Rare Legal Victory for Family Federation Member

Token compensation for member of persecuted minority the Family Federation in legal victory in defamation case against activist journalist

Tokyo, 31st January 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article. 

Eito Suzuki Ordered to Pay 110,000 Yen in Damages by Tokyo District Court over “Hikikomori”-Comment

by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo

See also Victim of Inhuman Detention Won Defamation Case

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On 31^st January 2025, the Tokyo District Court ruled in a lawsuit [See editor’s note below] filed by Toru Goto (後藤徹), representative of the National Association of Victims of Abduction, Confinement, and Forced Deconversion, against journalist Eito Suzuki (鈴木エイト). Goto sought a total of 11 million yen [$ 71,100] in damages, claiming that Suzuki’s remarks, including a comment referring to Goto as a “hikikomori” [social recluse – see editor’s note below], damaged his reputation.

The court recognized two of the five statements in question as defamatory and ordered Suzuki to pay a total of 110,000 yen [$ 711] in damages.

Although there was no planned distribution of courtroom admission tickets for this trial, the courtroom was packed, and many people who could not enter were seen in the hallway.

[Editor’s note: According to the complaint, Suzuki criticized Goto on the news website Yaya Nikkan Cult Shimbun, where Suzuki is the main writer, as “a male believer who stayed in his flat and became a NEET [Not in Education, Employment, or Training] after recuperation, becoming just a ‘recluse’.”

On Nippon TV’s Information Live Miyaneya, he repeatedly criticized Goto, such as commenting that he was a “recluse” (引きこもり – hikikomori). Furthermore, Suzuki also defamed Toru Goto at a symposium held in July this year. When Suzuki was asked about the fact that he referred to Goto as a “recluse” (hikikomori), Suzuki replied, “I don’t care.” He also posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Goto was a puppet forced to play the “role of a victim”.]

[Editor’s note: The Japanese term “hikikomori” (引きこもり) refers to people who completely withdraw from social life, often isolating themselves at home for extended periods – sometimes years. It describes both the phenomenon and the individuals affected by it.

Hikikomori typically avoid school, work, and social interactions, often due to anxiety, social pressure, or mental health struggles such as depression. The term is sometimes used in a derogatory way but is also recognized as a serious social issue in Japan and other countries.]

See also Victim of Inhuman Detention Won Defamation Case

See also Disappointing Overturned Defamation Decision

Featured image above: After the verdict, Toru Goto (center – 後藤徹), representative of the National Association of Victims of Abduction, Confinement, and Forced Conversion, along with attorneys Shinichi Tokunaga (right – 徳永信一) and Tatsuki Nakayama (中山達樹), attend a press conference in Chiyoda, Tokyo, on 31^st January 2025. Photo: Yasuhiro Uno (宇野泰弘)

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