MORE THAN 21,000 RALLY TO PROTEST JAPAN’S ONGOING HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM VIOLATIONS
Posted on | December 6, 2010 | No Comments
More than 21,000 people throughout Japan rallied to protest human rights and religious freedom violations – yet the Japanese government and media continue to ignore calls for investigations into abductions and forced conversions.
Despite the massive outpouring in all 47 prefectures in Japan – with 3,200 people gathering in Tokyo alone – the government refuses to address the issue, and the Japanese news media continues to neglect coverage of the events. The Kyodo news agency even refused to run a media advisory on its basic newswire service.
In Tokyo, organizers presented a petition to the Diet, calling on Japanese lawmakers
to investigate and hold public officials accountable to uphold Japanese anti-abduction laws and constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. The petition was addressed to the speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives, Takahiro Yokomichi, and the president of the House of Councilors, Takeo Nishioka. Several Diet members received the petitions in front of the Diet Building.
The main speakers at the Tokyo event included Toru Goto, the victim of a 12-year confinement and now chairman of the Japanese Victims Association against Religious Kidnapping and Forced Conversion, and Masayoshi Kajikuri, chairman of the Unification Church’s Japan Kidnapping-Confinement Task Force. “Faith-breaking under forced confinement is a kind of spiritual rape,” Mr. Goto declared. “It is time for Japan to live up to our constitution and protect the rights of religious believers to choose their own religion.”
In addition, Mrs. Namiko Katagiri, a former victim who had been confined to an apartment in Sapporo city for five months, read the petition. Despite the pleas of her husband, police refused to search for her or to assist in her release after he located her confinement place.
The protests in Japan come as similar marches and rallies are being held in the U.S. to draw attention to the human rights violations perpetrated on Unification Church members, who have been confined by “faith-breakers” in an attempt to force them leave the religion. Experts confirm that the government and police have done little to stop the practice – a violation of both Japanese law and international human rights standards.
The rally was sponsored by the International Coalition for Religious Freedom, the Unification Church, and an association of victims who returned to the Unification Church after escaping or being released from confinement.
More than 4,000 Unification Church members have been subjected to human rights violations during the past 40 years. Between 10 and 20 Unification Church members are abducted in Japan each year to undergo forced de-conversions. Victims who escape their captors report the use of force and prison-like conditions. There have been reports of beatings, starvation and rape. Approximately 1,300 abductees have returned to the Unification Church after their ordeals. As frustration with Japan’s inaction mounts, victims have been increasingly speaking out on the abduction issue.
THOUSANDS RALLY IN JAPAN TO DEFEND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND PROTEST HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
Posted on | December 2, 2010 | No Comments
More than 20,000 Japanese citizens are expected to rally on December 3 to “Protect Japanese Human rights and Religious Freedom.” Beginning at 11 a.m. in Tokyo’s Hibiya Park, more than 3,000 demonstrators will commence the protest that will see similar gatherings scheduled in all 47 prefectures throughout the country. After rallying, the Tokyo protestors will conduct a formal demonstration in Hibiya’s Large Music Hall at noon.
The protests will seek to draw attention to the ongoing human rights violations of Unification Church members who have been confined by “faith-breakers” in an attempt to force them leave the religion. Experts confirm that the government and police have done little to stop the practice – a violation of both Japanese law and international human rights standards.
“Deprogramming is a kind of spiritual rape involving kidnapping, false imprisonment, and a fundamental abuse of the human right to religious freedom,” said Mr. Toru Goto, an abduction victim who has become an icon of religious persecution. Mr. Goto recently spoke to more than 150 scholars at the annual conference of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) to detail his terrifying experience of kidnap at torture at the hands of religious deprogrammers in Japan. He will be at the rally in Tokyo to show his support for the cause.
The rally is sponsored by the International Coalition for Religious Freedom, the Unification Church, and an association of victims who returned to the Unification Church after escaping or being released from confinement.
