Head of Hostile Campaign Guilty of Defamation

Guilty of defamation: Loss at Tokyo court for leading activist journalist campaigning against religious minority

In an article 3^rd February 2025, international attorney Tatsuki Nakayama (中山達樹) reveals telling details and key background facts in a recent defamation case. It is the first lawsuit involving the Family Federation that has been favourable to the movement in the hostile climate after the 2022 Abe assassination. The article was published by Bitter Winter, the international online magazine for religious freedom and human rights, with the headline “Japan: Anti-Cult Journalist Eight Suzuki Found Guilty of Defamation”.

Nakayama takes us back to October 2023, when Bitter Winter reported that Eito Suzuki (鈴木エイト), a Japanese journalist known for his extreme “anti-cult” activism, had been sued in Tokyo District Court for making false statements.

Toru Goto (後藤徹), a believer of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church), sued Suzuki for defamation, claiming that Suzuki’s articles and remarks had harmed Goto’s reputation. The Tokyo District Court issued on 31^st January 2025, a verdict that some of Suzuki’s comments were defamatory. The judges ordered Suzuki to pay 110,000 yen (approximately $710 USD) in damages. While the monetary compensation is relatively small, in line with typical awards for defamation cases involving social media in Japan, the real consequence for Suzuki is the guilty verdict itself.

According to Attorney Nakayama, Toru Goto’s case is particularly significant due to his past experience. He was forcibly abducted and locked up by his relatives and faith-breakers for twelve long years and five months in an attempt to make him abandon his faith. Previous court rulings deemed the faith-breaking illegal, a decision ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in 2015.

Nakayama points out that Suzuki – despite being fully aware of these legal findings – repeatedly characterized Goto as a “hikikomori”, a Japanese term referring to individuals who voluntarily isolate themselves from society due to extreme social withdrawal or agoraphobia [See editor’s note below].

Investigative journalist Masumi Fukuda (福田ますみ) is known for her critical stance against the so-called “anti-cult movement” of Japan. When she confronted Suzuki in 2023 about his persistent derogatory remarks against Goto, he dismissively responded, “I couldn’t care less.” This attitude sparked widespread outrage on social media and prompted Goto to file a defamation lawsuit against Suzuki in October 2023.

In his Bitter Winter article, Nakayama explains that during the trial, Suzuki failed to provide any new evidence to support his claim that Goto was a voluntary recluse. All the materials Suzuki submitted had already been used in the 2015 case, which ended in Goto’s favor. The Tokyo District Court determined that Suzuki’s statements had unlawfully damaged Goto’s social standing.

As Attorney Nakayama mentions, this ruling marks a milestone as the first legal victory for a member of the Family Federation since the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (安倍 晋三) in 2022. Following Abe’s death, Japan’s “anti-cult movement” gained significant influence, leading to widespread defamation and social discrimination against the Family Federation.

This hostile climate ultimately prompted the government to file a lawsuit seeking the dissolution of the religious organization, a case that remains pending in the Tokyo District Court. In the past two years, all rulings in cases involving the Family Federation and its affiliates – approximately ten cases – had been unfavorable to them. This has fueled speculation that an unspoken judicial bias exists, encapsulated in the phrase, “If you are a ‘cult’, you lose.” Goto’s victory, therefore, could signal a turning point against this prevailing tide of prejudice.

Nakayama emphasizes that the ruling’s impact extends beyond Goto’s personal vindication; it also undermines Suzuki’s credibility. Since Abe’s assassination, Suzuki has risen to prominence, leading a national campaign against the Family Federation and labeling it a “cult” responsible for the crime. His argument hinges on two key points:

• that the assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami (山上 徹也), was a victim of the Family Federation due to his mother’s significant donations made out of religious devotion, and
• that Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), under Abe, maintained close ties with the Family Federation.

This narrative has, according to Tatsuki Nakayama, been embraced by left-wing parties seeking to challenge the LDP, as well as by “anti-cult organizations” such as the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales. Suzuki has been at the forefront of this politically charged movement, making his court loss particularly significant. His defeat could weaken the broader campaign against the Family Federation in Japan.

Following the ruling, Suzuki downplayed the outcome, claiming it was “almost a victory” for him due to the nominal damages awarded. This statement appears to be a strategic effort to reframe the loss, echoing tactics employed by European anti-cult activists who often declare victory even in cases they have lost. By continuing to spin the narrative in his favor, Suzuki reaffirms his role as an anti-cult activist rather than an impartial journalist – a role he has embraced more publicly since Abe’s assassination.

Suzuki has announced his intention to appeal, arguing that “in-depth criticism shouldn’t constitute defamation.” However, his repeated assertion that Goto was a “hikikomori” (recluse) without any supporting evidence does not qualify as “in-depth criticism” but rather as slander and personal attack. The appeal case is expected to conclude by the summer of 2025, and its outcome will be closely watched as a potential further test of judicial fairness in Japan’s current climate of hostility toward the Family Federation.

[Editor’s note: Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by an intense fear of situations where escape might be difficult or help may not be available if something goes wrong. People with agoraphobia often avoid places like crowded areas, public transportation, open spaces, or even leaving their homes.]

Text: Knut Holdhus

Featured image above: Lost defamation lawsuit: Eito Suzuki (鈴木エイト), born as Kiyofumi Tanaka, known for his extreme “anti-cult” activism. Photo: Mikkabie / Wikimedia Commons. License: CC ASA 4.0 Int. Cropped

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