米国務省 「信教の自由に関する国際報告書」を発表UPF JAPAN 公式noteUPF JAPAN 公式note2024年6月27日 11:40PDF魚拓
家庭連合の事例を報告
米国務省はこのほど、2023年度版「信教の自由に関する国際報告書」を発表しました。同報告書は、米国議会が1998年に可決した「国際信教の自由法」に基づき、国務省に対して、世界各地の信仰の自由に関する年次報告書の議会への提出が義務付けたもので、各国に設置された米国大使館が毎年、担当地域の報告書を取りまとめています。
今回の報告書では、日本の家庭連合（旧統一教会）の事例が掲載されました。2022年の安倍晋三元首相の暗殺以来、「偏向」「敵対的」と表現されるメディアの報道や全国弁連からの圧力によって、信仰をオープンに表現することができない状況が取り上げられているほか、献金を断られたり、市や行事が教会と関わりたくないという理由で地域の行事への参加を拒否されたりした例も報告されました。
https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/japan/
＜信仰の自由に関する国際報告書（2022年版）－日本に関する部分＞
https://jp.usembassy.gov/ja/religious-freedom-report-2022-j/
米国務省 「信教の自由に関する国際報告書」を発表
UPF JAPAN 公式note
2024年6月27日 11:40
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The constitution provides for freedom of religion and prohibits religious organizations from exercising any political authority or receiving privileges from the state. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA), there are approximately 180,000 registered religious organizations with corporate status that received government tax benefits.
On October 13, the Tokyo District Court accepted a request from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Science (MEXT) to order the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (Family Federation), formerly known as the Unification Church. This marked a deviation from the norm, as previously revocations had only been ordered following violations of criminal law, while this dissolution was ordered on the basis of violation of civil law. MEXT Minister Moriyama Masahito said the church had systemically violated civil law, alleging it used its religious organization status to encourage members to make donations and expensive purchases that harmed public welfare and deviated from its original purpose since 1980. He said the church met statutory conditions for dissolution, stating MEXT judged the church’s acts by law as having been “clearly found to harm public welfare substantially” and having “deviated substantially from the purpose of a religious organization prescribed” in the law. On October 16, the church responded that the grounds MEXT presented for dissolution were not in accordance with the law.
In 2022, according to the latest statistics available, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) reported five cases of religious freedom abuses, compared with five in 2021, and provided various forms of nonbinding assistance. According to the Japan Uyghur Association (JUA) and the Uyghur Refugees Support Foundation (URSF), individuals connected with the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continued to intimidate Uyghur Muslims residing in Japan. JUA and URSF stated the Japanese government generally showed willingness to protect Uyghur Muslims in the country and did not deport any to the PRC during the year. The government continued to grant special permits to stay on humanitarian grounds to most of the approximately 400 to 450 Rohingya Muslims who had entered the country on the basis of fear of ethnic and religious persecution in Burma and to those who were born in Japan.
Members of the Family Federation stated they were unable to express their religion openly due to what they described as “biased” or “antagonistic” media coverage and pressure from the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales since the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. Members also reported instances where a monetary donation was declined and members were denied participation in a community cultural event because the city or event did not want to be associated with the church.
In meetings with government agencies and lawmakers, U.S. embassy and Department of State officials encouraged the government to continue working with the United States to respect religious freedom in Japan and abroad, including in joint efforts based on shared values to call out countries that restricted religious freedom. In meetings with the Japanese Association of Religious Organizations as well as with leaders of religious groups and organizations representing religious minorities and with religious freedom advocates, embassy officials underscored the priority the United States places on respect for religious freedom, discussed issues faced by these communities, and advised some of them on outreach efforts with the government.
Section I.
Religious Demography
The U.S. government estimates the total population at 123.7 million (mid-year 2023). The most recent ACA statistics available indicate membership in religious groups totaled 179 million as of December 31, 2021. This number is substantially greater than the country’s population. Experts say this number reflects that many citizens affiliate with multiple religions, as well as the varying definitions of “follower” and methods of counting followers by religious organization. For example, it is common for followers of Buddhism to participate in religious ceremonies and events of other religions, such as Shinto, and vice versa. Religious affiliation includes 87.2 million Shinto followers (48.6 percent), 83.2 million Buddhists (46.4 percent), 1.9 million Christians (1.1 percent), and 7.1 million adherents of other religious groups (4 percent). The category of “other” and nonregistered religious groups includes Islam, the Baha’i Faith, Hinduism, and Judaism. The Family Federation officially says it has 560,000 followers in the country (approximately 0.45 percent of the population). In a September 22 press conference, Family Federation director general for promoting the reform of the Church Teshigawara Hideyuki stated the church has nearly 100,000 active followers in Japan (approximately 0.08 percent of the population).
