Overview
- At the Nara District Court’s eighth public session, the defendant’s mother finished a roughly three-hour appearance as a defense witness and his sister began testifying.
- The mother told the court, “I am the perpetrator,” repeatedly apologizing to her son and accepting moral blame for his ruined life.
- She testified that she donated about ¥100 million to the Unification Church and later declared personal bankruptcy, saying she neglected her children while secretly giving money.
- The sister described a home centered on church rituals with founders’ photos and daily prayers, recalling a family rupture after the donations surfaced, a grandfather’s order to leave, and thoughts of escaping to a child welfare facility.
- Additional details included the mother staying in Korea during the defendant’s 2005 suicide attempt because she believed God told her not to return, an uncle securing about ¥50 million in refunds largely used for the older brother, that brother’s 2015 suicide, and the mother signaling she does not intend to leave the church.