More than UC 4,000 members have been subjected to human rights violations over the past 40 years. Between 10 to 20 Unification Church members are currently abducted each year in Japan to undergo forced de-conversions. Victims who escape their captors report the use of force, prison-like conditions, and intense pressure to change his or her faith. There have been reports of beatings, starvation, and rape. Approximately 1,300 abductees have returned to the church after their ordeals. As frustration of Japan’s inaction mounts, victims have been increasingly speaking out on the abduction issue.
WOMAN ABDUCTED IN JAPAN FOR RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
Posted on | November 30, 2010 | No Comments
A member of the Unification Church in Japan is missing and believed to have been abducted because of her religious beliefs, the International Coalition for Religious Freedom announced today. Ms. AY has been reported missing under the probability of abduction and attempted forced conversion in Japan, the coalition said. Her fiancé, Mr. Takafumi Fukuzaki, has filed a report with the police requesting an immediate investigation and said that Ms. AY was fearful for her safety to the extent that she previously filed a letter with the Unification Church, “requesting rescue in case of disappearance.”
“My fiancée and I feared this day would come when one of us was abducted in
Japan and held against our will because of religious beliefs,” said Mr. Fukuzaki. “I am deeply concerned about the safety of my fiancée and her freedom.” Church officials in Japan conveyed that police were unresponsive to Mr. Fukuzaki’s pleas for help, taking the word of other relatives that she was “safe” despite her own letter requesting aid.
According to the State Department’s International Freedom Report 2010, “For several years deprogrammers working with family members have reportedly abducted Unification Church members…” This includes a Unificationist who was released in 2008 “after reportedly being held against his will by family members and a professional deprogrammer for over 12 years.”
“These abductions are normally carried out by relatives who confine the victim indefinitely while professionals pressure them to renounce their faith,” said Dan Fefferman, President of the International Coalition for Religious Freedom. “Japanese police usually refuse to intervene despite the strict laws against forced abductions and kidnappings, particularly of adults. Law enforcement agencies in other developed nations including the United States have long recognized that religious abductions are dangerous, illegal, and not tolerated.”
Ms. AY is one of an estimated 4,300 members of the Unification Church of Japan who has been subjected to human rights violations over the past 40 years. Between 10 to 20 Unification Church members are currently abducted each year in Japan to undergo forced de-conversions. Victims who escape their captors report the use of force, prison-like conditions, and intense pressure to change his or her faith. There have been reports of beatings, starvation, and rape. As frustration of Japan’s inaction mounts, victims have been increasingly speaking out on the abduction issue.
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT CITES JAPAN ON FORCED RELIGIOUS CONVERSIONS
Posted on | November 24, 2010 | No Comments
In the wake of the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report 2010, which cites Japan as a nation in which forced conversions of Unification Church members are reportedly allowed with impunity, independent researchers have come forth to confirm allegations of government inaction to protect the rights of religious believers. Failure to stop the abduction and faith-breaking of religious believers in Japan has been mentioned in the report every year since 2002. Several U.S. Congressmen have also raised the issue with Japan’s ambassador in Washington D.C.
According to the State Department: “…there were some reports of societal abuse based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice…. The Unification Church reported some adherents were pressured by family members and professional deprogrammers to leave the church.”
“The kidnapping and abuse of Japanese citizens by members of their own families to coerce them to change their religious beliefs is an objective fact,” stated Dr. Aaron Rhodes, international human rights advocate, former executive director of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights. “These abductions are not given appropriate attention, either by Japanese authorities or by international authorities and Japan’s important partners in the international community. These failures are a shame, because with proper expressions of concern, and assistance from abroad, Japanese officials could more easily solve this problem, which has tarnished its reputation as a rule-of-law democracy, and resulted in a great deal of suffering.”
Antonio Stango, secretary general of the Italian Helsinki Committee and a noted human rights expert, also responded to the report. “I investigated this issue when I traveled to Japan this year,” stated Stango. “It is very clear that these crimes are occurring and that Japan is not taking action to stop them.”
