspected that there was a possibility that Ms K was pretending to renounce the faith to be freed as other victims did in the past. Mr. Usami continued the search.

Around April 2010, he had no other way but to install GPS on Ms K’s father car to find her. 

In November 2010, which was 3 year after Ms K’s disappearance, Mr. Usami was able to see and talk to Ms K for a very short time around for a minute.  Mr. Usami confirmed the Ms K’s cancellation of the engagement, and he stopped searching her.

In January 2011, Ms K submitted a written complaint against Mr. Usami in Ogikubo Police, and Mr Usami was arrested on Feb 7, 2011.  The charge was stalking. Court hearing started in May 2011 and concluded with a final defense plea on Nov. 8, 2011, and the court will give a decision next week on Dec.27, 2011.

Prosecutors and defendant’s lawyer drastically opposed each other.  Today I summarized the prosecutor’s opening statement.  I hope I can post Mr. Usami’s lawyers final statement and Mr. Usami's final defense plea by the judgment day.

Goto's statement to Tokyo District Court - Part 6

Mr. Toru Goto was finally released from the private prison in Feb. 2008 after 12 years and 5 months.  He had no one to rely on and no money on him, so he decided to walk to the Head Office of his church, which was 10 kilometers away.

Today's part is the final part of the Goto's statement submitted to the court. I will work on translation of the defendants' counterstatement.  You will know what the defendants say in the next post.

Original documents in Japanese are uploaded in the blog operated by the Association to Support Toru Goto's Court Case. The Association consists of 5 members from various background, mixture of current UC members(2) and non UC members(3). This article was translated by this blog's author from the Japanese texts in http://antihogosettoku.blog111.fc2.com/

Index of the Toru Goto's statement submitted to Tokyo District Court

1.  Personal History
2.  Joining Unification Church (1986)
3.  First Confinement (Oct 1987 - Nov 1987)
4.  After Escape from First Confinement
5.  Second Confinement
   (1) Confinement in Niigata (Sep 1995)
   (2) Transferred to First Apartment in Tokyo (1997)
   (3) Transferred to Second Apartment in Tokyo (Dec 1997)
   (4) Miyamura's Deprogramming Work (5) First Hunger Strike – 21 Days (Apr 2004)
   (6) Second Hunger Strike – 21 days (May 2005)
   (7) Third Hunger Strike – 30 days (Apr 2006)
   (8) Release from Prison
6. After Hospitalization
7. At the End

------------------------------

    5.  Second Confinement

(8) Release from Prison

Around at Nov. 2007, my elder brother’s wife criticized me by saying, ”How much do you think it costs to maintain this apartment?   Do you know how badly you damaged the properties of this apartment?  These must be repaired when we move out.”  The damaged properties she mentioned were the kitchen shelves and accordion curtains which were broken when I repeated escape attempts and I was overpowered every time by the family members in Feb. 2001.  It looked like that financial burden to my family to maintain the apartment was becoming harder and harder.  Also they had a sense of crisis that they would have more troubles if I would carry out another hunger strike and starve to death.  Since around that time, it seemed that members among my family started to have different opinions what to do with the confinement.

Around in Jan. 2008, I demanded a mirror to cut my hair and entered to the room near the front door where my younger sister was.  My sister said to me in a strong tone, “Don’t come in.” and shoved me away by pushing my chest by her both hands.  I unsteadily stepped back, and my back hit the cupboard.  My physical strength was that level at that time.  However, at least 2 people were in the apartment to monitor me even if they were busy.  For example, it was on 3^rd or 4^th of April in 2006.  My grandmother died and my mother and younger sister attended the funeral in Yonezawa-shi, Yamagata.  At that time, my brother had a day off from work and came to the apartment to join his wife to monitor me.  It seemed that my brother filled the gap for that day as only my brother’s wife remained in the apartment. 

     

At around 4pm on Feb.10, 2008, my elder brother and his wife, my mother and my younger sister ordered me to move out from the apartment by saying, ”If you have no intention to verify the issues of the Unification Church, get out of here immediately.”  I was debilitated mentally and physically at that time.  I had continued to receive food sanction without adequate exercise for 1 year and 10 months since the end of the 3^rd hunger strike.  I felt a sense of despair, emptiness as the confinement was protracted, and also I had a sense of loss as I lost everything.  I had been isolated from the society for 12 years.  I had nowhere to go and I would be homeless even if I was released.  I asked my family for some money by saying, “Give me some money.  Otherwise I can’t catch a train.”  My bother declined by saying, “No.”

They deprived me of precious time and all the opportunities by the confinement for many years.  When things did not go well, they kicked me out without any money.  I was furious about their outrageous act.   I fiercely protested by saying, “It’s cruel to kick me out without giving me any money after 12-year confinement.”  We got into a scuffle, and my family forcefully tried to remove me out of the apartment.  I resisted in vain by holding on to kitchen shelves, accordion curtain and any other places which I could, but I was lifted up and they pushed me out of the front door.  I was wearing just house dress without shoes.  I was pushed down (facing up) to the concrete floor of the hallway in front of the front door. 

When I couldn’t get up and remained lying down on the concrete floor, I overheard my brother’s voice, saying “Shoes, Shoes.”  Afterwards someone from inside threw my shoes at me.  Then the front door was shut and locked.  The back of my hand and wrist bled, and my sweater was torn.  I banged on the front door and I protested against the outrageous treatment in a loud voice.  When I repeated the protest, my brother shouted, “Shut up!” from inside of the front door.

