Tokyo conference on freedom of religion urges Japan to stop its state oppression of minority faith and cease sinister rights violations
Tokyo, 8th December 2024 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.
International Coalition for Religious Freedom expresses concern over religious freedom in Japan
Message from religious advisor to US President-elect Trump
by the editorial department of Sekai Nippo
Prepared by Knut Holdhus
The Japan Committee of the International Religious Freedom Alliance (ICRF), a group of experts dedicated to protecting people from religious prejudice and oppression domestically and internationally, held a lecture event titled “The Crisis of Religious Freedom and Democracy in Japan” in Tokyo on 8th December 2024. During the event, Reverend Paula White, religious advisor to the incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, sent a video message, expressing that “serious concerns are being raised globally about the state of religious freedom in Japan.”
Reverend White referred to the U.S. State Department‘s annual report on religious freedom, expressing concern over discriminatory actions in Japan against the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
She further highlighted that “according to United Nations recommendations, Japan’s guidelines could view parents strongly encouraging their children to attend church as a form of child abuse,” suggesting that this has contributed to the persecution of religious organizations such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Family Federation. Reverend White emphasized that scholars and experts worldwide are urging Japan to “cease rights violations against Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Unification Church.”
Marco Respinti, director of the Italian online religious magazine Bitter Winter, delivered the keynote speech, emphasizing that freedom of religion is not only “the freedom to believe or not believe but also the freedom to live according to those beliefs.”
He expressed concern over the response of Japanese authorities, warning that the country is continuing down a “dangerous path of labeling religious minorities as ‘cults’ or ‘anti-social’ organizations and discriminating against them.”
Tomihiro Tanaka (田中富広), president of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Japan, also spoke as an invited guest. While offering a “sincere apology for having contributed to societal distrust toward religious organizations,” Tanaka underscored that “this issue extends beyond a single religious organization and touches on the very foundations of democratic nations.”
He expressed deep concern over violations of freedom of religion and human rights.
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Featured image above: Reverend Paula White, a religious advisor to the incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, sent a video message on the morning of 8th December 2024 in Chuo Ward, Tokyo. Photo: Takahide Ishii (石井孝秀).