The release of the State Department report comes on the heels of demonstrations in 10 major cities—from New York to Seattle—to rally against the continued inaction by Japanese government to stop the abuse and discrimination of minority religious believers in that country. In three other cities, delegates met with the Consul General or the Acting Consul General. However, delegates were turned away from the Japanese consulate in several other cities and had received an official refusal to meet with New York City’s Consul General, Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya, on October 20.
Since 1966, more than 4,000 members of the Unification Church of Japan have been confined by “faith-breakers” in an attempt to force them leave the religion which they, as adults, freely chose to join. Currently, 10 to 20 Unificationists in Japan are abducted each year. Victims who escape their captors report the use of force, prison-like conditions, and intense pressure to change his or her faith. There have been reports of beatings, starvation, and rape. As frustration of Japan’s inaction mounts, victims have been increasingly speaking out on the abduction issue.
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT CANNOT IGNORE ABDUCTIONS ANY LONGER
Posted on | November 19, 2010 | No Comments
After months of requests to meet with the Japanese government, human rights advocates and religious leaders saw the first sign of a breakthrough in Boston. A delegation of demonstrators, part of a 10-city rally, were invited to meet with the Deputy Consul General on November 16.
This meeting came as a result of coordinated demonstrations in 10 major cities from New York to Seattle to rally against the continued inaction by Japanese government to stop the abuse and discrimination of minority religious believers in that country. In three other cities, delegates met with the Consul General himself or the Acting Consul General. However, delegates were turned away from the Japanese consulate in several other cities and had received an official refusal to meet with New York City’s Consul General, Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya, on October 20.
Since 1966, more than 4,000 members of the Unification Church of Japan have been illegally confined by “faith-breakers” in an attempt to force them leave the religion which they, as adults, freely chose to join. Currently, 10 to 20 Unificationists in Japan are abducted each year. Victims who escape their captors report the use of force, prison-like conditions, and intense pressure to change his or her faith. There have been reports of beatings, starvation, and rape.
“We are thankful that our message is being heard by official representatives Japan,” said Dan Fefferman, President of the International Coalition for Religious Freedom. “However the refusal of Japan’s senior diplomats to even discuss this matter is inexcusable. The Japanese government has ignored these human rights violations long enough. It is time to stop the abductions and let our people go.”
The U.S. State Department has mentioned the issue of Japanese inaction to stop religious abductions in its Annual International Religious Freedom Report nearly every year since 2002. Several U.S. Congressmen have also raised the issue with Japan’s ambassador in Washington D.C.
Letters were hand-delivered to the Japanese Consulate in each of the 10-cities requesting their support and an audience with the Consul General. The coordinated 10-city demonstrations included:
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Chicago
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York
- Portland
- San Francisco
- Seattle
Human rights leaders hope to raise awareness at the local level and incite action at the national level. The demonstrations sent a very strong message to the Japanese government and to Japanese deprogrammers that America will not stand for human rights abuse.
Japanese Media Censor Statement about Human Rights Abuses of Religious Minorities
Posted on | November 15, 2010 | No Comments
A press release announcing that human rights advocates are calling on Japan to stop persecution and imprisonment of religious minorities was refused for distribution in Japan by K.K. Kyodo News Agency on November 11, 2010. The press release provides details about coordinated protests taking place in several major cities throughout the United States on November 16th to pressure Japanese officials to stop the abuse and discrimination of minority religious believers in that country.
Since 1966, more than 4,000 members of the Unification Church of Japan have been confined by their families and “deprogrammers” in an attempt to force them leave the religion which they, as adults, freely chose to join.
Currently, 10 to 20 Unificationists in Japan are abducted each year. Victims who escape their captors report the use of force, prison-like conditions, and intense pressure to change his or her faith. There have been reports of beatings, starvation, and rape.
“By refusing to report human rights abuses in their own country, the Japanese media are complicit in the cover-up being perpetrated by the Japanese government,” said Dan Fefferman, President of the International Coalition for Religious Freedom. “This cover-up calls into question Japan’s commitment to freedom of the press. It also calls into question other human rights abuses the Japanese media may be covering up in order to protect Japanese officials.”