I had no other way but to get on an elevator and go to the ground level.  At the ground level, I saw letter boxes.  A tag was placed to the room#804 letter box, and it was written “GOTO”.  Also I learned that the address of the apartment was Ogikubo 3-47-15, Suginami-ku.

Even though I became free, I was physically debilitated.  I had no personal belongings, no clothes to change, no guarantee of job and life.  I didn’t know where my friends were.  I was attacked by a feeling of anxiety how I would survive the situation.  As I didn’t know where the Unification Church was in Ogikubo area, I started to walk to the Unification Church Head Office in Shibuya,

I found a police box soon after I started to walk towards east on Oume Street.  I entered into the police box, and I complained that I had been confined in the apartment called Ogikubo Flower Home and I was just released.

The police officer seemed to be shocked to hear my words at the beginning.  But once I started to talk about the details of the confinement, which was that my family members abducted and confined me for forcible conversion from the Unification Church faith, the police officer’s attitude suddenly changed and he started to look at me suspiciously.  Even if I explained, he didn’t treat the matter seriously by saying, “Weren’t your parents together with you?  Didn’t they feed you?”  I couldn’t help but think that it was ridiculous and complete nonsense. 

At the very least, I wanted to borrow some money.  I said, “May I borrow some money? I have nothing on me."  The officer said, “Don’t you have any acquaintance in Tokyo”.  I only could say, “I was just released from the 12-year confinement, and I have no one to rely on….”  The request was rejected citing as an unidentified person.  I asked him to draw a direction to get to Shibuya, and I started to walk again.

The Shinjuku Skyscrapers, which Toru Goto
saw on the way to the Head Office.
http://www.worldtimes.co.jp/special2/ratikankin/100317.html

I was doing some exercises in the confinement room for 15 minutes daily even if I was suffering empty stomach during food sanction.  It looked like that the exercise worked and I could walk for a while.  I passed by a Ramen (Noodle) shop and a Donuts shop.  I couldn’t resist the smell, and I was dying to get in the shop and eat as much as I could.  There was no other option for penniless man, but continued to walk.  I turned right to the Yamate Street, and I saw Shinjuku Skyscrapers.  I got a real sense of being liberated, feeling  “Oh! I’m finally free.”

However, as I didn’t walk for a long time, my knees suddenly started to get sore when I entered Shibuya Ward.  At Hatsudai, my knees became very weak, and I had to bend forward.  I had to support knees by my both hands to walk.  Soon I found a stick and used it.  I continued at a very slow pace.

I felt pressed by the feeling that “I have to get there before the Head Office closes”.  It took about 4 hours to get to the intersection of Shoto 2-Chome in Shibuya.  But I couldn’t walk at all any more at the intersection due to acute pain on my knees.  Also it was already at night, and I didn’t know which way I should go.  At that time, I was wearing a sweater which was torn by the scuffle and old looking jersey knit pants, and leather shoes.  My hair did not look good as I cut them by myself.  I was using a stick, and I must have been looked homeless.  It was the coldest time in the year.   The feeling that I would be frozen to death came across.  I prepared myself for my martyrdom.

The intersextion, which
Toru Goto met a UC member
photo: www.worldtimes.co.jp

I was determined to go forward as much as I could even if I crawled.  I started to ask passerby how to get to the Unification Church.  The 2^nd person I approached was accidentally a UC member who was on the way home.    Even if it was an accident, I was surprised by the mysterious encounter.  I felt God’s guidance, and I shivered with sensation.  When I explained the situation to the lady, she taught me how to get the UC Head Office.  After she realized that I couldn’t walk any longer, she called a taxi and paid the fare for me.

I was not treated as a human in the confinement.  I was so touched by the warm heart that I had not felt for so many years that I couldn’t stop tears running down.  Thus, finally I arrived at the Unification Church Head Office alive.

I explained the circumstances to the security man at the Head Office.  He couldn’t believe my story of 12-year-confinement, and treated me as a suspicious person.  But he contacted someone who was in charge of abduction/confinement issue.  The man said to the security, “I have information that a man called Goto was in held in confinement for many years.  This information came from a member who escaped her confinement masterminded by Pastor Takazawa.“  The security man started to believe me and let me enter to the Head Office building. 

They served a dinner for me, and offered to let me stay there for the night.  At the bed time, I went to the toilet.  I only could crawl to the toilet, and I realized that my physical state was so severe that I couldn’t use the toilet.  (I couldn’t stand up.)  It was around midnight when I was taken to Isshin Hospital in Kita-Otsuka by taxi.  I was diagnosed as malnutrition at the emergency department.  I was immediately admitted to the hospital as I was unable to walk.

After several checks, I was diagnosed as generalized muscular weakness, disuse muscle atrophy (when muscles are not used, muscles atrophy and they become small and weak), anemia as well as malnutrition.

6.  After Hospitalization

I was admitted to the hospital at around 2:00am on Feb 11, 2008.  I was unable to walk as I had acute pain on my knees when I tried to stand up.  I had to use a wheelchair until the end of the month.  Then I started to use a walker.  At around Mar.4, 2008, I started to use both a walker and crutches.  At around Mar.10, I started to use a stick, but I was not recovered enough to go up or down on stairs.  My rehabilitation continued and I was discharged from the hospital on Mar.31.  However, I could not run, nor walk faster.  If I walked for 30 minutes for shopping, I felt pain in my knees and ankles, and I had muscle aches in my thigh and calf on the following day.

