UPF Europe and Middle East Experts Decry Japan’s Human Rights Violations — Carolyn Handschin

Geneva, Switzerland - UPF co-sponsored a side event at the United Nations Offices about the lack of religious freedom in Japan.

The human rights defense organization CAP LC (Coordination des Associations et Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience), in co-sponsorship with UPF and its affiliated organization Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), held the side event on the occasion of the Universal Periodical Review of Japan at the Human Rights Council.

The Human Rights Council has been based at the UN Offices in Geneva since its founding in 2006. As the Council is directly under the UN General Assembly, the weight of its findings has become very significant. Unlike the previous Human Rights Commission, it has been strongly upgraded to focus on the implementation of human rights in each country.

It is a matter of prestige for every country not to be seen as having serious human rights issues. One of the Human Rights Council’s mechanisms is to scrutinize every member state of the UN every five years, through the process of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). All nations in the Human Rights Council bring forth criticism of human rights records to the country under review, and issue (unbinding) recommendations to remedy those flaws.

On January 31, 2023, the Japanese delegation was receiving criticisms and recommendations from many nations on Japan’s observance of human rights. Some were referring to the absence of an independent human rights institution in Japan, others to the problem of hate speech to which the government turns a blind eye, etc. There was, of course, an overall respect for the great donor nation of Japan, and flaws were noted but didn’t cause any strong consternation. However, when a nation is criticized repeatedly for the same specific reasons, it eventually has to respond to the criticism. This was the reason for organizing a side event when Japan was under review.

While the Universal Periodic Review of Japan was taking place in the main hall of the Human Rights Council, the side event was being held in the same building in a separate hall. About 20 people were present, including a representative of the diplomatic mission of Japan to the UN Geneva, while 120 people attended online, including representatives from 15 UN missions of member states.

Ms. Christine Mirre, Director of CAP LCThe event was titled “What the Abe Assassination Reveals about Tolerance of Hate Speech and the Deficit of Religious Freedom in Japan.” CAP LC Director Christine Mirre chaired the session.

This was the third meeting on human rights held by UPF and CAP LC at the UN in Geneva since the assassination of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8, 2022. Four prominent experts on human rights in Europe were invited to speak.

Hon. Ján Figel Former EU Commissioner, Minister of Transport and Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion and Belief of the EU, SlovakiaThe first speech was recorded on video by Hon. Dr. Ján Figeľ, the first EU special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion outside the EU. He mentioned that numerous members of the Unification Church have become subjects of discrimination and hate speech following the assassination of Shinzo Abe. He described the process that led to two legal initiatives by the Japanese government aimed at depriving the Unification Church/Family Federation of its status as a religious corporation, and at amending the existing consumer protection laws to protect those who donate excessively to religious organizations. He pointed out that freedom of religion or belief is under serious attack around the world, and that 79 percent of the world’s population encounter obstacles in their most essential right to religious freedom.

Click here for the full intervention of Hon. Ján Figeľ

Dr. Aaron Rhodes, Former Executive Director, International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHFHR)The second speaker was Dr. Aaron Rhodes, president of the Forum for Religious Freedom (FOREF Europe). Twelve years ago, Dr Rhodes was involved in the Toru Goto legal case against the kidnapping and deprogramming of Unification Church members in Japan. He explained that the abduction crimes committed in the past against the Unification Church in Japan had not been taken seriously by the Japanese authorities, and that they were followed today by “new massive assaults” on UC members after the assassination of Shinzo Abe. He appealed to Japanese leaders to take positive steps against intolerance toward minorities. He mentioned an “ugly wave of prejudice and discriminatory actions,” as well as biased legislation aiming at dissolving the church, accompanied by death threats and physical attacks on its members. He deplored the fact that other nations and large human rights groups had been silent on such violations of human rights by Japan. He implored the Japanese leaders to have the courage to address religious intolerance.

Click here for the full Intervention of Dr. Aaron Rhodes

Dr. Massimo Introvigne, Founder and Managing Director, Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), Italy.The third speaker, on video, was Dr. Massimo Introvigne, founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR). Some excerpts were selected from speeches he gave at two UPF-organized Conferences of Hope in Korea, in August and November 2022. He described what happened after the assassination of Shinzo Abe, when the victims and the perpetrators were intentionally switched by greedy lawyers who already had been involved in the sequestrations of thousands of Unification Church members, and by communists who never forgave the Unification Church for being against their ideology. He pointed out their agenda to spread in Japan the

secular humanist ideology that views religion as a simple tool to make money through brainwashing members.