Immigrants, refugees, and foreign workers practice a variety of religions, including Buddhism, Muslim, and Christianity, according to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in close contact with them. Waseda University professor emeritus Tanada Hirofumi, an expert regarding the Muslim community, estimates that as of 2020, there were approximately 230,000 Muslims in the country, including approximately 47,000 citizens. Most of the approximately 430 Rohingya Muslims in the country live in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, with some residing in Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, and Nagoya, according to the Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan (BRAJ). U.S.-based nonprofit organization Uyghur Human Rights Project estimates there are 2,000-3,000 Uyghur Muslims in the country. URSF said most Uyghur Muslims reside in Tokyo, its surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa, or the Kansai region of western Japan. URSF and JUA estimate that approximately 800 Uyghur Muslims in the country are naturalized Japanese citizens. The Jewish population is approximately 2,000 to 4,000, according to a representative of the American Jewish Committee.
Section II.
Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom
Legal Framework
The constitution provides for freedom of religion, requires the state to refrain from religious education or any other religious activity, prohibits compelling any person to take part in any religious practice, and bans expending and appropriating public money or other property for the use, benefit, or maintenance of any religious institution. It does not allow religious organizations to exercise political authority or receive privileges from the state. According to the government’s interpretation, the constitution allows an individual belonging to a political party backed by a religious organization to hold public office involving national political affairs, provided the individual and the religious organization are legally two separate entities and the individual does not act as a religious representative during his or her time in office. Religious organizations are also allowed to lobby and campaign for politicians and express political opinions publicly. The constitution states that the people shall not abuse constitutional freedoms and rights and shall be responsible to use these freedoms and rights for the public welfare.
The law prevents organizations (religious or otherwise) from engaging in “unfair” solicitation of donations and from requesting donors to use real estate or other assets as collateral to procure funds for donations. The law provides relief for individuals and their families financially damaged by such organizations by allowing them to recoup donations and cancel contracts. The law prohibits organizations from soliciting donations by “unfair” means, including restricting freedom of movement or obstructing consultation with family or outside groups. The law calls for imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to ¥10 million ($71,000), or both for repeat violations. The law also extends the time during which individuals and their families may be reimbursed for donations or cancel contracts deemed unfair from five years to 10 years.
The law does not require religious groups to register or apply for certification, but it exempts government-certified religious groups with corporate status from paying income tax on donations and religious offerings used as part of their operational and maintenance expenses. The law requires religious groups applying for corporate status to prove they have a physical space for worship and that their primary purpose is disseminating religious teachings, conducting religious ceremonies, and educating and nurturing believers. An applicant must present, in writing, a three-year record of activities as a religious organization, a list of members and religious teachers, the rules of the organization, information about the method of making decisions on managing assets, statements of income and expenses for the past three years, and a list of assets. The law stipulates prefectural governors have jurisdiction over groups seeking corporate status in their respective prefecture, and that groups must apply for registration with prefectural governments. Exceptions are granted for groups with offices in multiple prefectures, which they may register with MEXT. After the MEXT minister or a prefectural governor confirms an applicant meets the legal definition of a certified religious group with corporate status, the law requires the applicant to formulate administrative rules pertaining to its purpose, core personnel, and financial affairs. An applicant becomes a religious corporation only after the MEXT minister or governor approves its application and the applicant subsequently registers.
The law requires certified religious corporations to disclose their assets, income, and expenditures to the government. The law also authorizes the government to investigate possible violations of regulations governing for-profit activities. Authorities have the right to suspend a religious corporation’s for-profit activities for up to one year if the group violates the regulations.
Under the “right of inquiry” provision of the Religious Corporation Act, the government may investigate religious corporations suspected of committing acts that are illegal or are deemed to clearly harm the public welfare. A court may order the dissolution of a religious corporation, consequently revoking its corporate status and tax benefits, if the court finds the corporation has committed such acts. After dissolution, the law does not hinder a religious group from continuing to practice its religion as a noncorporate entity.