I could sit cross-legged on a floor.  I could not sit (in Japanese way) with my legs tucked under me as I had pains in my ankles.  Even now 3 years after the release, I feel a sense of discomfort if I sit in Japanese way.  Also after leaving the hospital, I couldn’t get up from the cross-legged position unless my body is supported by my arms touching the floor.  I strongly feel that the 12-year-confinement and the damage to my knees by walking on Feb. 10 have affected my physical state even after leaving the hospital.

 A few days later, after I was admitted to the hospital, I suffered from gastroenteritis and had persistent diarrhea.  It seemed that my resistance of the internal organs was down due to the protracted confinement.  I hardly saw outside view during the 12 years and 5 months confinement.  After the light bulb of the table lamp blew at the beginning of 2006, I had to read without the lamp as captors did not replace it.  Also they stopped providing eye drops.  My eyesight was 1.5 before the confinement, but it was dropped to 0.2 at the time of release from the confinement.  Before the confinement, I could drive without corrective lenses.  I can’t drive without glasses now.  Of course, my driver’s license was expired, so I had to start all over again from scratch to get a license.

Mr. Toru Goto at the hospital
Photo by Mr Kazuhiro Yonemoto

2 days later after hospitalization, a journalist, Mr. Kazuhiro Yonemoto visited me in the hospital.  I recounted the story of the confinement to him, and I accepted  his request to take some photos of me for the interview. 

The next day, Mr. Yonemoto visited the Ogikugo Sunflower Home (the confinement apartment), and also visited Miyamura’s home for an interview.  Miyamura came out and Mr. Yonemoto could talk for a short while. 

According to Mr. Yonemoto, Miyamura admitted that he visited the confinement apartment to convert me.  Also Miymura said to Mr. Yonemoto, “It was because Goto did fasting.” in relating to the malnutrition due to abuses from family members. (Kazuhiro Yonemoto’s statement, dated on Mar.5, 2008)   It was Apr.2004 when I started hunger strike.  Miyamura’s last visit to me in the apartment was Feb. 2001.  It is very clear that Miyamura had constant contact with my family and continued to conspire to confine me.

I had no choice but to carry out hunger strikes in order to pursue to be released from the confinement.  If I did not go on hunger strikes 3 times risking my life (21 days in 2004, 21 days in 2005 and 30days in 2006), I would not have been released.  If they resumed normal meals after the hunger strike in Apr 2006, my weight would have been back to normal when I was released on Feb.10, 2008, which was 1year and 11 months later after the hunger strike.

I would like to add that I attended the Unification Church’s wedding ceremony in Sep. 2008 after the release, and got married.  As my wife did not have brothers and the family had no heir, I decided to change to my wife’s surname, which was Iwamoto.  I now feel small happiness to get married and settle down in my 40s after such a long time.

7.  At the End

Japan guarantees religious freedom.  Those acts such as confining me for 12 years and 5 months to make me leave the church, hurling criticism collectively at me, making me suffer physically and mentally by the abuses and forcing me to abandon my faith are nothing but tortures and must not be tolerated.  What kind of crime did I commit to deserve 12 years and 5 months confinement?  My elder brother and his wife chose by their free will to become the Unification Church members and had faith in the Unification Church.  After they left church, they lied by claiming, “They were forced to join the church against their will and forced to get involved with the church activities.”  Then they filed a lawsuit called “Lost Youth Compensation Case” against the Unification Church and won compensation from the church.

In comparing to that, I was continued to be confined in a small room since I was 31 years old until I was 44 years old.  They deprived me of not only my freedom of religion, freedom of marriage, freedom of choice in employment, freedom of movement and freedom of vote, but they denied and violated my human dignity.  They spoiled my precious life.   I continued to receive criticism, smear and defamation which denied humanity, and also violence to maintain the confinement room.  I received torture of food sanction, and I was continuously forced to decide to withdraw from the church.

I could not only receive any medical checks, but I was not allowed to go to a doctor in the 40 degrees temperature.  I was not released even when I was almost starved to death.  I have never heard of such crimes.  But my family members and Miyamura are unrepentant and poised to evade responsibility by saying – for example, “I didn’t know that the front door of the apartment was locked by a padlock.”

The more I experienced the cruel and brutal treatments from the captors, the more I was convinced that Miyamura and family members were evil creatures.  In spite of the physical and mental abuses during the 12 years and 5 months confinement, one of the reasons why I didn’t lose my faith was that I was determined not to join such evil group even at the brink of death.  And also I was filled with a sense of responsibility that I had to reveal these evil human rights violations to the public.

I would like to ask you to judge fairly, and wish you raise an alarm against the forcible deprogramming practices which are occurring even now carried out by the deprogrammers including Matsunaga or Miyamura.  I also wish not only for my personal relief, but these human rights violations in the forcible conversion practices are ceased.

-------------------

Translated by Yoshi

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Link to other part of Goto's statement
Goto's Statement Part 1
Goto's Statement Part 2 
Goto's Statement Part 3 
Goto's Statement Part 4 (First Half)
Goto's Statement Part 4 (Second Half) 
Goto's Statement Part 5
Goto's Statement Part 6   

xxx

Goto's statement to Tokyo District Court - Part 5

Mr. Toru Goto carried out 21-day hunger strike in Apr 2004 and in May 2005, followed by 30-day hunger strike in Apr 2006.  He was almost starved to death after the 3rd hunger strike due to food sanction by his captors.

