A leading expert on international human rights law calls Tokyo District Court’s dissolution order a “parody of justice”, warning that Japan is rapidly becoming “the land of the setting sun”
Tokyo, 27th March 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.
“The Land of the Rising Sun Becomes the Land of the Setting Sun”
International Human Rights Lawyer Criticizes Tokyo District Court Over Dissolution Order for Family Federation
by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo
prepared by Knut Holdhus
Following the Tokyo District Court’s decision on 25th March to order the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) at the request of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), French international human rights lawyer Patricia Duval contributed a comment to our paper titled, “Will Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun, Become the Land of the Setting Sun in Terms of Freedom?” She writes, “The Tokyo District Court‘s decision is a ‘parody of justice’. The ruling appears as though it was written long ago, and the trial itself was nothing more than a pretense of delivering justice. This is because the court ignored all the arguments put forth by the defense and made no attempt to address them in its ruling.”
At the end of last year, cross-examinations of witnesses – selected from both the Ministry’s side and the religious organization’s side – revealed fabricated and distorted testimonies from the Ministry. Yet, the court remained silent on this matter. Likewise, the court ignored the fact that many of the Ministry’s witnesses had undergone abduction, confinement, and forced renunciation of faith, with testimonies dating back decades.
The judges have made a “reasonable inference” [See editor’s note below] despite the lack of evidence proving the “continuity” of unlawful acts. The court also remained silent on the violations of international human rights law, which I particularly emphasize. Even evidence provided by the defense – demonstrating that the religious organization refunded donations in good faith – was twisted by the court and used against the religious organization as proof of wrongdoing.
In this “I win, you lose” game, the religious organization has no chance of victory.
Despite the absence of any concrete legal violations or criminal acts, the Tokyo District Court ordered the dissolution of the religious corporation on grounds of “deviation from social norms” and “harm to public welfare”. In other words, this amounts to “the social exclusion of a religious minority”.
[Editor’s note: In a court case, “reasonable inference” refers to a conclusion that a judge or jury can logically draw from the evidence presented, even if it is not explicitly stated. It is based on facts, circumstances, and common-sense reasoning rather than mere speculation or guesswork.
A reasonable inference must stem from actual evidence introduced in the case, not just assumptions. In the above case, it is claimed that the judges use reasonable inference “despite the lack of evidence proving the ‘continuity’ of unlawful acts.” And it is precisely the continuity of unlawful acts that is a key condition for dissolution. The judges appeared to have inferred a continuity that is not there, as there have been virtually no civil cases brought against the Family Federation since 2009.]
Featured image above: Patricia Duval, French attorney and expert on international human rights law. She has defended the rights of minorities of religion or belief in domestic and international fora, and before international institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European Union, and the United Nations. She has also published numerous scholarly articles on freedom of religion or belief. Here, speaking at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington DC 5th February 2025. Photo: Screenshot from live transmission.