The law stipulates that worship and religious rituals performed by inmates in penal institutions, alone or in a group, shall not be prohibited. The MOJ offers inmates access to volunteer chaplains from various faiths in prisons.
The law states schools established by the national and local governments must refrain from religious education or other activities in support of a specific religion. Private schools are permitted to teach specific religions. The law also states an attitude of religious tolerance and general knowledge regarding religion and its position in social life should be valued in education. Both public and private schools must develop curricula in line with MEXT standards. These standards are based on the law, which states that schools should give careful consideration when teaching religion in general to junior high and high school students.
Labor law states a person may not be disqualified from union membership based on religion.
The country is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Government Practices
On October 13, the Tokyo District Court officially accepted a request submitted by MEXT to order the revocation of legal corporate status for the Family Federation in order to “dissolve” the church as a statutory term. On October 12, MEXT Minister Moriyama stated the request was based on the church’s responses to questions regarding its activities and on interviews the National Network of Lawyers against Spiritual Sales conducted with 170 individuals who allegedly suffered financial damages caused by the church. Minister Moriyama said MEXT found the church had systematically continued violating civil law since 1980 by collecting large sums of money in the form of donations and encouraging expensive purchases by a considerable number of its followers in situations that prevented them from making decisions with free will. Minister Moriyama said the church had committed these acts as a corporate organization and caused the followers and their family members enormous financial and mental damages. He cited 32 civilian lawsuits in which the church paid ¥2.2 billion ($15.5 million) in damages to 169 plaintiffs, as well as additional settlements in and outside court involving 1,550 victims totaling ¥20.4 billion ($144.2 million). He said the church had met statutory conditions for dissolution, as MEXT judged the church’s acts were “clearly found to harm public welfare substantially” and had “deviated substantially from the purpose of a religious organization prescribed” in the law, the dissemination of religious teachings, the conduct of ceremonies and functions, and the education and nurture of believers. On October 12, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio stated MEXT’s dissolution request was based on “objective facts under law.”
This was the government’s first request to dissolve a religious corporation on the basis of a violation of civil law. In a Diet session in 2022, Prime Minister Kishida said the government had previously interpreted a violation of criminal law as a prerequisite for requesting the dissolution of a religious corporation. This interpretation was based on a 1996 court decision, which ordered the dissolution of the group Aum Shinrikyo for systematically producing the chemical agent sarin for mass murder in violation of criminal law. He said that upon further discussion, the government determined it should request dissolution on a case-by-case basis. As a result, the government interpreted it was possible to include a violation of civil law as a prerequisite for requesting the dissolution provided the government found a religious corporation’s acts were systematic, malicious, and continuous. Minister Moriyama publicly stated MEXT concluded the Family Federation’s acts were systematic, malicious, and continuous and submitted the request for the dissolution with the unanimous endorsement of the MEXT advisory council of religious and legal experts.
On October 16, the Family Federation released a public statement opposing the dissolution, saying the grounds MEXT presented for requesting the dissolution were not in accordance with law. A lawyer for the church criticized the dissolution order for not specifying what laws were violated and said the church would fight the order in court. On November 7, the president of the Japanese branch of the Family Federation, Tanaka Tomihiro, made the first public apology by a top church official since a man with a grievance against the church assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo in 2022, which was a catalyst in renewing scrutiny of the church. During the news conference, Tanaka confirmed that the church intended to fight the government’s dissolution order based on the “viewpoint of freedom of religion and the rule of law.”
On December 13, the Diet enacted a bill to financially assist victims seeking compensation for damages from a religious organization whose corporate status was a subject to a court’s deliberation on whether to remove its tax-exempt status; to report to the government one month in advance any disposal of real estate; and to submit a list of its assets every three months. While the bill did not specifically name the Family Federation, it contained a provision stating it should not be interpreted as authorizing MEXT or any prefectural governor to interfere in the faith of religious organizations with corporate status.
On July 3, a group of international human rights activists published Why Japan Should Guarantee Religious Liberty to the Unification Church/Family Federation: A Letter to the Government. The group called for an end to what it referred to as a witch hunt against a minority religion.
International lawyer Nakayama Tatsuki stated in a September booklet that the country’s government, led by Prime Minister Kishida, was not following the 1951 Religious Corporations Act but appeared to be “practicing politics.” Nakayama noted only two other religious organizations had been dissolved, both times following the criminal convictions of their leaders, and that several other organizations continued to exist even after such convictions.