Original documents in Japanese are uploaded in the blog operated by the Association to Support Toru Goto's Court Case. The Association consists of 5 members from various background, mixture of current UC members(2) and non UC members(3). This article was translated by this blog's author from the Japanese texts in http://antihogosettoku.blog111.fc2.com/

Index of the Toru Goto's statement submitted to Tokyo District Court

1.   Personal History
2.  Joining Unification Church (1986)
3.  First Confinement (Oct 1987 - Nov 1987)
4.  After Escape from First Confinement
5.  Second Confinement
   (1) Confinement in Niigata (Sep 1995)
   (2) Transferred to First Apartment in Tokyo (1997)
   (3) Transferred to Second Apartment in Tokyo (Dec 1997)
   (4) Miyamura's Deprogramming Work
   (5) First Hunger Strike – 21 Days (Apr 2004)
   (6) Second Hunger Strike – 21 days (May 2005)
   (7) Third Hunger Strike – 30 days (Apr 2006)
   (8) Release from Prison
6. After Hospitalization
7. At the End

------------------------------

    5.  Second Confinement

(5) First Hunger Strike – 21 Days (Apr 2004)

In April 2004, I was attacked by feelings of uncontrollable anxiety and fear that I may have to spend the rest of my life in confinement.  As my fierce resistance to attempt to escape failed in Feb. 2001, this time I was determined to carry out 21-day hunger strike to protest the protracted confinement.

At the hospital
after release

I protested to my family by saying, "8 years have already passed.  The babies born at that time are 8 years old now.  This is a human rights violation.  The 30s in age are most productive age in life.  I was robbed of the most important 30s in this confinement apartment, isolated from the society.  You are responsible for that.  How many times do you think you robbed me of the rights to vote?  If you don't recognize this as human rights violations, your way of thinking is completely wrong.  Why you don't understand this?  You don't understand common sense.  This is a torture."  My family condemned me and demanded me to leave the church by replying, "You are not listening to people.  Think well with your head."

My brother's wife got hysteric while she was accusing me.  She sat on the tatami floor just in front of me, and she slapped my face by her hand with all her might.  She got agitated and continued to accuse me, and she slapped my face again in the same way.  She slapped me up to 4 or 5 times like this.  As she used to swim and she was masculine, my upper body heavily swung every time I was hit.  I always had pains on my face.  One day she had a plaster on the root of her thumb of the right hand.   It seemed that she hurt her hand.  This kind of violence started in April 2004, when I started the hunger strike.  And the violence was repeated until Sep. 2004.

My brother's wife bullied me cruelly.  At one time, she screamed agitatedly and said to me, "You've got to wake up."  She pulled my collar and poured ice water into my back.  When I was eating a meal after the hunger strike, she put a light stand just in front of me and placed a piece of paper on it to tease me.  She taunted me by saying, "Eat while you see this."   On the piece of paper, my sitting meditation style was drawn, and underneath the drawing there was a caption,"A man who is pursuing truth.  My name is Toru."    Such violence and abuses under the un-escapable confinement were extremely unbearable.  Even when I felt her presence, I felt scared, my heart beat became faster and my body became rigid.  Also she shouted abusive languages by saying, "A corrupt man at heart has no human rights." and she justified the abuses.

I often spent time by lying down towards the end of the 21-day hunger strike as I became weak and felt faint.  Even a small body movement became difficult.  I couldn't use toilet by standing position as I almost collapsed in the toilet. 

After the 21-day hunger strike, I started to eat with thin rice gruel.  It took a month to go back to normal meal.  I felt dizzy and faint during the time.  I was like a starving man in famine at the worst time.  It took one year for my body to regain my normal weight.

(6) Second Hunger Strike – 21 days (May 2005)

  In April 2005, I demanded some materials to study Korean language.  When my brother's wife and my sister rejected it, a heated argument started.  I protested by making loud noise by kitchen metal bowls.  I held the bowls in my hands and beat them each other.  But my family members never accepted my request.  The incident triggered me to carry out 2^nd 21-day hunger strike. 

After the 21-day hunger strike, they only served me meager meals.  They sanctioned and abused me by depriving me of food.  I asked my brother's sister, "Why does it take so long to resume normal meals?At the first hunger strike, normal meals were served after one month.  Are you starving me to death?  Is it a kind of sanction?  When do you resume serving normal meals?”  She said, “I don't know."  She acted as if she didn't know.  The food sanction lasted for 7 months.  I suffered from dizziness for a long time, and I couldn't move my muscles as I wanted.

Photo taken at the hospital
after the release

I got athlete foot in my thumb of right foot during the confinement at the Ogikubo Flower Home.   Medication was initially supplied for it when I demanded.  After 2006, even if I demanded, they stopped supplying the medication.  The big toenail was deformed and it took one year to be cured after my release.  Also everyone including myself got eyestrain, and we all had eye drops.  They stopped supplying eye drops around at the same time when athlete foot medication was stopped.  I had eyestrain very easily.

At the end of 2005 or at the beginning of 2006, the light of the desk lamp blew.  I requested to replace the light bulb, but they didn't do it.

