Dissolution Case: Courts Must Not Reward Terror
... What one hopes for from the Tokyo High Court is not a decision that rewards terrorism, but rather the sound judgment to send a clear message that society must never be allowed to be…
How to Kill a Religion: South Korea’s Proposed “Church Dissolution Act”
... If the “Church Dissolution Act” becomes law, South Korea will join the small group of nations, led by China, that have granted themselves the authority to extinguish religious organizations perceived as not supporting the…
Japan, Misunderstanding the Unification Church
... The fundamental principle of a trial is to determine facts based on objective evidence. However, the Tokyo District Court abandoned this fundamental principle and, through a series of unbelievable inferences, made the damage appear…
A Growing Religious Liberty Crisis in South Korea Denounced at the United Nations
... The Human Rights Council should take this warning seriously. Freedom of religion or belief is a universal right, not limited to the majority faiths. CAP‑LC rightly insists that Korea must reverse course before the…
Court Rejects Media Narrative in Yamagami Case
... the life sentence handed down makes clear that the facts established in court were far removed from the narrative spread through biased reporting. Going forward, the question society must confront is whether it can…
Japan: “Sacrifice to the Nation,” an Extraordinary Book. 5
... In the current debate in Japan, where the dissolution of the Family Federation has become a symbolic fight over broader concerns about politics, money, and social unity, Fukuda’s book serves as a counterbalance.
Silencing the Churches: Why Korea’s New Rhetoric Threatens Democratic Freedom
... President Lee’s comments deserve careful, principled examination. The issue is not whether religious groups should follow the law; they must. The problem is whether the law will be changed to criminalize religious participation, especially…
Japan: “Sacrifice to the Nation,” an Extraordinary Book. 4
... in today’s Japan, reporting anything even slightly supportive of the Family Federation, or acknowledging the suffering of its members due to abductions and confinement, has become nearly taboo.
New S. Korean Laws Let State Police Religions
... the president had asked officials to examine whether religious foundations themselves could be dissolved. This immediately raised alarms about the separation of church and state and the protection of religious freedom ‒ core constitutional…
Japan: “Sacrifice to the Nation,” an Extraordinary Book. 3
... the unwritten judicial rule that religious groups labeled as “cults” cannot win. Judges, fearing public backlash, avoid ruling in their favor even when the evidence supports them. Past lawsuits against the former Unification Church…