Children of certain Family Federation and Jehovah’s Witnesses members stated at 2022 Diet hearings that the Family Federation and Jehovah’s Witnesses violated religious freedom by using force to compel minors (younger children and teenagers of their members) to participate in Family Federation and Jehovah’s Witnesses practices. Jehovah’s Witnesses officials stated that church members do not force children to adopt their faith and that “unbalanced” media coverage perpetuated dangerous stereotypes founded on inaccurate and distorted claims made by former associates.
Uyghur Muslims continued to report that individuals connected with the PRC government attempted to intimidate Uyghur Muslims residing in Japan by surveilling their relatives in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, especially in Kashgar Prefecture, and implying risks to the relatives’ safety. URSF board chairperson Ilham Mahmut said the PRC’s intimidation prevented communication between many Uyghur Muslim residents in Japan and their families in Xinjiang. He said the Japanese government continued to generally show willingness to protect Uyghur Muslims in the country, noting that the government did not deport any Uyghur Muslims to the PRC during the year.
On October 30-31, the Japan-Uyghur Parliamentary Caucus (JUPC) and the Japanese parliamentary caucus, in coordination with the World Uyghur Congress and JUA, hosted the second International Uyghur Forum. More than 150 parliamentarians, civil society members, and Uyghur survivors of PRC repression from North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, including Taiwan, discussed challenges to promoting religious freedom and protections for members of religious minorities globally, international responses to human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang and other regions of China, and threats to peace and security in the region.
According to the Japanese Falun Dafa Association president, the PRC Consulate General in Japan tried to obstruct Shen Yun Performing Arts (Falun Dafa’s performance company) from resuming theater performances in Japan during the year, following a hiatus due to COVID-19. In December, the PRC Consulate General sent one theater a letter disparaging the Falun Gong and requested the theater reconsider providing a venue for Shen Yun performances. After receiving a report of the letter, police provided security to prevent interference with performances in the theater. No visible interference occurred. The Falun Dafa Association president said local authorities continued to grant permits for the association’s street marches opposing the PRC’s repression against Falun Gong practitioners, including the marches in April in Tokyo, May in Yokohama, and July in Osaka and Kyoto.
The MOJ’s Human Rights Bureau continued to operate its hotline for human rights inquiries, available during the year in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Nepali, Spanish, Indonesian, and Thai. In May, the MOJ reported that in 2022 (latest statistics available) its human rights division confirmed five cases were “highly likely” to have been religious freedom violations, compared with five such cases in 2021. The MOJ assisted the potential victims in all five cases by mediating between the parties, calling on alleged human rights violators to rectify their behavior, or referring the complainants to competent authorities for legal advice. These MOJ measures, however, were not legally binding.
According to the ACA, as of the end of 2021, the most recent year for which statistics were available, central and prefectural governments had certified 179,952 groups as religious groups with corporate status, compared with 180,544 such groups at the end of 2020. The large number reflected the fact that many local units of religious groups registered separately. The government generally certified corporate status for religious groups when they met the requirements.
NGOs continued to express concern regarding the government’s interpretation of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its protocol, which resulted in a low rate of approval of refugee applications.
According to press reports, the Immigration Services Agency continued to not serve halal food to Muslim detainees. However, a local store near the Nagoya detention center provided halal products for sale.
Section III.
Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom
According to the Japanese Falun Dafa Association president, during the year, Wang Zhian, a Chinese resident in Japan and YouTube content creator, verbally attacked Falun Gong practitioners in Mandarin on his YouTube channel. The president said that the Falun Dafa Headquarters’ research suggested Wang, who called himself a journalist, potentially received financial support from the Chinese Communist Party in exchange for discrediting Falun Gong publicly.
Members of the Family Federation stated they were unable to express their religion openly due to what they described as “biased” or “antagonistic” media coverage and pressure from the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales since the assassination of former Prime Minister Abe in 2022. Members stated they feared indicating their church affiliation due to worries over being shunned, citing examples including one city employee declining a monetary donation from the church and one city denying a member’s participation in at least one community cultural event because they did not want to be associated with the organization. Members expressed concern that their hesitancy to express their religion would be exacerbated if the court decided to “dissolve” or revoke the corporate status of the church, as the public might view this decision as confirmation that the organization was “bad.” If the decision to dissolve the church is rendered, the church indicated it would appeal and expects the process may potentially take several years.
