FFWPU-USA Communications Director Message on Assassination of Shinzo Abe

Thank you for your patience as many of us have been urgently working on the best course of action in light of the tragic assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

FFWPU-USA has released an official statement: www,prnewswire,com/news-releases/unification- church-statement-on-the-assassination-of-former-japanese-prime-minister-shinzo-abe-301583387.html

Official guidance on this matter is that all American media should be directed to the above statement and that any further questions should be directed to the contact information on the statement or to press@ familyfed,org.

As it stands, the police have not confirmed much information outside of the perpetrator’s name. Nearly everything circulating in the media at this point is speculation. I can say with certainty that the perpetrator is not a member of our movement. However, leaders on all levels and across nations are still investigating the information concerning any possible connection to our movement.

So what can we do now, as pastors and community leaders?

Here are some recommendations on what we can do from research-based effective crisis management. (Links to the research are available upon request):

Gather: Japan is grieving the loss of a great leader. We could gather as a community to grieve collectively, but also take a moment to be clear about our own feelings.

Acknowledge feelings: Some will be angry, frustrated, hurt, or numb. As leaders, we can take the time to acknowledge and validate those feelings in our membership rather than trying to redirect them to something more positive before they may be ready.

Reach out: Rather than sharing articles containing unconfirmed information with each other, we invite members to reach out to each other to ask “How are you doing? How can I help you today?” Effective leaders ask “what” questions rather than “why” questions, which helps move to solutions.

Community prayer: Prayer has a profound calming function in times of high stress and anxiety. Our Heavenly Parent must be grieving, seeing the tragedy of this situation. We can offer sincere prayer for Mr. Abe’s family and the people of Japan who are feeling a tremendous loss.

Serving others: In times of crisis, it is human nature to fixate on how problems can be solved, which is often outside of our individual control. What we can do is take action by serving others. Being an example of caring action in greater society can counter the negative media narrative and the “cult” label.

I would also like to ask for your support by praying for our leadership across the movement.

Nancy Jubb Director, PR and Communications