Civil lawsuits filed by the church against critics and government edit
Since Abe's assassination, the Unification Church, its followers and associated organizations have filed a series of lawsuits against broadcasting stations, lawyers, journalists and former believer who publicly discussed on issues such as fundraising and proselyting practices of the Unification Church. Toyama City Council was targeted for declaring severance with the church.
Defendants perceived these lawsuits as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) aimed at stifling discussions that could be detrimental to the church.[1][2][3]
| Case | Filing date | Complaint | Demands | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unification Church v. Yomiuri TV & Masaki Kito[4][5] | 2022-09-29 | Kito's statement about "female believers being forced into prostitution after the founder's death" aired by Yomiuri TV on 20 July 2022. | 22 million yen and public apology | |
| Unification Church v. Yomiuri TV & Kentarō Motomura[5] | Motomura's statement which accused the church of "illegal proselyting practices" aired by Yomiuri TV on 2 September 2022. | |||
| Unification Church v. TBS TV & Hideki Yashiro[5] | Yashiro's statement which accused the church of "causing numerous consumer disputes" aired by TBS TV on 1 September 2022. | Dismissed on 30 June 2023[6] | ||
| Unification Church v. Nippon TV & Yoshiu Arita[7][8] | 2022-10-27 | Arita's statement which accused the church of "anti-social organization for spiritual sales" aired by Nippon TV on 19 August 2022. | ||
| Unification Church v. TBS Radio & Masaki Kito[8] | Kito's statement which accused the church of "faking own followers deprogrammed by violent group" broadcast by TBS Radio on 9 September 2022. | 11 million yen and public apology | ||
| Women's Federation For World Peace v. Zenkoku Benren Seven[9] | 2023-07-03 | Seven lawyers with Zenkoku Benren lobbied Japanese municipal governments to deny public venues for Women's Federation For World Peace on 15 June 2023. | 33 million yen | |
| Makoto Yasuda v. Toyama City[10] | 2022-12-16 | Toyama City Council passed the resolution of severing ties to the Unification Church and its associated organizations in September 2022. (Yasuda is the pseudonym of a Unification Church follower living in Toyama. "Toyama Prefecture Peace Ambassadors Council" is managed by a PR officer for the church.) | 3.5 million yen and rollback of the resolution | |
| Toyama Prefecture Peace Ambassadors Council v. Toyama City[11] | 2023-08-01 | 22 million yen | ||
| Unification Church v. Noriko Ishigaki[12] | 2022-11 | Sayuri Ogawa's statement about "her parents donated large sum of money for the church" during a hearing with the Constitutional Democratic Party published online by lawmaker Noriko Ishigaki on November 2022. (The case was nominally against Ishigaki, but in fact targeted Ogawa, the former follower turned critic and activist against the church.)[13] | Delete the published video | Dismissed in August 2023[12] |
| Toru Gotō v. Eito Suzuki[14] | 2023-10-04 | Suzuki's statement about "Toru Gotō being a hikikomori" published on social media. (Gotō was unsuccessfully deprogrammed from the Unification Church by his family.) | 11 million yen and delete the online post | |
| Universal Peace Federation v. Eito Suzuki[3] | Suzuki's statement about "Shinzo Abe getting paid for his 2021 video speech for an event by the Universal Peace Federation (UPF)". (UPF claimed that they did not pay Abe's 2021 video speech, while admitting that Donald Trump, who also gave the video speech on the same event, was indeed paid.) | 11 million yen |
References edit
- ^ 統一教会がスラップ連発～問われる日本の民主主義, Social Democratic Party (in Japanese), 2023-07-28, retrieved 2023-10-21
- ^ 【旧統一教会】鈴木エイト氏"資金移転"を解説「現金100万円までは申告不要...すでに韓国渡航が促されたという情報も」教団から訴訟された現状も明かす 政府は解散命令請求を決定, MBS News (in Japanese), 2023-10-12, retrieved 2023-10-21
- ^ a b 旧統一教会が繰り出す「訴訟連発」と「メディア抗議」の本当の狙い…友好団体が鈴木エイト氏を提訴, Nikkan Gendai (in Japanese), 2023-10-05, retrieved 2023-10-22
- ^ 紀藤弁護士「すぐに取り下げるべき」旧統一教会が計2200万円の損賠賠償を求めた裁判始まる, Nikkan Sports (in Japanese), 2023-02-13, retrieved 2023-10-22
- ^ a b c 旧統一教会が提訴「ミヤネ屋」の紀藤弁護士、本村弁護士「ひるおび」の八代弁護士らを名誉棄損で, Nikkan Sports (in Japanese), 2022-09-29, retrieved 2023-10-22
- ^ 旧統一教会の請求棄却 TV番組での弁護士発言めぐる訴訟 東京地裁, Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese), 2023-06-30, retrieved 2023-10-21
- ^ 有田芳生氏「反社会性を徹底的に明らかにしていく」旧統一教会が損害賠償求めた裁判始まる, Nikkan Sports (in Japanese), 2023-05-16, retrieved 2023-10-22
- ^ a b 旧統一教会が日テレとTBSラジオ提訴 番組出演者発言「名誉毀損」, Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese), 2022-10-27, retrieved 2023-10-22
- ^ 旧統一教会の友好団体、霊感商法対策の弁護士らを提訴, Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese), 2023-07-04, retrieved 2023-10-21
- ^ 富山市議会の旧統一教会と断絶決議 取消訴訟, NHK (in Japanese), 2023-03-13, retrieved 2023-10-21
- ^ 「断絶決議は名誉毀損」 旧統一教会が富山市を提訴, Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese), 2023-08-01, retrieved 2023-10-21
- ^ a b 元２世信者への教団反論を却下 東京地裁「名誉毀損成立しない」 [Church's demand against former believer dismissed by court], Kyodo News (in Japanese), Okinawa Times, 2023-09-14, retrieved 2023-10-22
- ^ 統一教会の解散命令請求を目前に！ 被害者救済を妨げる資産流出や隠匿を防ぐ財産保全「特別措置法」の今国会成立を求める「声明」を発表！～9.30 全国弁連東京集会 ―内容：「統一教会の解散請求と財産保全、内部の実情、二世問題について」ほか, Independent Web Journal (in Japanese), 2023-09-30, retrieved 2023-10-22,
山口貴士弁護士が、石垣のりこ参議院議員（実質的には二世の小川さゆりさん）を対象としたスラップ訴訟を報告
- ^ 信者がジャーナリスト提訴 旧統一教会、「名誉毀損」, Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese), 2023-10-04, retrieved 2023-10-22