Muslim communities said Japanese society was generally tolerant of their faith. Media outlets reported local communities, particularly in the western part of the country, were reluctant to have Islamic cemeteries in their neighborhoods, with local residents expressing concerns that the Islamic tradition of burying a body could contaminate soil and water (99.9 percent of the dead are cremated in Japan). Most of the seven cemeteries accepting Islamic burials were in the eastern part of the country. On May 11, however, the Mainichi newspaper reported the local community in Hiji and the Beppu Muslim Association reached an agreement to allow the association to establish an Islamic cemetery consisting of 79 plots covering a 4,900 square-meter area of town-owned land; once completed, this would be the first Islamic cemetery in the Kyushu region in the country’s southwest region.
A representative of the American Jewish Committee said the country was very accepting of Judaism, but added the Jewish community was vigilant in monitoring the mass media coverage of Jewish issues and publication of books for possible antisemitism content. The intersection and the area outside of the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo was the site of protests following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, leading the Metropolitan Police Department to increase security in the area. On November 16, a vehicle driven by Sekiguchi Shinobu broke through a temporary barricade set up at an intersection leading to the road accessing the embassy, before crashing into a fence along a sidewalk and injuring a Japanese police officer on site. Sekiguchi, whom the government confirmed belonged to a right-wing group, was arrested for obstruction of official duties. The American Jewish Committee’s representative in Tokyo said the Jewish community considered the incident a one-off action by a person that was not representative of the Japanese public, as the incident was directed at the Israel Embassy, rather than the general Jewish population in the country. The representative said, however, that most Jews saw the incident as an attack on all Jews, not just Israel.
Section IV.
U.S. Government Policy and Engagement
In meetings and interagency events with government ministries and with lawmakers, U.S. embassy and Department of State officials encouraged the government to continue working with the United States to respect religious freedom in Japan and abroad, including in joint efforts to call out countries that restricted religious freedom based on our shared values. U.S. embassy and other U.S. government officials encouraged the government to continue to work with the United States to resist PRC activities that harmed the religious freedom of Muslims and other groups originating from the PRC and from other countries.
The embassy closely monitored issues surrounding the Family Federation and Jehovah’s Witnesses Japan, and maintained contact with Diet members, government regulators, those affected by church practices, and church representatives, emphasizing in all cases the importance of religious freedom.
The embassy hosted a series of engagements with Uyghur leaders and survivors, in support of the U.S. State Department’s ongoing Xinjiang campaign and to encourage continued efforts within Japan to promote religious freedom and protections for members of religious minorities globally. From October 30 to November 1, the embassy supported a U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) visit in conjunction with the International Uyghur Forum. A senior embassy official provided opening remarks for the forum, hosted a roundtable with USCIRF leaders and forum organizers, and posted to social media about the event.
On December 7, the Ambassador hosted a Hanukkah reception for members of the Jewish and diplomatic communities, government officials and Diet members, and reaffirmed the U.S. government’s dedication to strengthening and promoting interfaith and intercultural dialogue to advance a culture of peace.
The Embassy closely monitored issues surrounding the Unification Church and Jehovah’s Witnesses Japan, and maintained contact with Diet members, government regulators, those affected by church practices, and church representatives, emphasizing in all cases the importance of religious freedom.
In conversations and meetings with the Japanese Association of Religious Organizations as well as with leaders of religious groups and organizations representing religious minorities and with religious freedom advocates, including Rohingya and Uyghur Muslims and the Jewish and Falun Gong communities, embassy officials underscored the priority the United States places on respect for religious freedom, discussed issues faced by these communities, and advised some of them on their outreach efforts with the national government and local municipalities.
