A victim of most dehumanizing treatment, held locked up for more than 12 years, talks about the preciousness of freedom as his book is launched
Front cover page of Japanese edition of Toru Goto’s new book “Deadly Struggle: Surviving 4,536 Days of Confinement”Part 1 of a talk given 10th February 2025, in Tokyo, at the official launch of the book “Deadly Struggle: Surviving 4,536 Days of Confinement” by Toru Goto (後藤徹), held captive for 12 years and 5 months in an attempt to have his faith broken.
See part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6
See also Apartment Prison: Faith-Breaking in Modern Japan
Introduction to Toru Goto by Mamoru Kamono (鴨野 守), the moderator of the book launch,
“Despite an unimaginable long-term confinement of 12 years, 5 months – 4,536 days – he never lost his faith and fought alongside God. He has made a remarkable return and has now published his first memoir. Today, Toru Goto will deliver a commemorative lecture. Toru Goto, we look forward to your speech.”
Everyone, good afternoon.
Thank you all so much for gathering here today for the book launch event of Deadly Struggle. Chairman Tanaka, thank you for your wonderful congratulatory remarks.
Today, I would like to speak on the theme of “The Preciousness of Freedom”. This may be a sudden question, but have any of you ever experienced being locked up? As a child, perhaps when you misbehaved, your parents might have said, “Stay in the closet!” I have had such an experience myself, and I remember feeling terrified.
But as an adult, experiencing forced confinement is something quite rare. Being locked up means having your freedom taken away. And losing one’s freedom is truly painful, distressing, and unbearable.
For human beings, freedom is absolutely essential. As you all know, throughout history, people have fought – spilling blood – to gain their freedom.
English version of an illustrative slide used by Toru Goto during his lecture 10th Feb. 2025. Translated from Japanese. Illustration: National Association of Victims of Abduction, Confinement, and Forced Deconversion,As a result, even here in Japan, the constitution guarantees freedom to every citizen. Freedom of assembly, association, speech, occupation, residence, movement, academic studies, and marriage – these are all protected. And at the core of these freedoms is the freedom of thought and religion.
Freedom of the mind – if we refer to the Japanese Constitution, it is Article 19 [Editor’s note: Freedom of thought and conscience] and Article 20 [Editor’s note: Freedom of religion]. Looking at this on a global scale, the freedom of religion is an absolute, inviolable human right. This is firmly established under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Everyone, please look at the screen. Here you can see all the freedoms we have. But what happens when all of them are taken away? Completely. This is what abduction, confinement, and coercive faith-breaking are. Every single freedom is stripped away, including the freedom of one’s mind. People are confined until their faith – something more precious than their own lives – is completely destroyed.
This is my story. This is my experience.
Article 15 of the Constitution grants every citizen the right to participate in politics. However, during the 12 years and 5 months I was confined, do you know how many times I was denied this right to vote? (Screen displays the various elections held during those 12 years.) Nineteen times.
The location of the apartment in Ogikubo, Tokyo where Toru Goto was held captive and dehumanized. Photo: National Association of Victims of Abduction, Confinement, and Forced Deconversion,Without my knowledge, my residential registration was secretly moved from the confinement apartment to my family’s home in Tokyo. During my captivity, there were 19 elections – national elections, Tokyo gubernatorial elections, Tokyo metropolitan assembly elections, mayoral elections, and city council elections. Do you think I received my voting ballot? Most likely, it was either thrown into the trash or left unopened in a mailbox.
And I am not the only one – many other victims of confinement have suffered the same fate.
When I was confined, I didn’t even know where I was. They wouldn’t tell me. I asked,
“Where am I? At least tell me that much.”
Their response: “There’s no need for you to know.”
Then, one day, I heard a faint voice outside:
“Residents of Ogikubo 3-chome, this is Nobuteru Ishihara speaking!”
That’s when I realized, “So, I’m in Ogikubo 3-chome.”
It took six years of captivity before I finally learned where I was – thanks to the voice of a campaign announcer on the street.
Everyone, this didn’t happen to just one or two persons. It happened to 4,300 individuals. That’s why this is considered the worst human rights violation in postwar Japan.
Toru Goto at 31. Photo: Toru Goto(Pointing to a slide) This was me just before I was abducted and confined – 31 years old.
At that time, just two weeks earlier, I had a Marriage Blessing with a female believer from my church. My heart was full of dreams and hope.
(Pointing to a slide) The number 225 represents the abduction and confinement cases reported in just the year 1995. That means I was just one of those 225 victims.
Continued in part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6
See also Apartment Prison: Faith-Breaking in Modern Japan
Featured image above: Toru Goto at the official launch of his book “Deadly Struggle: Surviving 4,536 Days of Confinement”. Photo: Screenshot from videorecording of the event.
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