The Anatomy of Japan’s Hostile Media Campaign

Japanese journalist and fact-checker reveals the anatomy of activist-generated news coverage fueling political action that led to the dissolution of the Family federation in Japan

On 23^rd June, Bitter Winter, the human rights and religious liberty magazine, published an article by Dr. Massimo Introvigne, Italian sociologist of religion. He analyzes research carried out by Japanese journalist and fact-checker Fumihiro Kato (加藤文宏) on what he calls the “carefully reinforced” dominant media narrative against the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formerly called the Unification Church, in the aftermath of the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三) in July 2022.

The basis for Introvigne’s comments is an interview with Kato conducted by literary critic Eitaro Ogawa (小川榮太郎).

Continued from part 1: How Media Narrative Was Changed to Attack Faith

See also Dissolution Case: Attorney Reveals Inside Story

See also Media Turning Public Opinion Against a Minority

See also Using Abe’s Assassination Against Unificationism

See also Japan: FFWPU Case Signals Dangerous State Power

See also Today the Family Federation, Tomorrow a Temple?

Fumihiro Kato also used network analysis to examine how different topics were connected in news coverage. Network analysis is a statistical technique that uses computer algorithms and visualizes how information is organized and words and ideas are linked across thousands of texts, revealing the central themes and structure of a media narrative.

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See also BBC, Bias, and the Weaponization of Language

The resulting diagrams showed political terms clustered at the center of the discussion. References to donations or so-called “spiritual sales” appeared much farther away from the core.

From this pattern, Kato concludes that criticism of the Family Federation increasingly became part of a broader political struggle. He argues that claims promoted by anti-Federation activists and the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales were echoed by opposition politicians during parliamentary debates, placing pressure on the government of Fumio Kishida (岸田文雄).

In his article, Introvigne points out that as a result, media reports focused less on investigating specific allegations against the religious organization than on portraying the government’s response – or perceived lack of response – as politically unacceptable.

Kato also examined the emotional language used in television coverage. He notes that reports about the church’s international marriage Blessing ceremonies frequently used emotionally charged expressions rather than neutral descriptions. One word in particular, urawakai (うら若い), meaning “young and innocent”, appeared with unusual frequency.

According to his research, this expression had almost never been used by Japanese media outside this context during the previous two decades. Kato believes its repeated use encouraged audiences to imagine vulnerable young women being manipulated, strengthening negative emotional reactions.

He is also critical of television programs such as Miyane-ya (a news and talk show on Nippon TV), which devoted extensive airtime to the controversy while relying heavily on outspoken critics of the Family Federation, including journalist Eito Suzuki (鈴木エイト) and attorney Masaki Kito (紀藤正樹). Kato argues that these commentators often interpreted events through the lens of scandal rather than balanced reporting.

Despite the enormous volume of media coverage, Kato questions how much genuine public interest actually existed.

Although Miyane-ya recorded audience ratings of around seven percent during its reporting, Kato estimates that only about two to three-and-a-half percent of households were actively paying attention once passive viewing was excluded.

Internet search data showed a similar pattern. Searches for “Unification Church” surged briefly after the assassination but declined sharply within days. By October 2022, public interest had largely faded. Search activity was also concentrated mainly around Tokyo and Nara rather than spread evenly across Japan.

Nevertheless, Kato argues that the media presented this limited attention as evidence of overwhelming nationwide concern.

He believes this perceived public pressure influenced the Kishida administration and the ruling LDP, which responded by cutting ties with the Family Federation and eventually supporting legal action seeking its dissolution.

When the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) justified these actions by referring to widespread “anxiety and confusion” among the public, Kato argues that this reflected a media-created atmosphere more than objectively demonstrated social conditions.

Looking beyond the Family Federation itself, Kato offers a broader warning.

He describes the entire process as a form of information warfare in which activist groups introduced a narrative, news organizations amplified it, and political leaders reacted to the resulting public pressure.

See also BBC, Bias, and the Weaponization of Language

He is particularly concerned that Japanese courts later relied partly on civil lawsuits dating back several decades when ordering the dissolution of the religious organization. If courts allow public opinion shaped by media campaigns to substitute for current criminal wrongdoing, Kato believes this sets a troubling precedent.

In his view, the issue ultimately extends far beyond one religious movement. It raises fundamental questions about judicial independence, freedom of religion, and whether individuals or organizations can lose their legal protections because of a powerful public narrative rather than proven facts.

See part 1: How Media Narrative Was Changed to Attack Faith

See also Dissolution Case: Attorney Reveals Inside Story

See also Media Turning Public Opinion Against a Minority

See also Using Abe’s Assassination Against Unificationism

See also When Religious Intolerance Turns Violent

See also Police Trust Shattered After Forced Confinement

See also Liquidation Takes Psychological Toll on Members

See also Japan: FFWPU Case Signals Dangerous State Power

See also Today the Family Federation, Tomorrow a Temple?

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: infographic-style image of activist-generated media narrative becoming judgment. Illustration ChatGPT, July 2026.

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