(7) Third Hunger Strike – 30 days (Apr 2006)

   

In April 2006, I demanded a notebook.  My brother's sister and my sister rejected it, and we started fierce argument again.  I thought I would not be released until I would do longer hunger strike than before.  I was determined to carry out indefinite hunger strike for the 3^rd time.

At around 2 weeks after starting the hunger strike, it became difficult even to stand up.  Even to read a book or to think in my mind became difficult.  I spent most of the times lying down lifelessly even during the day.  At around the time passing 21 days in the hunger strike, which I experienced twice in the past, I became debilitated more and more.  I sensed that my life would be in danger if I would continue the hunger strike.  I said to my family that I would end my fasting on 30^th day.  However, my family became furious against my resisting attitude.  They didn't serve rice gruel for one day even after I declared to end the hunter strike. 

As I was in starvation state, I protested by saying, "Are you starving me to death?"  My family still didn't feed me by saying "What are you saying?  You started the fasting and how can you demand food now?  Are you stupid?  Continue until you die."  I thought, "I would be killed", and I was filled with tremendous fear.

As there was no other option, I had to prostrate myself and beg my family for food.  On the following day, my family started to serve me thin rice gruel 3 times a day in small bowl (7cm diameter and 5cm depth) and thinned sports drink (500cc) called Pocari Sweat twice a day.  When my sister was in bad mood, she delayed to sever the drink for twenty or thirty minutes.  Even if it was a delay for a short time, it was very hard to me.  I became under thumb of my family.

In the morning when thin rice gruel was served, I was sitting in the position where I couldn't see other people's meals.  My brother's sister banged on the table and said to me, "Sit here."  I was forced to move to a place where I could see everyone's meals.  As I feared that they would stop serving rice gruel and I would receive more abuses, I had to take the order in spite of autocratic demand.  Thus my brother's sister made me see their meals while I was in the starvation state, and she caused me psychological suffering.  I never forget this humiliation.

Such liquid diet lasted for 70 days, and solid food was not served during that time.  To take only the liquid food was equal to that I was not eating anything.  As a result, I was forced to continue the fasting for another 70 days after my 30-day hunger strike.  I became nothing but skin and bone, and I was on the verge of dying of starvation.  I was confronted with the fear of death, and my physical state was the severest at that time.    

While I shared a dinner table with my family for these 70 days, only one small bowl with thin rice gruel in it was served just in front of me in every meal.  If I picked it up and drank it, it finished within a few seconds.  If I took a sip little by little while I was watching my family eating their meals, it still didn't take more than 3 minutes.   

I developed a sense of danger around these days that I may die if this continued.  I quietly opened the refrigerator door without their noticing, and licked mayonnaise or seasoning.  But when I opened the door one day, all the seasonings were hidden and disappeared.

Triggered from the fear of death from starvation, I stealthily picked up skins of carrots or apples from food scraps, and ate them in hiding.  When I bit the tiny bit of the apple attached to the skin, the sweetness of the apple spread in my mouth, and tears started to flow with joy.  But after a short while, even food scraps were also hidden and disappeared.

I sometimes became delirious, and I started to hear beautiful music out of nowhere.  It didn't take long to find out that it was auditory hallucinations.  I thought, "Someone may be here to welcome me from the spirit world, and this is a really critical moment."  This time I targeted the prepared rice in a bowl with water before being cooked.  I stole some raw rice from the bowl, and bit them in hiding.

At the hospital after release

My family prepared the rice in the bowl with correct amount of water, therefore the amount of water became relatively more than the rice.  The cooked rice became more watery, and it continued every day.  My family said in a searching voice, "The rice is watery recently."  I tried to stay calm, but I was desperately praying to God in my mind, "God. Please help.  Please don't let it be discovered. "  I was extremely concerned about the further sanctions which may be imposed if this was discovered.

The watery rice continued every day.  My family said, "This rice cooker was broken." and bought a new one.  They miraculously didn't discover what I did.  I anyhow survived the starvation crisis.   It was really beyond my imagination that my family members did such things to me.

I read a newspaper column during the confinement.  The column was about the young men (20s) of IRA (Irish Republican Army) who died of starvation from 40-day or 70-day hunger strike in 1980s.  I didn't have enough food except for liquid food after 30-day hunger strike.  I took rice and ate them to survive.  I worried that I would face major challenges of my survival if the situation continued.  I begged my family to resume normal meal at the beginning of July 2006.

 

It looked like that my brother feared that he was charged with murder if I died in this situation.  My brother said to other members of the family, "Isn’t it the time to resume normal meal?"  My brother's wife unhappily replied in dismay, "Unbelievable!"  When I heard the conversation among family members, I found out that my brother's wife intended to continue the nefarious food sanction until I would abandon the faith.  I felt that my brother's wife had hysteric hatred toward me who kept on refusing to abandon the faith.  She disregarded my life.  I got chills down to my spine to know her cold-heartedness.

However, they served only thicker rice gruel at first.  Then they made it thicker and thicker.  It took 4 months to resume normal meal.  After the 4 months, they served a piece of bread and a glass of drink for breakfast.  A meager meal was served for lunch such as a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, 4 pieces of dried seaweed, pickles, small fish etc.  For dinner a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, pickles, small shrimps, natto (soy bean product) without much side dish were served.  These kinds of meals lasted until the end of my confinement, and I suffered terrible hardships physically and mentally. While my family was eating normal meals, I was at the same table to eat the meager meals from the small plate (10cm in diameter).  I desperately felt like to eat things from their plates.

