Japan: Religious Freedom as “Orphaned” Human Right

Japan urged to improve on religious freedom at Tokyo conference

“Japan urged to step up, lead the way on religious freedom in the Indo-Pacific” was the headline of a Washington Times article 21^st August 2024. Andrew Salmon, the conservative paper’s Asia editor, reported from a conference in Tokyo 22^nd July, where a central theme was freedom of religion as the overlooked human right.

Salmon writes,

“Freedom of religion is the “orphaned” human right, as Western democracies instead furiously debate gender rights, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

That was a core message at the International Religious Freedom Summit Asia, held last month in Japan’s capital city.”

The focus of the summit was on the often-neglected human right of religious freedom. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te emphasized the growing threat of democratic backsliding and religious persecution, urging a renewed commitment to freedom and dignity.

Despite political polarization in the U.S., religious freedom remains a unifying issue. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo highlighted that both major political parties in the U.S. recognize the importance of international religious freedoms, viewing it as intrinsic to human dignity. Summit co-chair Katrina Lantos Swett noted that humans are unique in their quest for existential answers, and research shows that countries protecting religious freedom also excel in democracy and pluralism, with higher socioeconomic status for women.

Freedom of worship is particularly despised by authoritarian regimes, as people of faith often stand up against oppression.

Co-chair Sam Brownback, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, described it as a cornerstone human right that supports other freedoms like assembly and speech. He argued that a united front of religious groups could prevent the feared “clash of civilizations” and wield significant influence, noting that 80% of the world’s population practices some form of faith.

The summit saw participation from various religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Shintoism, as well as numerous human rights organizations. The Indo-Pacific region faces severe state assaults on religious minorities, such as Rohingya Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, underground North Korean Christians, and Uyghur Muslims.

Swett highlighted Japan’s potential role in advancing religious freedom. As an economic powerhouse with a pacifist stance since World War II, Japan has recently strengthened its military and forged closer ties with democracies like Australia, the Philippines, and South Korea.

Nathan Sales, former ambassador-at-large and counterterrorism coordinator at the State Department, emphasized Japan’s importance as the largest East Asian democracy with significant economic and potential moral power. He argued that Japan’s leadership in this movement would benefit both the country and the global cause of religious freedom.

However, the summit saw minimal participation from Japanese politicians and media, raising doubts about Japan’s willingness to be vocal on human rights issues. Despite praise for Japan’s democratic credentials, there was concern over Tokyo’s political and media assault on the Family Federation, a relatively small religious group founded in South Korea in the 1950s.

Andrew Salmon, the writer of the Washington Times article, describes how the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Family Federation found together for decades,

“What began with a tiny church founded in South Korea in the 1950s has evolved over decades into a global spiritual movement and affiliated commercial empire comprising hundreds of ventures, including The Washington Times.

It has a strong anti-communist stance, and Japanese members have a history of assisting the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, a conservative machine, with electioneering.”

However, the current prime minister Fumio Kishida, more concerned about his own image and that of the party, in 2022 suddenly decided to have nothing more to do with this loyal ally. Salmon writes,

 “Ties between the LDP and the church were torn apart in 2022 when Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving postwar prime minister and a key LDP figure, was assassinated.”

The assassin was infuriated by Abe’s association with the Family Federation, claiming that his mother’s significant financial contributions to the religious organization had driven her to bankruptcy. It is however less known that his mother, who remains a member, along with other family members, signed a statement absolving the Family Federation of any blame, and half of her donations were refunded. Nonetheless, the disclosure of ties dating back to 1978 between an anti-communist organization also founded by Sun Myung Moon, the co-founder of the Family Federation, caused a major uproar, largely orchestrated by left-wing forces.

Salmon writes,

“Though ties between Japanese politics and religions are not unusual. The LDP’s coalition partner in the Diet is Komeito, a Buddhist party. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in damage-control mode, requires party members to sever ties with the church.”

The Washington Times article points out that speakers at the Tokyo summit in July concurred that the Family Federation has been unfairly blamed by politicians and vilified by the media. The paper quotes Rev. Yoshinobu Miyake, chair of the board of the International Shinto Studies Association. He says that it is regrettable that even members of the national assembly, the very foundation of democratic authority, have ignored the systematic persecution of certain new religions out of fear of being linked to one of them. Miyake claims that the mass media has assumed the role of dispensing justice.

Featured image above: Freedom of religion sculpture by Marlene Hilton Moore at the McMurtry Gardens of Justice in Toronto. Photo: Jennifer Aitkens / Wikimedia Commons. License: CC Attr 2.0 Gen. Cropped 

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