Exhibition visitors shocked in Japan as they learn how believers of minority religion were treated like animals
Tokyo, 30th September 2024 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article
“Believers Are Being Treated Like Animals”: Panel Exhibition about Abduction and Confinement in Kumamoto
by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo
Prepared by Knut Holdhus
To raise awareness about reality of coercive faith-breaking against followers of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church), the Kumamoto Citizens’ Association for the Protection of Basic Human Rights and Freedom of Religion – chaired by Isao Tonomi (主海偉佐雄) – held an exhibition on abduction and confinement in Kumamoto City on 29th September 2024. About 250 people attended.
The exhibition featured around 60 panels explaining the damage caused by forced conversions, including the case of Toru Goto (後藤徹), who was abducted in 1995 and confined by his relatives for more than 12 years.
Participants, while listening to detailed explanations, expressed their shock, saying things like, “I can’t believe such terrible things happened in Japan,” and “They treat believers like animals.”
In addition to the panels, a video of interviews conducted by non-fiction writer Masumi Fukuda (福田ますみ) with victims of abduction and confinement was also shown. In an interview with Toru Goto, he recounted his harrowing experience, describing how he survived by eating seasoning and food scraps from the kitchen sink while being held captive and starved.
The organizers said, “Kumamoto is the first place in the country to hold this panel exhibition. We hope it will spread across the country and raise awareness about the reality of the suffering of the victims.”
The exhibition ran until 30th September.
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Featured image: Participants receiving an explanation of the panels on 29th September 2024, in Kumamoto City, Kyushu, Japan. Photo: Sekai Nippo