Japan’s dissolution request against religious minority draws strong condemnation at Washington DC religious freedom summit
Tokyo, 5th February 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.
Expectations for Trump’s “Pressure”
Request for Dissolution of Family Federation Discussed at International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C.
by Yosuke Yamazaki (山崎 洋介)
prepared by Knut Holdhus
[Washington DC] The International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit, aimed at promoting religious freedom worldwide, began on 4th February 2025 in Washington, D.C., for a two-day session. During a dinner event, former high-ranking officials voiced concerns that religious freedom was being violated in relation to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church), which the Japanese government has requested to be dissolved. Many attendees expressed expectations for the Trump administration’s response to this issue.
Katrina Lantos Swett, a co-chair of the summit and former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), expressed concern during a panel discussion about the Japanese government’s handling of the Family Federation. She stated that Japan appears to be abandoning the rule of law and equality under the law, which are fundamental to democracy, driven by an obsessive desire to attack a religious community.
She pointed out that Trump’s administration has shown a willingness to exert maximum pressure to achieve policy goals, stating, “It may not always be polite, but it can yield results.” She further emphasized her expectation that the Trump administration would apply strong pressure on Japan in defense of religious freedom.
Additionally, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich delivered a video message referring to the U.S. State Department’s 2023 annual report on religious freedom, which pointed out that Japan’s October 2023 request for dissolution was based on civil law violations rather than traditional legal standards. He also highlighted that the United Nations issued a recommendation last year, warning that Japan’s actions were in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Gingrich stated, “The Biden administration and the UN have already condemned this activity. And now with President Trump, we have somebody who is deeply, passionately committed to religious liberty. This is going to have grave consequences for the United States’ relationship with Japan and our view of what’s happening with Japanese politics.”
The panel discussion also touched on allegations that Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) fabricated statements in the case against the Family Federation. Marco Respinti, director of the Italian online religious freedom magazine Bitter Winter, raised the question, “Is this true?” In response, Norishige Kondo (近藤徳茂), deputy director of the Family Federation of Japan’s Legal Department, replied, “That’s correct.”
He strongly criticized the Japanese government, saying, “I think it is outrageous that the government tried to dissolve a religious organization based on fabricated evidence.”
The dinner event was sponsored by the Washington Times Foundation and the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). Other speakers at the panel discussion included Tatsuki Nakayama (中山達樹), an international lawyer, and Patricia Duval, a French international human rights lawyer.
Tomihiro Tanaka (田中富広), President of the Family Federation in Japan, criticized former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (岸田文雄) for changing the legal interpretation overnight to include “civil law violations” as grounds for dissolution. He stated, “The Japanese government has crossed a line that should never have been crossed.”
He expressed his determination to “overcome this crisis for religious freedom and democracy in Japan” with support from the U.S.
At the conclusion of the dinner event, participants signed a statement calling on Japan to protect religious freedom. The statement expressed deep concern that, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三), “various forces have begun dismantling the human rights of religious believers in Japan.”
Featured image above: A panel discussion on the Japanese government’s request for an order to disband the former Unification Church at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit held in Washington on 5th February 2025. Photo: Yosuke Yamazaki (山崎 洋介)