Hiroshima conference on freedom of religion highlights state’s oppression of minority faith as scholars condemn court order to dissolve it
Tokyo, 7th December 2024 – An article from the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.
“Infringement on Freedom of Religion Is an Attack on Democracy”
ICRF Hosts Nationwide Lecture Tour – Kicking Off in Hiroshima, Heading to Tokyo, Nagoya, and Further
by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo
Prepared by Knut Holdhus
As part of a lecture tour, the Japan Committee of the International Coalition for Religious Freedom (ICRF), led by Shoichi Ito (伊藤正一), Professor Emeritus at Kyushu University, held a conference titled “The Crisis of Religious Freedom and Democracy in Japan” on 6th December 2024 in Hiroshima. Co-hosted with the Hiroshima Prefecture Peace Ambassadors Council, the event emphasized the importance of religious freedom for advancing democracy. It cited reports from a conference of scholars of religious studies in Bordeaux, France, which stated that the government’s request to dissolve the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) poses a threat to religious freedom. The declaration warned that such actions could undermine Japan’s standing in the international community.
The keynote speech was delivered by Katsumi Otsuka (大塚克己), Chair of UPF-Japan (Universal Peace Federation), who criticized the media for spreading false information about the Family Federation. He noted, “I heard that less than 100 members have left the organization, which speaks to its true nature.”
Otsuka emphasized the growing rejection of one-sided reporting by mainstream media, urging believers to disseminate accurate information themselves.
Marco Respinti, director of the Italian online religious magazine Bitter Winter, which monitors religious persecution with a focus on China, also spoke. Respinti argued that “freedom of religion and belief is not only a fundamental human right but also the first political human right.”
He stressed that violations of religious freedom are “among the gravest issues” and condemned the Japanese government’s dissolution order against the Family Federation as a severe human rights violation and an attack on democracy.
The lecture series, starting in Hiroshima, will continue in Tokyo (8th December), Nagoya (9th December), and Fukuoka (10th December).
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Featured image above: Marco Respinti highlights the importance of religious freedom in Hiroshima on 6th December 2024. Photo: Seisaku Morita (森田清策)