Mr. Willy Fautré, CEO and Director, Human Rights Without Frontiers International, BelgiumThe fourth speaker was Willy Fautré, CEO and director of Human Rights without Frontiers. He recalled how, over a period of 45 years, 4,300 converts of the Unification Church had been abducted for deconversion through confinement with the help of evangelical pastors – which was totally contrary to Article 18.2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) – signed by Japan – that guarantees the right to retain one’s religious beliefs. All criminal complaints and civil cases filed at that time by some of the victims had been dismissed, except for Toru Goto’s lawsuit, which was accepted by the judiciary and ended successfully after a six-year battle. Although no media had covered that decision, the lawsuit had a deterring effect on the abductors and put an end to the lucrative business of deprogrammers.

Mr. Fautré also emphasized the consequences of hate speech, which is at the heart of the stigmatization of Unification Church members, particularly after Shinzo Abe’s assassination. More than 400 violent incidents against churches and individuals of the Unification Church were recorded in just two months following the tragic crime. He pointed out that the Japanese government, although not instigating the hate speech, exacerbated it by undertaking “hate-filled actions,” like seeking the removal of the church’s Religious Corporation Status, forbidding its members to associate with members of the Liberal Democratic Party in the National Diet, and not reporting any of their good works.

Click here for the full intervention of Mr. Willy Fautré

Dr. Katsumi Otsuka, Chair, UPF Europe & Middle EastIn conclusion, Dr.

Katsumi Otsuka, the UPF co-chair for Europe and the Middle East, spoke about a City Council member in Japan who had just published a book titled Constitution and the Former Unification Church and stood up for protecting human rights and religious freedom in Japan. He quoted from the book: “The voices of believers who are judged to be anti-social have been rejected. … It is reported now that the root of all evil is the former Unification Church,” to the point that all legislators of the Liberal Democratic Party who had links with that church and its affiliates had to deny them. The author concluded that it was not the former Unification Church, but the way the Unification Church was criticized, that violated the Constitution.

Click here for the full intervention of Dr. Katsumi Otsuka

The violations of human rights by Japan will continue to be exposed at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. UN delegations will be informed of the ongoing witch hunt led by the Japanese government against the Unification Church, instigated by the very group of lawyers who have supported deprogrammings and hate speech campaigns against Unification Church members over the past four decades.

Who we are “’ Where we are “’ What we do”’ - Peace Forum “’ Events”’ •• Isearch … El i @Latest Events Intervention of Hon. Jan Figel’ at the side-event 21 Feb With Rising of the Human Rights Council China-US Tensions, Is There Cha nce for .&. Written by: Hon. Jan Fig el’, former European Commission special envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion, Slovakia Dialogue with the DPRK 23 Feb Viewing..!b..g iiii 31 January 2023 Democratic PeoRle’s ReRublic of Korea (DPRK) from Within 02 May World Summit 2023

‘’®Related articles

Freedom of Faith a ‘Litmus Test’ for All Human Rights

Intervention of Dr. Willy Fautre in the EUME !LC July-August 2022: London Session 5

Intervention of Hon. Jan Figel’ in the EUME !LC July-August 2022: London Session 4 Ladies and Gentlemen,

Human Rights Day: I send my heartful greetings to Geneva from t he 3rd IRF Summit in Washington DC. It is a Civil Society led Challenges and global gathering on important, crucial and fundamental human rights in the current context on Freedom of Opportunities of Our Religion or Belief (FoRB). Time FoRB is an issue of life and death. It is t rue in the least developed countries of Africa and Asia or in the MENA The Rising Need for region. It is true in totalitarian and autocratic countries. But regrettably, it is t rue also in developed Societal Development democracies. We could see innocent victims of attacks in New Zealand, France, USA or Japan.

I am sure this UPF event in Geneva is a very timely contribution to the effort to analyze the situation and some worrying trends in Japan, and to contribute to the p revalence of peaceful coexistence and justice for all.

On July 8, 2022, former Japanese Pri me Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated. His murderer was Tetsuya Yamagami. His reason for killing Abe was that he had participated, through a video and by sending a message, to events organized by the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). UPF is an NGO connected with the Unification Church. It is now called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. UPF holds general consultative status with the United Nations.

Yamagami hated the Unification Church because, twenty years before, his mother went bankrupt, and he attributed her bankruptcy to the excessive donations she had made to that church, of which she is stil l a member. Almost overnight, the opponents of the Church launched a massive attack against the religious movement. Their twisted arguments persuaded most of the media and Japanese public opinion that the Unification Church was responsible for the crime. This intense agitation led to two legal initiatives. The first aimed at depriving the Unification Church/Family Federation of its st atus as a religious corporation. The second at amending the existing consumer protection laws to protect t hose who donate excessively to religious organizations. Church members are subj ect to attacks and discrimination.