2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Japan
＊下記の日本語文書は参考のための仮翻訳で、正文は英文 です。
米国国務省
国際信仰の自由室
2023年5月15日発表
エグゼクティブ・サマリー
日本国憲法は、信仰（信教）の自由を規定し、宗教団体がいかなる政治上の権力であろうともこれを行使すること、あるいは国からの特権を受けることを禁止している。文化庁によると、政府の税制優遇を受ける法人格を有する宗教団体は約18万ある。
7月8日の安倍晋三元首相の暗殺事件により、統一教会として知られる世界平和統一家庭連合に対して、また同教会の実践に対する政府による対応策への要求などに対してもメディアの大きな注目が集まった。安倍元首相の暗殺者は、母親が統一教会に自らの意志で入信したことで家族が破産したとされ、元首相が同教会と関係があったことから安倍氏を狙ったと述べた。岸田文雄首相は10月、政府相談窓口に1700件の苦情が寄せられたことを挙げ、宗教法人法に規定されている質問権に基づき、同教会への調査を開始すると発表した。11月および12月、政府は調査の一環として統一教会に質問状を送付した。同教会は一切の不正行為を否定した。国会は12月、寄付の「不当」な勧誘を禁止し、そのような寄付金の返還を寄付者が受けられる期間を延長する法律を2本可決した。入手可能な最新の統計によると、法務省は2021年には信教の自由の侵害が5件あったと報告し（2020年は4件）、法的拘束力のない支援をさまざまな形で提供した。日本ウイグル協会によると、中国とつながりのある複数の人物が、日本国内の同協会員に接触し、中国国内に住む家族への脅迫を示唆する、あるいは日本にあるウイグル人イスラム教徒の関連団体に対して影響力を行使しようと企むことで、日本国内に住む同協会員への威嚇を続けた。日本ウイグル協会は、政府は日本に住むウイグル人イスラム教徒の保護に対しておおむね意欲を見せ、2022年には1人も中国に退去させなかったと述べた。非政府組織(NGO)は、難民認定率が引き続き低い状態にある原因となった政府による国連の難民の地位に関する条約およびその議定書の解釈に関して、引き続き懸念を表明した。入手可能な情報によると、法務省は2021年に、宗教を理由に迫害の恐れがあるという十分に理由のある恐怖を有した11人の申請者に対して難民認定を行った。2020年は2人であった。政府は、ビルマでの民族的・宗教的迫害への恐れを根拠に入国した380人～400人のイスラム教徒ロヒンギャ人の大多数と日本で生まれた者に対して、人道的な理由による特別在留許可を引き続き与えた。
統一教会は、安倍元首相の暗殺以降、信者が攻撃や暴力、殺害の脅迫を受けたと述べた。報道機関は、西日本の一部地域が近隣のイスラム教墓地設置に引き続き難色を示していた中で、大分県のある地域が墓地を受け入れたと報じた。
米国大使館および国務省職員は、政府機関や国会議員との面談を通じて、中国やその他の信仰の自由を制限する国から来たイスラム教徒を保護するため、米国と引き続き協力するよう政府に促した。日本宗教連盟をはじめ、宗教団体、少数派宗教団体の指導者、信仰の自由の擁護者との対話や会合にて、大使館職員は米国が信仰の自由の尊重を優先事項としている点を強調し、このような団体が直面する問題について議論し、いくつかの団体に対しては日本政府へ働きかける取り組みについて助言を行った。
第1節 宗教統計
米国政府は、日本の総人口を1億2420万人と推計している（2022年中ごろの推計）。文化庁の報告によると、各宗教団体の信者数は、2020年12月31日時点で合計1億8100万人であった。この数字は日本の総人口よりも大幅に多く、日本国民の多くが複数の宗教を信仰していることを反映している。例えば、仏教徒が神道など他の宗教の宗教的儀式や行事に参加するのは一般的なことであり、逆もまた同様である。文化庁によると、信者の定義および信者数の算出方法は宗教団体ごとに異なる。宗教的帰属で見ると、神道の信者数が8790万人（48.5％）、仏教が8390万人（46.3％）、キリスト教が190万人（1％）、その他の宗教団体の信者730万人（4％）である。「その他」の宗教および未登録の宗教団体には、イスラム教、バハーイー教、ヒンズー教、およびユダヤ教が含まれる。報道によると、統一教会の信者数は約60万人となっている（人口の約0.5％）。