My brother's wife said, "What an awesome meal you have!" by pointing at my plate.  After the meal, the family members were eating desert, fruits or snacks in the room near the front door.  I was still hungry after the meal, and I became very sensitive to smell.  It was an unbearable experience and I collected apple's skin from food scraps and ate them.

I couldn't go to sleep at night because of hunger.  Menus such as Curry, Pork cutlet on rice, Gyoza, Ramen, etc, which I wanted to eat but I couldn't eat came up in my mind at the bedtime.

Around in Sep. 2006 when Mr. Abe formed a government in Japan, my sister attempted to take some videotapes when she was cleaning the room.  When I tried to get them back, I got into a scuffle with my sister.  My sister damaged the videotape.  My brother's wife joined the scuffle, and she took a TV antenna from the room.  As my sister alone physically overpowered me, I didn't even have the energy to take the antenna back from my sister-in-law.  I even couldn't watch TV from that day, and it caused further mental suffering.  My sister started to treat me badly as the confinement in the room was protracted.  My brother's wife and my sister did not like me watching TV.

One day, my brother's sister took books away from my room.  I went to the room next to the front door to get the books back.  My sister-in-law said in a strong tone, "Don't come." And I was banned to enter into the room beyond the accordion curtain.  I feared that I would have further food sanction; I couldn't help but be compliant with the order.

I remember that after the 3^rd hunger strike my family mentioned to me a few times that I could leave.  Even if I heard such words, I couldn't believe they were saying seriously because of the violence that my family did to me, or my experiences of abuses such as food sanction.  Rather, I could not help but understand that it was their intention to use their comments as excuses to avoid accusation of confinement in case of criminal charges for the future filed by me.

Some mechanic (to repair air-conditioner etc) visited the room a few times.  I couldn't ask them for help by the following reasons.

Firstly,  My brother always monitoring me near the mechanic.  While my brother was staring at me, it was impossible to ask for a help to the mechanic.

Secondly, A man came to the room to fix the air-conditioner in Summer in 2000, and I learned the man was an acquaintance of Miyamura from the conversation between the man and my brother.  I couldn't ask such person for a help.  Also as there were possibilities of other agents' connection to Miyamura or my family, I couldn't ask for a help to such other agents

Thirdly, I received mental and physical abuses in the closed confinement room from Miyamura, former UC members and family members since being transferred to the Flower Home #804.  Such abuses were already mentioned in my statement.  For example, the abuses include the defamation targeted at me by many, psychological suffering caused by their criticism, physical suffering by overpowering me when in the escape attempt, severe food sanction after the hunger strikes (twice of 21 days, and once of 30 days).  The fear of abuses was increasing from the past treatment of harsh abuses.  In fear of the failure to ask for a help to such mechanic/agents, I couldn't ask such agents for help.

-------------------
Translated by Yoshi
-------------------

Link to other part of Goto's statement
Goto's Statement Part 1
Goto's Statement Part 2 
Goto's Statement Part 3 
Goto's Statement Part 4 (First Half)
Goto's Statement Part 4 (Second Half) 
Goto's Statement Part 5
Goto's Statement Part 6

### 

Goto's statement to Tokyo District Court - Part 4 (Second Half)

Here is the Second half of  (4) in Second Confinement, which are highlighted blue in the index below.  In today's post, Mr. Toru Goto shows his fierce resistance in an attempt to escape from the confinement.

Original documents in Japanese are uploaded in the blog operated by the Association to Support Toru Goto's Court Case. The Association consists of 5 members from various background, mixture of current UC members(2) and non UC members(3).

The Association to Support Toru Goto's Court Case

http://antihogosettoku.blog111.fc2.com/

Index of the Toru Goto's statement submitted to Tokyo District Court 

1.   Personal History
2.  Joining Unification Church (1986)
3.  First Confinement (Oct 1987 - Nov 1987)
4.  After Escape from First Confinement
5.  Second Confinement
   (1) Confinement in Niigata (Sep 1995)
   (2) Transferred to First Apartment in Tokyo (1997)
   (3) Transferred to Second Apartment in Tokyo (Dec 1997)
   (4) Miyamura's Deprogramming Work (5) First Hunger Strike – 21 days
   (6) Second Hunger Strike – 21 days
   (7) Third Hunger Strike – 30 days
   (8) Release from Prison
6. After Hospitalization
7. At the End

------------------------------

    5.  Second Confinement

(4) Miyamura’s Deprogramming Work (Second Half)

Miyamura himself told the story how he became my counselor in the article titled “The Unification Church on the Ropes Struggles in Vain” in the Apr 2010 edition of a magazine called “Monthly Times” .

In that article, Miyamura was asked how he became my persuader.  Miyamura said, “Toru Goto and his family went to Niigata in 1995.  I don’t know anything about it.  His family members must have planned and carried out.  2 year later after that, Toru Goto’s father contacted me, and I met Toru Goto’s parents in Tokyo.   At that time, Goto’s father was suffering from liver cancer and he had only 3 months to live.  Toru Goto’s father said to me, “I can’t die like this.  Could you please talk to Toru?” I said to him. ”I will talk to Toru if he agrees.  After that, Toru Goto and his family members moved to Tokyo.”(Page 17).  Miyamura said, “I don’t know anything about the details of Toru Goto’s move to Niigata.”  But it is an outrageous comment.

