On July 8th, 2022, life changed drastically for Japanese members of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly known as the Unification Church). Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by a man who claimed he wanted to punish him for his cooperation with the Unification Church, an organization, he said, that had ruined his life after his mother, a member, went bankrupt in 2002 allegedly for her excessive donations to the group. The barrage of negativity against the church that followed the incident was excruciating for the members. What had been perceived in Japan (except by a few anti-cult activists) as just a minority religion, suddenly was thought of as an evil superpower manipulating politicians and controlling Japan. In a good part of media coverage, Unificationists were not seen as human beings, but rather as dangerous mind-controlled zombies, or worse-- vermin. After the testimonies of apostates and anti-FFWPU lawyers being broadcast frequently on the media and the internet, some members distanced themselves from, or left the church. There were even young members who committed suicide. The atmosphere in Japan became suffocating for the members who remained in the church. Still, there were second-generation devotees who were presented as quintessential "victims" who decided to stay. The paper presents the emic experience of one of them (Seijin Shirotori) and the observations by an Austrian journalist (Peter Zoehrer) who has closely followed the case