Faith and reason, religion and science are two motors moving our societies and civilizations forward. According to the Pew Research Center in Washington DC, 84% of the global population claim a religious affil iation and the number is growing. We speak here about:

1. The owerwhelming majority of the world population ! The UN is here in serve all people, people with their diverse identities and justified rights.

2. Peace is the fruit of justice: j ustice for all. The modern understanding of justice is based on the respect of

fundamental human rights. Religious freedom is defined as freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Article 18 of the UDHR is a very central right, important for both believers and non-believers, for people from A to Z (atheists to Zoroastrians).

FoRB is a litmus test for all other HRs! Th is is the reason for the importance and existence of the UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB. I was the first ever EU FoRB Special Envoy. After my nomination in May 2016, many simi lar envoys, ambassadors and governmental plenipotentiaries have been established in a dozen countries, including HU, UK, DE, NL, PL, DK, LI, EE, CZ, SK, IT…

3. FoRB is under severe pressure: 79% of the global population live in countries with high or very high obstacles to RF. These obstacles are produced by social hostilit ies, violent extremism or terrorism or they represent government restr ictions. The intensity and character of these pressures rank from intolerance through discrimination to persecution, even genocide.

We need urgent globa l action: FoRB climate change!

Freedom without responsibility is not sustainable, it will cease to exist. Like rights without duties, it represents one side of the coin. Whenever we speak about or demand freedom, we should dwell on responsibility as well. This was my principal attitude during my years of service when I met the highest religious representatives.

We need to listen to the representatives of the mill ions of people! Many of them are lifelong and influential authorities respected by their fellow believers. When they speak, the auditorium is usual ly crowded and attentive. In time of cr isis, divisions and growing conflicts, the international community needs to engage all important forces of peace and goodwill for a more humane XXI Century.

The time is ripe for the Millennial initiative of the UN Inter-religious Assembly.

How to establish this?

One stream of action is the !RF Global Movement: Communication, cooperation and coordination among governments, parliamentarians, civil society and faith-based organizations. Since 2014: !PP FoRB, since 2018: Annua l !RF Ministerial Conferences, since 2020: Int’I Religious Freedom and Belief Alliance with 40 members and observers, since 2021: Civil Society led !RF Summit based on !RF Roundtables. It is time to make the voices and actions of the FBOs more influential.

One other stream of patient effort: We need a Special Purpose Action Committee (Task Force) with expertise and trust and with a mandate to speak to decisive authorities. On one side would be the maj or global religions; on the other, important state and UN representatives. This idea should be explicitly supported by the religious authorities and, equally, by the newly established IRFBA Alliance and !RF Summit (Civi l Society led forum), and !PP FoRB. A broadly consu lted initiative and t horoughly drafted text of the UN Resolution must be tabled to the UN General Assembly by several active and committed governments.

FoRB is a very central human right. All HRs stem from human dignity, wh ich is their foundational principle. In 2018, I helped to initiate and draft the “Punta del Este Declaration on Human Dignity for Everyone Everywhere”. It is supported by both religious and secular humanists and serves as an instrument of recommitment to the UDHR. In HD for all, dignity is the point of departu re and an objective criterion of measurement!

Anybody may join the growing list of its signatories at www.dignityforevery_one.org.

I am convinced that this initiative and message can deepen respect for dignity for al l in Japan and elsewhere.

Thank you for your attention. And greetings again from Washington DC.

We are an international and interreligious network of individuals and organizations, including representatives from religion, government, civil society and the private sector dedicated to achieving world peace. UPF supports the work of the United Nations, particularly in the areas of interfaith peacebuilding, peace education, and the strengthening of marriage and family.

Universal Peace Federation is an NGO in General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations We support and promote the work of the United Nations and the achievement of the Sustainable DeveloRment Goals

\. ! • ‘< UPF EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST

;~A1 UNIVERSAL PEACE FEDERATION ~ .,. A Global Network of Peacebuilders ~ ., ~ la-

Who we are “’ Where we are “’ What we do”’ - Peace Forum “’ Events”’ •• Isearch … El I @Latest Events Intervention of Dr. Aaron Rhodes at the side- 21 Feb With Rising event of the Human Rights Council China-US Tensions, Is There Cha nce for .&. Written by: Dr. Aaron Rhodes, former executive director of the International Helsinki Federation Dialogue with the DPRK iiii 31 January 2023 23 Feb Viewing..!b..g Ladies and Gentlemen, Democratic PeoRle’s ReRublic of Korea Over ten years ago, while taking part in a human rights (DPRK) from Within conference in Tokyo, I had an opportunity to hear directly from 02 May World Summit members of t he Unification Church about how Japanese 2023 authorities were ignoring crimes committed against them . Thorough and impartial investigations by Mr. Willy Fautre and his ssociates provided an objective record of the violation of Japan’s international legal human rights obligations, which were I @Related articles presented in reports to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and other international bodies. Freedom of Faith a ‘Litmus Test’ for All he reaction of the Japanese authorities to these reports was Human Rights generally one of denial, stonewalling, and dissembling.