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES CALL ON JAPAN TO STOP RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION AND IMPRISONMENTS
Posted on | November 10, 2010 | No Comments
Human rights advocates and religious leaders in 10 major cities from New York to Seattle plan a coordinated protest November 16th against the continued inaction by Japanese government to stop the abuse and discrimination of minority religious believers in that country.
Since 1966, more than 4,000 members of the Unification Church of Japan have been illegally confined by “deprogrammers” in an attempt to force them leave the religion which they, as adults, freely chose to join. Currently, 10 to 20 Unificationists in Japan are abducted each year. Victims who escape their captors report the use of force, prison-like conditions, and intense pressure to change his or her faith. There have been reports of beatings, starvation, and rape.
In protest of the Japanese government’s refusal to stop the kidnappings and abuse, 120 human rights leaders and Christian pastors of the American Clergy Leadership Conference gathered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia last month to demand the end of abusive treatment of religious believers.
The coordinated 10-city protests include:
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Chicago
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York
- Portland
- San Francisco
- Seattle
When: The morning of Tuesday, November 16th
Where: The Japanese consulates in the cities listed above
JAPANESE AMBASSADOR REFUSES TO MEET U.S. HUMAN RIGHTS LEADERS
Posted on | November 9, 2010 | No Comments
Shinichi Nishimiya, Japan’s Ambassador and Consul General in New York, has refused to meet with human rights leaders following their formal request to meet and discuss a course of action to end religious persecution in Japan.
In mid-October, human rights leaders and Christian pastors met with members of the press on the steps outside Japan’s Consulate in New York to decry inaction stopping the abduction and faith-breaking of religious minorities. A signed letter from the Consulate’s secretary was delivered stating, “in reference to your request for appointment with Ambassador Nishimiya, the Consulate regrets to inform you that Ambassador is not available.”
Dr. Luonne Rouse, a United Methodist Church pastor in New York City, responded, “It is so regrettable that the Ambassador of Japan has refused to meet with us to discuss the matter of abuse, which is hurting women and men of faith. My apologies for any part, even in ignorance, people of other faith communities have played in the mistreatment of Unification members in Japan. A change has to take place in Japan in accord with the validity of our Christian mission.”
A coalition to Stop Japan Abductions is planning a nationwide protest encouraging Japan to live up to its human rights commitments. Events will be held on November 16 at several Japanese Consulates simultaneously to stress the need for awareness and reform. Details on the upcoming press briefings and events can be found at www.stopjapanabductions.org.
More than 4,300 members of the Unification Church are estimated to have been subjected to human rights violations during the past 40 years. In recent years, between 10 and 20 Unification Church members in Japan are abducted, confined and forced to undergo attempted de-conversions.
JAPANESE POLICE REFUSE AID TO LOCAL CAPTIVE HELD BY FAMILY FOR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Posted on | November 5, 2010 | No Comments
Ms. Miyuki Hara was kept her against her will for two months by captors who insisted she denounce her faith. She pleaded for freedom every day. The Japanese police came to the place of her confinement and walked away without taking any action against her captors. Hara was released from confinement on October 6, 2010. This was her third confinement. She remains true to her Unificationist faith.
Shocking to many is the fact that Hara, and many abductees just like her, know their captors. Those that hold them hostage are often family members – mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts – who disapprove of their religious beliefs in the Unification Church.
According to Hara’s testimony, Japanese officers had visited the place of her confinement, apparently acting on a complaint from her Unification Church pastor that she was missing. Hara told the officers that her parents were holding her against her will. The police said they could not intervene because it was a family issue. Hara was only released some time later by her parents on the condition she would not charge her family with false imprisonment and any other related criminal charges. She has kept her word.