外国人労働者と緊密に接触するNGOによると、ほとんどの移住者や外国人労働者は、仏教または神道以外の宗教を実践している。ムスリム・コミュニティーに関する専門家である早稲田大学の店田廣文名誉教授の推計によると、2020年時点で日本にいるイスラム教徒の数は約23万人で、この中には約4万7000人の日本人が含まれている。在日ビルマロヒンギャ協会のゾーミントゥ会長によると、日本のイスラム教徒ロヒンギャ人の人口は380人～400人で、ほとんどが東京都の北に位置する群馬県に住んでおり、一部は埼玉県、千葉県、東京都、名古屋市に居住する。ウイグル文化センターのイリハム・マハムティ理事長は、日本にいる約2000人のウイグル人イスラム教徒のほとんどが、引き続き東京あるいは東京近郊の千葉、埼玉、神奈川県に居住していると述べた。また、2000人近くのウイグル人イスラム教徒の約760人が日本に帰化したと推計している。米国ユダヤ人協会の代表によると、ユダヤ教徒の総数は2000人～4000人である。
第2節 政府による信仰の自由の尊重の現状
法的枠組み
日本国憲法は、信教の自由を規定し、国に宗教教育やその他いかなる宗教的活動もしてはならないと義務付け、いかなる宗教的行事にも人を強制して参加させてはいけないとしている。宗教団体が政治上の権力を行使することも、国からの特権を受けることも許していない。政府の解釈によると、憲法は、個人とその個人が属する宗教団体が法的に別個の存在であり、かつ個人が公職にある期間に宗教の代表者として活動しなければ、宗教団体が支援する政治団体に属する個人が国政に関わる公職に就くことを認めている。宗教団体はまた、政治家への働きかけや運動、また公の場で政治的意見を表明することが認められている。憲法は、国民は憲法が保障する国民の権利を濫用してはならず、これらの国民の権利を公共の福祉のために利用する責任を負うと定めている。
政府は宗教団体の登録または認証申請を義務付けてはいないが、法律は政府から法人格の認証を受けた宗教団体から、非営利団体同様に、団体の運営維持費の一部に利用される寄付金および喜捨金にかかる所得税納付を免除している。政府は、法人格を申請する宗教団体に対し、当該団体が物理的な礼拝施設を備えており、教義を広め、宗教的儀式行事を行い、信者を教化育成することが主たる目的であると証明することを義務付けている。申請者は、宗教団体としての3年間の活動記録、信者と宗教教師の一覧表、宗教団体の規則、財産管理についての意思決定方法に関する情報、過去3年間の収支計算書、そして財産目録を、書面により提出しなければならない。法により、法人格を申請する宗教団体の所轄庁はそれぞれが所在する都道府県の知事であり、宗教団体は都道府県庁に対して登録を行わなければならない、と規定されている。例外として、複数の都道府県に事務所を持つ団体は文部科学省に対して登録を行う。申請者が法人格の認証を受ける宗教団体としての法的定義を満たしていると文部科学大臣あるいは都道府県知事が確認した後、申請者はその目的、主要人員、財務状況に関する管理規則を作成することが法で義務付けられている。申請者が宗教法人になるのは、文部科学大臣または知事が法人格の申請を認可し、申請者がその後登録手続きを行った場合のみである。
法により、認証された宗教法人には、資産、収入、支出を政府に開示することが義務付けられている。法はまた、営利活動に関する規定に違反している疑いがある場合に調査を行う権限を政府に与えている。宗教法人がこうした規定に違反した場合、当局は当該法人の営利活動を最長1年間停止する権限を持つ。
宗教法人法に規定されている「質問権」に基づき、政府は、違法行為あるいは公共の福祉を明らかに害すると見られる行為を行ったと疑われる宗教法人を調査することができる。裁判所は、宗教法人がこのような行為を行ったと発見した場合、宗教法人に対して解散命令を出すことができる。法は解散後に宗教団体が法人格のない団体として宗教活動を継続することを妨げていない。
法により、刑事収容施設において被収容者が1人あるいは集団で行う礼拝および宗教的儀式は、禁止されてはならないと規定されている。法務省は、法律と憲法に定められた信仰の自由の権利を支えるため、受刑者が刑務所内でさまざまな宗教のボランティア教誨師と面会できるようにしている。
法により、国および地方公共団体が設置する学校は、特定の宗教のための宗教教育やその他宗教的活動をしてはならないと規定されている。私立学校は特定の宗教を教えることが許されている。また、宗教に関する寛容の態度、宗教に関する一般的な教養および宗教の社会生活における地位は、教育上尊重されなければならないと定められている。公立および私立学校は、文部科学省の基準に沿って教育課程を編成しなければならない。こうした基準は、中学生および高校生に対して一般的な宗教教育を行う場合、学校は慎重に配慮すべきと定める法に基づいている。
