Japan’s national broadcaster was reprimanded for reporting the other side’s viewpoints that authorities do their best to hide from the public
Prepared by Knut Holdhus
In its September 2023 issue, the Japanese magazine Monthly Hanada featured an investigative report by acclaimed journalist Masumi Fukuda (福田ますみ), known for her award-winning exposés. Fukuda uncovers significant media bias and aggressive censorship orchestrated by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs. She details how the agency reprimanded and intimidated media outlets that diverged from the official narrative, particularly those publishing perspectives from the Family Federation amid the government’s campaign against the religious minority.
The report, titled “Dissolution Request Push – Censorship of Speech by Tetsuo Goda, Deputy Director-General of the Agency for Cultural Affairs,” sheds light on these troubling practices. We share these comments on it now due to its critical relevance to the ongoing persecution of the Family Federation in Japan. Notably, this report has never been published outside Japan until now, offering new insights into this pressing issue.
A Scoop That Stirred Controversy
One of the cases Masumi Fukuda reveals is an NHK investigative report aired on News 7 on 16th March 2023 regarding the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church). The news item appears to have angered Deputy Director-General Tetsuo Goda (合田哲雄) of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Below is a summarized account of the report, titled “Former Unification Church: Church Requests Ministry of Education Not to File Dissolution Order.”
The report revealed that lawyers for the Family Federation had repeatedly submitted written petitions to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), urging it to refrain from filing a dissolution order against the organization. These petitions cited legal precedents involving other religious organizations. In response, MEXT maintained that the petitions would not influence their decision, which would be based on a comprehensive examination of responses obtained under the “right to question”.
MEXT is currently investigating the management and financial activities of the Family Federation to determine whether a dissolution order is warranted. Meanwhile, it emerged that between December of last year (2022) and February of this year (2023), the federation’s legal representatives sent four petitions to MEXT urging them not to pursue the dissolution order.
The petitions challenge all three conditions typically required to justify a dissolution order: organizational structure, malicious intent, and continuity of violations.
- Malicious Intent: The petitions argue that in numerous cases involving other religious organizations where members committed severe acts of violence, including incidents resulting in fatalities, the organizations were not dissolved despite criminal convictions. The petitions highlight that the Family Federation has not engaged in such crimes.
- Continuity: They assert that no civil lawsuits have been filed against the organization in the past seven years.
- Organizational Structure: The petitions contend that court rulings citing illegal actions by the federation do not include evidence implicating its leadership.
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Investigative journalist Fukuda points out that this report marked the first time that the Family Federation’s specific arguments against a dissolution order were made public. MEXT, however, responded that its decision would be informed by prior assessments of similar cases, court rulings identifying the federation‘s unlawful activities, and recent complaints submitted to government offices. The petitions, MEXT emphasized, would not sway its judgment.
The petitions were authored by Tatsuki Nakayama (中山達樹), a lawyer representing the Family Federation. They make a robust case, referencing various precedents where other religious organizations were not dissolved even in the face of severe criminal activity. The Family Federation maintains that it does not meet the conditions for dissolution.
The petitions were later shared with multiple media outlets by the Family Federation‘s public relations team.
NHK’s Exclusive Coverage Sparks Reactions
Among the media outlets, only NHK chose to report on the petitions. On 17th March 2023, the day after the broadcast, the Family Federation published an article on its official website titled “NHK Reports on Petition to MEXT Opposing Dissolution Request for the Family Federation”. That same day, the NHK journalist responsible for the coverage contacted the religious organization’s public relations officer.
According to the public relations officer, the NHK journalist inquired, “Why was only our news highlighted on your official website?” The officer responded, “Does this cause an issue for NHK? Does mentioning NHK imply that it supports the Family Federation?” To which the journalist replied, “Yes, something like that.”
Shortly after, the Family Federation‘s public relations officer surmised that NHK had been reprimanded directly by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. The NHK journalist concluded the call with a caution: “In the future, please avoid exclusively featuring our coverage on your website.”
Speculated Motives Behind NHK’s Coverage
Fukuda writes that the Family Federation believes NHK’s intent was not to show support for the organization but rather to inform the public about its actions. NHK likely wanted to underscore the discrepancy between the federation’s public commitment to “cooperate sincerely” with the questioning process and its behind-the-scenes efforts to resist a dissolution order.
Nevertheless, the detailed reporting of the petition’s contents – highlighting how it refuted the conditions for dissolution – may have led some viewers to believe that the repeated questioning had failed to yield results because of the federation’s persistent legal maneuvering. This interpretation, coupled with the detailed discussion of the petition’s arguments, may have displeased MEXT.
The Family Federation’s website further noted that NHK’s reporting went beyond mere mention of the petitions, delving into their content in depth. This level of detail might have given the impression that NHK was sympathetic to the Family Federation’s position, potentially aggravating MEXT.
Attempts to Clarify Allegations of Interference
When contacted by Masumi Fukuda, the NHK journalist was asked whether Deputy Director-General Goda had reprimanded the broadcaster for its coverage of the Family Federation’s petitions. The journalist neither confirmed nor denied the claim, instead advising that questions be directed to NHK’s public relations department.
An email was subsequently sent to NHK’s public relations team, asking whether interference from MEXT had occurred, whether it could influence NHK’s future reporting on the Family Federation, and how NHK viewed the matter. To date, no response has been received, though NHK appears to retain its access to information, unlike some other outlets.
Fukuda made an effort to gain Deputy Director-General Goda’s perspective, and MEXT was also contacted. However, direct communication was not permitted, and an email was requested instead. The email asked whether MEXT had contacted NHK or other media outlets and whether such actions could undermine impartial reporting on the Family Federation. Investigative journalist Fukuda had received no reply as of September 2023, when her article was published by Monthly Hanada.
Featured image above: Investigative journalist and award-winning author Masumi Fukuda, here speaking in Tokyo 20th January 2024. Photo: Screenshot from video recording by FFWPU