Intervention of Dr. Willy s a human r ights advocate, I t ry to concern myself with how the Fautre in the EUME !LC behavior of governments comports with universal standards that July-August 2022: London Session 5 “- A-•-- define how authorities should protect individual freedom within their jurisdictions. The reasons why local and national authorities Intervention of Hon. Jan violate their obligations is a complex matter of political cultu re and, with regard to protecting the freedom of Figel” in the EUME !LC religion, religious traditions. But culture is no excuse for v iolating basic freedoms. We pay special attention to July-August 2022: the freedom of religion, what we consider the “first freedom,” but this area of human rights practice is, London Session 4 paradoxically, one frequently pushed to the sidelines by religious prejudice itself. I recall vividly how colleagues once resisted defending persecuted members of a rel igious movement because, as they claimed, Human Rights Day: “They are crazy.” Challenges and Opportunities of Our We are here to speak about a new, and massive assault on religious freedom in Japan, again concerning the Time Unification Church , formally speaking the Family Federation for World Peace. I want to use this opportunity The Rising Need for to appeal to Japanese leaders, in both government and civil society, to take positive steps to address obvious Societal Development and deep-seated prejudice and intolerance that threatens not only those who are associated with this movement, and members of other minorities.

The assassination of Prime Minister Abe was a terrible tragedy for Japan and for the community of nations committed to democracy, human rights and peace. It has shocked especially all Japanese people who rej ect violence and seek harmonious relations at home and abroad.

Japan stands out among members of the United Nations for its positive contributions to the liberal international order, and its generally responsible adherence to human rights principles.

Yet, all liberal democracies have their da rk spots when it comes to human rights. There is no question that the ugly wave of prejudice against the Unification Church, and discriminatory official actions against the Church, constitute such a dark spot.

Abe’s assassin blamed him for his cooperation with the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), a nongovernmental organization established within the framework of the Unification Church.

As Dr. Massimo Introvigne found, in the aftermath of the assassination, the Unification Church has been widely held responsible for it, overshadowing the perpetrator’s persona l responsibility; according to Introvigne,

A twisted argument was used, that if the assassin’s mother had not donated huge sums to the Un if ication Church, her son would not have had a grudge against Abe and would not have killed him. A nationa l campaign followed, where the assassin was almost forgotten and media and governmental campaigns targeted the Unification Chu rch, culminating in an official investigation that may result in a legal action by the government aimed at legally dissolving the religious organization.

Blaming - scapegoating - and persecuting the Unification Church for Abe’s mu rder is an example of how religious intolerance can have violent and t ragic consequences, and be twisted in public narratives to generate a mob mentality and even more intolerance.

It is deeply regrettable that the Japanese authorities, rather than defending religious freedom, have appeased popular bigotry and propaganda generated by the Communist Party with quasi-legal efforts aimed at delegitimizing the Unification Church, making it impossible to function, and indeed ending its very existence in Japan. They have set up a biased, official “expert committee” under the influence of a network of activists whose overt obj ective is to “persuade the government to dissolve the [church]; to restrict its ability to ra ise donations; and to pass legislation rendering [church] parents guilty of “child abuse” for raising their children in the church’s faith,” according to a submission to the UN Human Rights Committee by the “Freedom of Conscience” NGO. It is clear that these actions violate the principle of nondiscrimination, and well as religious freedom standards in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

What is even more alarming are the numerous threats agai nst the physical safety, and physical attacks against members of the Unification Church.

I am skeptical of anti-hate speech legislation that restricts speech about controversial subjects; the antidote to hate speech is more speech, and moral education in civil society. But it is common sense that clear incitement to violence must be crimina lized; it is the hate speech that leads to actual hate crimes.

It is intolerable that members of a peaceful and legal religious community are, in Japan, routinely threatened with expu lsion, death and violence. My human rights colleagues have found that “death threats were received by Unification Church branches in Aichi, Hokkaido, and Osa ka. In Nara, threats to kill the pastors reported to the police led to the p recautionary closure of the local church.” They have documented physical attacks on members of the Church.

