Steep Battle to Counter Hostile Propaganda

Speakers at Tokyo symposium describe steep battle to fight propaganda that has “permeated every nook and corner of society” against religious minority

Tokyo, 10th September 2024 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article

“Japanese Mental Healthcare is a Human Rights Violation” – Symposium Held in Tokyo

A council that violates the principle of separation of church and state

by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo

A symposium was held in Tokyo on 9^th September 2024 focusing on human rights violations stemming from prejudice against mental healthcare and religion. The theme was “Protecting Freedom and Democracy in the Local Community!” It was hosted by the Association for Protecting Freedom of Religion and Human Rights, Northwest Tokyo. The event featured speeches from Noriyasu Yoneda (米田倫康), representative of the Japanese branch of the Citizens’ Human Rights Defense Association; YouTuber Hirohiko Mitsuma (三津間弘彦); and journalist Masumi Fukuda (福田ますみ).

Noriyasu Yoneda emphasized the situation of mental healthcare in Japan, stating,

“Mental abnormalities are seen as brain problems, and patients are forcibly isolated through hospitalization. Actions that strip away a person’s human rights are justified using unfounded theories that incite fear.”

He advocated for the abolition of such forced measures and called for an approach based on human rights.

Hirohiko Mitsuma focused on the Religious Corporations Council, an advisory body to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, which had approved the policy to request a dissolution order for the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church). He raised concerns over the fact that a senior member of a religious corporation that calls the Family Federation a “cult” on its official website is a member of the Religious Corporations Council. Mitsuma argued,

“The government sides with the claims of a specific religious organization to attack another. That violates the principle of separation of church and state.”

Masumi Fukuda presented cases where being a member of the Family Federation led to unfavorable court outcomes. She said,

“Propaganda against the Unification Church has permeated every nook and corner of society. Even though such a request for a dissolution order would normally never pass, we must not be complacent and need to raise our voices in opposition.”

Featured image above: Hirohiko Mitsuma, Tomoyasu Yoneda, and Masumi Fukuda (from right to left in the back) attended and gave lectures at the symposium, which was held on the afternoon of 9th September 2024 in Toshima Ward, Tokyo. Photo: Sekai Nippo

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