At that time, my brother was an employee of Miyamura’s Tap Co Ltd.  On the night of Sep 11, 1995 when I was abducted at the parents’ home in Nishi-Tokyo City, a man hiding in the garden to help my captors was Tap’s employee, which I learned later.  Miyamura poured his efforts into his conversion work for many years, and he was involved with my brother and sister’s conversion.  I was the last person to be converted.   As my brother was working for Miyamura’s Tap(less than 10 employees), Miyamura must have known the plan.

Miyamura took over the task of my conversion from Matsunaga* who did not know what to do with me.  My family members who trusted Miyamura as a “reliable counselor” must have received Miyamura’s instructions.

(* Added by translator:  Matsunaga, a Christian minister, is a deprogrammer who worked on Toru Goto in Niigata prior to Goto’s transfer to Tokyo.)

In Feb or Mar , 1998, Matsunaga visited the room 804 of Ogikubo Flower Home.  Matsunaga came with Miyamura, and Matsunaga sat in front of me, and Miyamura sat behind Mastunaga but in a position that Miyamura could see me.   A Sense of tension and feeling of repulsion attacked me as Matsunaga showed up in front of me all of sudden.  It was as if I had an electric shock in my whole body.  I recalled the time in Niigata, when Matsunaga conducted the forcible conversion on me.

When I gingerly revealed to Matsunaga that my renouncement in Niigata was fake, Miyamura said, “Your confinement has been protracted as you did such a thing.”  Matsunaga  said to me, “I would like to split your head to see how your structure inside is,”  He used the expressions as if there was something wrong in my head, and he ridiculed me.

I recalled that Matsunaga talked about Miyamura a lot while I was confined in Niigata.  Matsunaga esteemed and trusted Miyamura.  Matsunaga said, “There’s no one who knows the Unification Church matters more than Mr. Miyamura.  All the information gathers at Miyamura. ”

Miyamura and Mastunaga often co-operated when conducting conversion work on UC members.  They co-operated when my brother’s wife received conversion from them.  So it seems that Miyamura and Matsunaga contacted each other for my 2^nd abduction and confinement.

As I didn’t accept Miyamura’s conversion, the number of his visits to the apartment was gradually reduced.  After Sep, 1998, he hardly came, and only his followers visited the apartment.  I counted how many times Miyamura visited the apartment by making a note on the book of the Divine Principle.  He came to the apartment 73 times in total in the period until Sep. 1998. 

Toru Goto when he was younger
-in the middle of the front row-.
The lady in the 2nd row - far right is also
a victim of deprogramming.

Also a lady who visited me with Miyamura was a former church member who belonged to a same department (2^nd row – far right in Pic).  It seems she was abducted by her family members and left the church after I was abducted.

 I was not allowed to get the information that I want to know in the confinement apartment.  I asked for “Koujien” (a famous Japanese Dictionary), but Miyamura flatly rejected it.  My brother said to me, “Actually the Bible and the Divine Principle are enough for you.”  Only information that is convenient to them was brought to me.

In May, 1999, a TV set was brought in the room even if I didn’t ask for it.  But I didn’t feel like to watch TV, so I hardly turned it on.

In Dec. 1999, I felt strong anxiety about the situation that I was left behind without knowing what was happening outside as years had already passed.  I demanded my family to bring “Gendai Yougo No Kiso Chishiki” (Basic Knowledge of Modern Language =  a large dictionary published yearly to explain current terminology and knowledge).  Their rejection caused a fierce argument between family members and myself.  I was so furious that I said, “I’m getting out of here.  I’m going to jump.”   I rushed to the window of the far back room, and the sliding door by the window was broken. 

My family members seemed daunted by my action.  In Jan 2000, they brought the ”Basic Knowledge of Modern Language”.  Around from this time, they provided “Sankei Shimbun” (a daily newspaper).  Afterwards, Sankei Shimbun was replaced by Tokyo Shimbun.  Then at around June 2006, they stopped providing Tokyo Shimbun.

I was isolated in the confinement room and was left behind from the outside world.  The more I learned what were happening outside via “Gendai Yougo no Kiso Chishiki” and “Sankei Shimbun” the more I became to feel extreme anxiety.  In Feb. 2001, feelings of uncontrollable anxiety that “I may have to remain isolated for the rest of my life and I may not be able to get out. ” haunted me.  I headed on to the front door and tried to escape.  Every time I was overpowered by my family members, I shouted “Get me out.  Help.  Call Police.”  I did it over and over again in loud voice with all my might, which could be heard by neighbors.  I risked my life to attempt to escape.

I condemned my family by saying, “You say the Unification church is violating human rights, but what you are doing ARE human rights violations.  The Unification Church never confines people like this.  This is a torture.  This is a witch hunt in modern days.  How many times did you rob my right to vote?  Do you think this kind of things will be tolerated?  I shall reveal your acts of barbarism.  I’ll take the matter to court.  You’ll be criminals.”

But I was held in a full nelson and pushed down by my brother, sister and mother.  They wrapped me by blanket and held their hands against my mouth, so neighbors could not overhear my scream for help.  I couldn’t breathe and I was almost choked.   As I had had no opportunity to exercise in the long confinement, I lost my muscles.   Even if I scuffled with my brother, my brother easily overpowered me.  Also my sister and mother had enormous power in such frantic situation as if they were possessed by something.   I couldn’t resist at all when these 3 people overpowered me.    