“This is another case of outrageous behavior by the Japanese police,” said Dan Fefferman of the International Coalition for Religious Freedom, which has been tracking forced de-conversion in Japan since the late 1990s. “The police not only looked the other way while a human rights felony was in progress, but they clearly refused to aid the victim after it was determined she had been unlawfully confined.”
Hara is one of an estimated 4,300 members of the Unification Church who has been subjected to human rights violations over the past 40 years. Between 10 to 20 Unification Church members are currently abducted each year in Japan to undergo forced de-conversions.
MORE THAN 120 WOMEN CLERGY PROTEST JAPAN’S ONGOING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AT THE BIRTHPLACE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Posted on | November 4, 2010 | No Comments
One hundred twenty women clergy of the American Clergy Leadership Conference joined human rights activists from the Women’s Federation for World Peace and victims of Japanese religious abductions in front of Independence Hall on Friday, Oct. 29. Stoked by recent evidence of continued inaction by Japanese police to stop forced de-conversions of minority religious believers, these leaders held a press briefing to proclaim their discontent with the Japanese government.
The Rev. Tanya Edwards, co-coordinator of Women in Ministry of Philadelphia; the Rev. Fannie Smith, former associate and coordinator with Operation PUSH and Women’s Federation; Minister Reiko Jenkins, coordinator of ACLC Women in Ministry; and the Rev. Carol Keainaiana of Hawaii, co-pastor of the Mouna Ziona (Mt. Zion) Congregational Church, were joined by 120 women clergy from all 50 states.
Edwards, a direct descendant of William Penn, said to those gathered, “We stand at the birthplace of the Constitution and religious freedom and are grateful for what was established here. We have a place where we can worship God and serve according to our faith. We ask the leaders of Japan to acknowledge these victims and release them. It is time to let them go.”
The depth and weight of history was felt at Independence Hall – the place where a nation proclaimed that all men are equal and endowed by God with inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. All were reminded of the First Amendment, which established religious liberty as the most essential right and strengthens all other rights when secured.
Smith pledged, “As Women in Ministry from all 50 states we will go to our Congressmen and Senators and request their assistance to stop the injustice and free our brothers and sisters.”
Representing all 50 states, the women faith leaders visited and prayed together for religious freedom. Joined by representatives of the Women’s Federation for World Peace, they cried out from Hawaii to Texas, to New York, to Chicago, to Atlanta. They decried the ongoing abduction and faith-breaking of Unification Church members in Japan and demanded the release of the victims.
The night before the press conference, the Women in Ministry held their National Convention. Mr. Luke Higuchi and Mrs. Kumiko Francis, both victims of abductions, shared their testimonies. Higuchi stated, “I was physically thrown in a van and committed to a mental institution without a medical exam. I was treated like a dog. I was in solitary for months. I cannot express how terrible it was in words.” Higuchi was able to escape this torment by convincing his doctors that he was mentally stable and pretending to renounce his religion. Francis spoke through tears, “I was abducted for my faith. It was so shocking to be held against my will. I escaped, but I am still afraid to go home.” Francis and her husband, a U.S. Citizen, have 5 children but will not visit loved ones in Japan for fear of repeat abduction.
In mid-October, many of the same human rights leaders and Christian pastors met with press outside Japan’s New York consulate to condemn the Japanese government for not taking action to stop the abduction and faith breaking of religious minorities. After nearly a month, there has been no response from Shinichi Nishimiya, Japan’s ambassador and consul general, following a formal request to meet and discuss a course of action to end religious persecution in Japan.
More than 4,300 members of the Unification Church are estimated to have been subjected to human rights violations during the past 40 years. Each year in Japan, between 10 and 20 Unification Church members are abducted and forced to undergo de-conversions.
In the U.S., American citizens are being asked to sign a petition encouraging Congress to hold hearings on human rights violations in Japan. The hearings would be held by the Tom Lantos Commission on Human Rights, co-chaired by Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.).
Rev. Fannie Smith (WFWP and WIM), Rev. Tanya Edwards and Rev. Reiko Jenkins demand that Japan stop the abductions and free the victims
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