Based on what has happened at the Un iversal Periodical Review, and since this episode began, it seems the Japanese authorities and media have not been held to account. Why have not Japan’s friends and partners raised concerns? Why have not major human rights organ izations raised concerns? I am not sure, but I imagine it is because Japan is a partner and donor country. Can rich countries purchase impunity for t heir human rights violations? If these t h ings had happened in a small, weak country, the international community would have loudly complained. A central principle of the Rule of Law, and of liberalism, is that standards need to be applied evenly and without prejudice.

It is disconcerting and painful that these acts are met with impunity in a member state of the United Nations renowned for it s democratic culture, humanistic values and positive international contributions to peace and welfare. While bringing this to the attention of international bodies, we also implore Japanese leaders to have the courage to be fair, and take positive steps to address religious intolerance. We are ready to help.

Who we are “’ Where we are “’ What we do”’ - Peace Forum “’ Events”’ •• Isearch … El @Latest Events Intervention of Dr. Katsumi Otsuka at the side- 21 Feb With Rising event of the Human Rights Council China-US Tensions, Is There Cha nce for .&. Written by: Dr. Katsumi Otsuka, Chair, UPF for Europe and the Middle East Dialogue with the DPRK iiii 31 January 2023 23 Feb Viewing..!b..g Thank you very much, Madame Chairwoman, for giving me this Democratic PeoRle’s opportunity to speak in th is precious session about the issue of ReRublic of Korea religious freedom and human r ights in Japan. Let me first salute all (DPRK) from Within the investment that the organizer put into th is session. It is also 02 May World Summit my great pleasure to be together with well-known experts on 2023 human rights and religious freedom.

Since many distinguished experts have already spoken a lot about the cur rent t errible situation in Japan, I do not want to repeat th is @Related articles again. Instead, let me introduce you to one human rights protector and religious freedom defender in a local city of Japan. Freedom of Faith a ‘Litmus Test’ for All His name is Norio Hosoya, a city council member of the Toride-city Human Rights congress, Jbaraki prefecture. Of course, he is not a member of the former Un if ication Church, but he stood up alone for protecting Intervention of Dr. Willy human rights and religious freedom in Japan. Fautre in the EUME !LC July-August 2022: He recently published a book on the former Unification Church London Session 5 and Japanese Constitution t itled “Constitution and the former Intervention of Hon. Jan Unification Church.” This book was published on January 26 th of this year. I was very impressed by this book, Figel” in the EUME !LC so I thought that introducing this book would help you to better understand the situation in Japan. July-August 2022: Let me quote a little from his book. Hosoya w rote as follows as an introduction to the book. (Let me quote!) London Session 4

Human Rights Day: “The vortex of criticism against the former Unification Church (Family Federation for World Peace and Challenges and Unification) that erupted from the attack on Shinzo Abe is f looding all over Japan. The voices of believers who Opportunities of Our are judged to be anti-socia l have been rej ected and the voices of the 2nd generation were eliminated and Time drowned out! Where are their human rights? This book is a record of the struggles in a local city with a population of 100,000 which seeks to have a fair and neutral administration, thoroughly relying on the The Rising Need for Constitution of Japan.” Societal Development He also wrot e in the introduction. Let me quote…

“It is reported now that the root of all evil is the former Un ification Church, and there has been a loud chorus of call for pol iticians to clar ify as to whether they had any contact with this organization, whether they attended gatherings, whether they sent messages, and so on. The Liberal Democratic Party, of which many members of the Diet are linked to the Unification Chu rch, conducted an internal investigation into all members of parliament who belong to the party, and Secretary-General Motegi spokes as follows with emphasis after the investigation ,

“We will not have any relationship with the former Unification Church from now on. I am convinced that there are no lawmakers who cannot follow the party’s decision, but if they are, they cannot work in the same party.”

The Liberal Democratic Party’s remarks and investigations have begun to exert influence over local pol it ical circles…

What criter ia should we use in making decisions when infor mation is one-sided? The government must be neutral to everyone … So, I decided to look at the situation based on the Constitution. Then, I found that it was not the “fo rmer Unification Church” t hat violated the Constitution, but that the tone of the criticism against the Unification Church is violating the Constitution.”

He made a very concrete action for protecting religious freedom! Let me quote.

“In Toride City, a member of the communist party proposed a resolution to eliminate its ties with the Unification Church, but he (Mr. Hosoya) argued against the resolution based on the Constitution and strongly countered that the request itsel f was a violation of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought and belief. He strongly objected to the resolution on that point, and the resolution request was rejected by an overwhelming majority.”

I thank you for your attention.