6 Ministry Officials Sued Over Evidence Forgery

Japan Education Ministry officials accused of faking testimony in Family Federation dissolution case as ex-members and members file criminal charges

Tokyo, 5th September 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.

Former and Current Family Federation Members File Criminal Complaints Against Ministry of Education Officials

Fabrication of Statements Called “Unprecedented”

by editorial staff of Sekai Nippo

See also Forged Evidence: Japan’s Biggest Postwar Scandal?

See also Former EU Envoy: Arbitrary Dissolution Order

See also Japan: Forgery Charges Rock Education Ministry

See also Dissolution Case: Inflated Damages, Forced Logic

In connection with court proceedings over the request to dissolve the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (Family Federation, formerly the Unification Church), former and current members filed criminal complaints and accusations on 5^th September against six officials of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), claiming that statements submitted by the ministry had been fabricated.

Those filing complaints included two former members of the Family Federation. One of them, a woman living in the Chūbu region, cooperated with MEXT’s interviews on the Federation but alleged that statements she never made were inserted into the written testimony. She has filed a complaint for the crime of falsification of a private document with a seal.

Those filing accusations included two current members, among them Hiroshi Ogasawara (小笠原裕). Speaking at a press briefing after filing the accusation, Ogasawara condemned the ministry staff’s fabrication as “the greatest scandal since the war”, adding:

“If dissolution is carried out on the basis of this, it would be intolerable.”

According to their attorney, Shinichi Tokunaga (徳永信一), the fabrications came to light during last year’s court proceedings related to the dissolution request. Tokunaga sharply criticized the acts as “unprecedented,” declaring: “The reliability of all the submitted materials has been undermined,” and urged the High Court to hand down a strict judgment. [See editor’s note below]

The issue of fabricated statements was raised back in March this year by then-Upper House lawmaker Satoshi Hamada (浜田聡) during a House of Councillors General Affairs Committee session. Agency for Cultural Affairs official Mariko Kobayashi (小林万里子) said she was “aware of the content” but did not deny the falsification of statements.

Since January this year, The Sekai Nippo has reported on multiple suspicions of fabricated statements, based on testimony from those involved.

See also Japan: Forgery Charges Rock Education Ministry

See also Forged Evidence: Japan’s Biggest Postwar Scandal?

See also “Poorly Compiled Evidence Including Falsehoods”

See also Huge Scandal: “Ministry Is Falsifying Affidavits”

See also Flawed, Deceptive Evidence Gathering by State

See also Alleged Evidence Tampering in Dissolution Case

See also Big Paper: State Accused of Altering Evidence

See also Dissolution Case: Inflated Damages, Forced Logic

Featured image above: Hiroshi Ogasawara (second from left), who accused officials of fabricating statements, and his attorney, lawyer Shinichi Tokunaga (third from left), among others – 5^th September 2025, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.

[Editor’s note: The complaints mention 有印私文書偽造罪 (forgery of a private document with a seal). However, since ministry officials are public servants preparing documents for court proceedings, prosecutors might pursue harsher charges such as:

• 公文書偽造罪 (forgery of official documents) under Japan’s Penal Code, Articles 155–158.
• If linked to a court case, it could also fall under 偽証罪 (perjury) or 証拠隠滅罪 (tampering with evidence) depending on circumstances.

Typical Sentences under the Penal Code:

• Forgery of official documents (Article 156): up to 10 years imprisonment.
• Forgery of private documents with a seal (Article 159): up to 5 years imprisonment or a fine.
• Use of forged documents: similar penalties apply.

In practice, though, Japanese courts often hand down suspended sentences for first-time offenders unless the case involves large-scale corruption or clear public harm. If six ministry officials were involved in systematic fabrication affecting a high-profile court case, prosecutors might push for actual prison terms to set an example.]

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