Discrimination: Denied Contracts Due to Religion

Members of religious minority denied contracts because of their faith

Tokyo, 16th August 2024 – Published as the 21st article in a series in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article

Series: Freedom of Religion Under Threat – Part 3: Believers Suffering Discrimination and Human Rights Violations

Discrimination felt by the cancellation of contracts

by the Religious Freedom Investigative Team of the editorial department of Sekai Nippo

See part 1: The Kishida Administration’s Reckless Actions: 1st article, 2nd article, 3rd article, 4th article, 5th article, 6th article

See part 2: Ripples to Local Assemblies: 7th article, 8th article, 9th article, 10th article, 11th article, 12th article, 13th article, 14th article, 15th article

See part 3: Believers Suffering Discrimination and Human Rights Violations: 16th article, 17th article, 18th article, 19th article, 20th article, 21st article, 22nd article

See part 4: Media Crossing the Line: 23rd article, 24th article, 25th article, 26th article, 27th article, 28th article

See part 5: The Distorted Image of the “Second-Generation”: 29th article, 30th article, 31st article, 32nd article, 33rd article, 34th article, 35th article, 36th article, 37th article, 38th article

See part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders: 39th article, 40th article, 41st article, 42nd article, 43rd article, 44th article, 45th article, 46th article

See part 7: Religion in Japan in a Global Context: 47th article, 48th article, 49th article, 50th article, 51st article, 52nd article, 53rd article, 54th article, 55th article

See Epilogue: 56th article, 57th article, 58th article

The news coverage surrounding the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became a major sensation when police information emerged shortly after the incident. This information stated that Tetsuya Yamagami (山上徹也), the accused, harbored resentment toward the high monetary donations made by his mother, a member of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly known as the Unification Church). The criticism of the Family Federation became so intense and frequent that it overshadowed the heinous nature of the crime itself.

Amidst this, members of the Family Federation began to experience various forms of victimization, including discrimination, verbal and physical abuse, and damage to property.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Family Federation‘s registration as a religious corporation. At an international symposium held in France in June, international lawyer Tatsuki Nakayama (中山達樹) emphasized that “during this period, the Family Federation has never been involved in any criminal activities.”

However, the Kishida administration, without going through the Cabinet, changed the interpretation of the Religious Corporations Act overnight. They decided to include “acts that are unlawful according to civil law” as a condition for exercising the right to question religious organizations. Consequently, the government petitioned the courts to issue a dissolution order against the Family Federation based on the Religious Corporations Act. As a result, many members are concerned that discrimination and harm will increase even further.

There are also problems affecting daily life, such as difficulties in making purchases. At a press conference on 7^th November last year, Family Federation Chairman Tomihiro Tanaka (田中富広) cited cases such as “being refused real estate contracts”, “being denied the purchase of flowers or catered lunch boxes”, and “a famous automobile manufacturer banning the sale of cars, making it impossible to buy one”.

One such case occurred in March at a Nissan-affiliated used car dealership in Aichi Prefecture, where an employee of the Family Federation in the same prefecture attempted to purchase a car under the organization’s name but was refused. Although there was no issue when the employee initially expressed the intention to purchase under the organization’s name, they were later contacted by the dealership’s representative, who informed them that the sale could not proceed despite the contract (under the organization’s name) having already been stamped.

When the representative was contacted by phone for confirmation, he explained that the refusal was because the Family Federation was “a group that has caused public concern” and was “facing a request for a dissolution order from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology”, making it “socially inappropriate, and not suitable for the company to engage with”.

In Tokyo, a Toyota-affiliated used car dealership also canceled a vehicle purchase contract after the payment had been made and the delivery date set. In September last year, a church employee visited the dealership, requested a quote, and expressed the intention to purchase under the organization’s name. While exchanging documents and setting the delivery date, the dealership contacted them on 10^th October of the same year, stating they wanted to cancel the vehicle sale contract. The reason given was again “a decision based on public opinion”.

The church employee in charge said,

“This clearly feels like discrimination to us. We had paid the money and set the delivery date, but the unilateral cancellation left us very depressed.”

The Family Federation has sent letters of protest to both companies through their lawyer, demanding the sales refusal be retracted, citing unfair discrimination and prejudice.

There have also been difficulties with real estate contracts. Yoshihiro Tsuda (pseudonym), an employee of the Family Federation living in Ibaraki Prefecture, faced rejection from a guarantor company when he tried to rent a property under his name for his parents to relocate to last year.

Tsuda recalls,

“Because my elderly parents had to quit their jobs, they needed to move out of the house they lived in. Since my parents and my sister’s family all lived in Saitama, I was looking for a property within Saitama Prefecture.”

In September of last year, Tsuda found a suitable property, and after consulting with the real estate company, he filled out the contract on behalf of his parents, including his name, occupation, and income. He explains,

“The real estate company seemed to think it would probably be okay, as they were only focused on the income aspect, but later, I received a notification that the application had been halted during the review process.”

He was not given a detailed reason for the rejection. Tsuda was left with an uneasy feeling, suspecting that his religious beliefs may have negatively impacted the contract.

See part 1: The Kishida Administration’s Reckless Actions: 1st article, 2nd article, 3rd article, 4th article, 5th article, 6th article

See part 2: Ripples to Local Assemblies: 7th article, 8th article, 9th article, 10th article, 11th article, 12th article, 13th article, 14th article, 15th article

See part 3: Believers Suffering Discrimination and Human Rights Violations: 16th article, 17th article, 18th article, 19th article, 20th article, 21st article, 22nd article

See part 4: Media Crossing the Line: 23rd article, 24th article, 25th article, 26th article, 27th article, 28th article

See part 5: The Distorted Image of the “Second-Generation”: 29th article, 30th article, 31st article, 32nd article, 33rd article, 34th article, 35th article, 36th article, 37th article, 38th article

See part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders: 39th article, 40th article, 41st article, 42nd article, 43rd article, 44th article, 45th article, 46th article

See part 7: Religion in Japan in a Global Context: 47th article, 48th article, 49th article, 50th article, 51st article, 52nd article, 53rd article, 54th article, 55th article

See Epilogue: 56th article, 57th article, 58th article

Featured image above: Yoshihiro Tsuda (pseudonym), who was refused a real estate contract, in the morning of the 10^th August 2024 in Ibaraki Prefecture. Photo: Takahide Ishii (石 井 孝 秀) / Sekai Nippo

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Yet more, related to denied contracts: Malicious One-Sided Government Source Selection

Still more, related to denied contracts: Japan Criticized for Glaring Rights Violations

Also related to denied contracts: Inhuman Government-Supported Mass Deprogramming

Also related to denied contracts: Scholar Condemns Violation of Minority Rights

Even more, related to denied contracts: Japan Following the Way of China

And still more, related to denied contracts: 12 Religious Freedom NGOs Denouncing Japan

And even more, related to denied contracts: Conference on Religious Freedom Violations

Still more, related to denied contracts: Japan: Threat to Religious Freedom

Even more, related to denied contracts: Call to End Witch Hunt

More, related to denied contracts: Government’s Foul Play Pointed Out

Yet more, related to denied contracts: Japan Urged to Make U-Turn

More, related to denied contracts: Japan: 4300 Abductions and Forcible Detentions

And more, related to denied contracts: Illegalities of Activist Lawyers Exposed

Yet more, related to denied contracts: Lawyers Manipulating, Coercing, Lying

And still more, related to denied contracts: Witch Hunt Compromises Safety for Believers

And still more, related to denied contracts: Believers Facing Discrimination, Insults, Threats

And even more, related to denied contracts: Protesting Appalling Attack on Minority Rights