I was covered in blood by bleeding from my face, hands, legs and feet.  I had a mass of bruises and my clothes were torn apart.  The blood from my legs and feet dropped on the tatami floor, and I wiped it up with towels and even by my hands.  I had pain in my whole body at night, and I couldn’t sleep.  When I took a bath, I showed my body, full of bruises, to my brother, and intensely complained by saying “Look!  You are cruel.”  My brother didn’t care about my claim by replying, “Me, too.”  My annular finger of right hand was bent and hurt during the scuffle.  I had an acute pain.  It looks like the bone was fractured.  The pain lasted for 2 – 3 months.  The figure remains bent even now.

Furniture was also damaged during the scuffle.  I clung onto a metal pole in kitchen shelves or an accordion curtain between the rooms when trying not to be dragged by them.  As they pulled me forcefully, the metal pole was distorted and the accordion curtain was torn and damaged.

Around that time, my brother stayed in the room all the time and continued to monitor me.  When an opportunity arose, I moved to room B and tried to turn the knob of the door (door D) to attempt to escape.  The door could not be opened even if I turned the knob, or pushed or pulled.

At the time, my brother was in position C, and said, “People steal like bandits.”  It is clear that he meant  “It was good to lock the door D to prevent you from escaping.”  My family prevented me from reaching the front door by locking the door D in order to stop my escape.  This was done as a countermeasure of my actions.

I repeated fierce resistance for a month.  Miyamura visited the apartment once during my resistance.  He came in the first day when I actioned the resistance.  When I approached to the front door, my brother immediately caught me and signaled my sister with a wink by saying “Hey” to my sister.  She called Miyamura over a mobile phone.  Miyamura rushed to the apartment, and he saw me being pushed down on the floor by my brother.  Miyamura came in front of my head, and yelled “What the hell are you doing? Don’t’ mess around.”   He remained in the apartment for a while to observe the situation, and he left.

Miyamura came to the apartment immediately after my brother and sister contacted Miyamura on the mobile phone.  It is understood that there was an arrangement between my family and Miyamura.  It is evident that Miyamura was in the behind of my family for my forcible conversion and the confinement, and that Miyamura received the information from my family and my family acted based on Miyamura’s instructions.

One day, I stood up on the edge of the bathtub opened the ventilation hole and shouted, “Can someone hear me?  I’m confined here.  Please call police.”  It was when Miyamura came over to the apartment for the second time in my resistance.  It looked like my family informed Miyamura.  Miyamura came in the bathroom, grabbed my collar from behind and hauled me out of the bathroom, then dragged me to the room in the far back.  At that time as I held some electric appliances in an attempt not to be dragged, they all fell.  When I was taken to the room by force, I fiercely banged on the desk with my both fists in rage and yelled, “Stop fooling around.  That’s enough.  Get me out of here.”  Miyamura murmured, “This guy is useless.”  Then he left the apartment.

I started to suffer unspeakable sinking feeling and despair as all of my attempts to escape failed and the security of my confinement room became tighter.  I sometimes vaguely kept on looking at the light thrown from blurred windows with the metal wire embedded within, which prevented me from seeing outside.  It was too cruel and unbearable to accept the reality.  I was trembling in fear that I would lose myself and go mad in this situation.  At last, even my drive to resist was lost, and I was forced to be in a mental status that I had to give up the use of force in the escape plan.

On the other hand, around this time, videotapes, a headphone, a portable light stand, etc were brought in the room even if I didn’t demand.  My brother brought many books.  In order to escape from the unacceptable situation, I omnivorously read the books.  I started to watch TV as they brought a headphone.  I could temporarily forget the miserable reality, but my gloomy feeling never cleared up.

Since then until my first hunger strike in Apr 2004, my family hardly conducted conversion work on me.  Miyamura stopped visiting the room.  I suspect that they feared that I would take the case to court.  I learned after my release that Christian pastor Mamoru Takazawa who had a close relationship with Miyamura lost lawsuit in Apr 2000, which was 1 year before Miyamura stopped visiting the apartment.  In that lawsuit, a Unification Church member who was a victim of confinement and forcible conversion filed a lawsuit against the Christian pastor.

Even though he stopped coming to the room, he continued to confine me.  If Miyamura released me, he feared that I would file a complaint.  My family and Miyamura continued to confine me to keep my mouth shut so their criminal acts would not be revealed.   I condemned them by saying “I’ll take the matter to the court.  You’ll be criminals.”  My accusation must have pressured them.

Around this time I had an idea to throw a letter, and I tore one page from a notebook and wrote a message on it, “My name is Toru Goto.  I’m confined on upper floor of this apartment.  Anyone who sees this, please contact the Unification Church.  I’ll pay you a reward.”  I tried to carry out the plan.  But the reinforced glasses with metal wires inside were not easily broken.  Even if I could throw a letter from the window, if it went wrong, I didn’t know what kind of revenge I would receive from captors.

Therefore I could not help but to hesitate to carry out the plan.  I was overpowered every time when I approached to the front door.  I received lots of violence and I got injured.  Such incidents were recalled and the determination to carry out the plan wilted.  After wavering, I tore the paper and flushed in the toilet.  I was prostrated with despair and I used to think,  “I shall be determined to live here for the rest of my life.”     

On 12 Sep 2001, a man who was a Conversion Professional visited the apartment to conduct conversion work on me.  He said he saw me at my confinement in 1987. This man said he would come back the next day, but he never showed up.