労働組合法は、何人も宗教によって労働組合員の資格を奪われないと定めている。
日本は、市民的および政治的権利に関する国際規約の締約国である。
政府による実践
7月8日、安倍晋三元首相は、報道によると統一教会への憎しみが動機と主張する男性によって暗殺された。この暗殺により、日本国内では同教会への注目が高まった。同教会の元信者から入手した内部資料を引用したTBSの8月の報道番組によると、同教会は1999年から2011年までに信者から年間約600億円（4億5500万ドル）の金を集めていた。報道機関は、統一教会は信者に対して高額の寄付金と物品購入を要求していたと報じた。母親が自らの意志で統一教会に入信したことで家族が破産したと伝えられている安倍元首相の暗殺者は、元首相が同教会の創始者が設立したNGO「天宙平和連合(UPF)」が主催した催しで挨拶・講演するなど教会と関係があったことから、元首相を狙ったと述べた。報道機関の調査によると、国会議員712人中100人超が統一教会と何らかの関係があった。このような関係には、同教会の催しでの挨拶・講演や、同教会信者による自民党議員の選挙運動応援などが含まれていた。岸田文雄首相は10月24日、同教会主催の複数の催しへの出席を当初公表しなかった山際大志郎経済再生担当相を更迭した。
岸田首相は10月、統一教会が寄付金を強要していた、もしくは高額の寄付金を集めていたという報告を受け、宗教法人法に規定されている質問権を史上初めて行使し、統一教会の運営と管理の実態について調査を開始した。同教会は、同法律に基づく法人格を持った宗教団体として登録されている。質問に対する公式声明で同教会は、安倍元首相の家族に哀悼の意を表し、同教会は「当局からのあらゆる問い合わせに対して全面的に協力し、報道機関に関連情報を必要に応じて提供する」と述べた。11月および12月、文部科学省は統一教会に対して、寄付金の集金に関する民事裁判の判決と、会計慣行および組織運営に関する質問状を送付した。同教会はこれらの質問状に回答した。岸田首相は、政府が設置した統一教会に関する相談窓口には、金銭および精神的被害を訴える1700件を超える苦情が寄せられたと述べた。同教会は一切の不正行為を否定した。9月および10月、パリに拠点を置くNGO「良心の自由のための団体と個人の連携(CAP-Freedom of Conscience)」は、国連人権委員会に対して一連の声明を提出し、統一教会は安倍元首相の暗殺以降、日本で「不寛容、差別、迫害運動」の被害者となったと述べた。同教会は、報道機関による否定的な注目の結果、信者たちが攻撃や暴力、殺害の脅迫を受けたと述べた。
国会は12月10日、団体（宗教団体またはその他の団体）が寄付を「不当」に募ること、そして、寄付金の資金を確保するために不動産やその他の資産を抵当に入れるよう寄付者に要求することを防止し、また、そのような団体によって金銭的被害を受けた個人やその家族に対して、寄付金の返還や契約の取り消しを認めることで被害者を救済することを意図したと政府が説明する新法および改正法を可決した。この法律は、団体が行動の自由を制限したり、家族や外部の者と相談することを妨害したりするなど、「不当な」手段を用いて寄付を募ることを禁じている。違反が繰り返された場合、1年以下の懲役もしくは100万円（7590ドル）以下の罰金、あるいはその両方を科すことを求めている。また、この法律により、個人とその家族が寄付金の返還を受ける、あるいは不当と見られる契約を取り消すことができる期間も5年から10年に延長された。統一教会は、これらの法律は信教の自由を侵害し、契約に関する法に違反していることから、同法律を即刻廃止すべきだと述べた。
一部の国会議員、宗教指導者、宗教学者、弁護士は、統一教会に関する論争は、信教の自由に関する問題ではないと述べ、高額寄付による家庭の破産などの精神的かつ金銭的苦痛などの、同教会が信者と社会に課してきたさまざまな危害の形態を挙げた。例えば、日本弁護士連合会は、9月と10月に同連合会が設置した無料相談窓口に寄せられた統一教会に対する苦情は計309件だったと述べた。苦情の80％は金銭的苦痛に関するもので、最高被害額は1億円（75万9000ドル）を超えた。同教会への寄付により多額の借金を背負い、担保に入れていた家や土地を失ったと報告した者もいた。一人は同教会から選挙運動のため働くことを強制され、労働搾取を受けたと報告した。
統一教会およびエホバの証人の一部信者の子どもたちは、11月に国会で行われた聞き取りにおいて、未成年の信者（子どもや10代の者）に行事への参加を強要したことにより、統一教会とエホバの証人は信教の自由を侵害したと述べた。これらの団体の元信者たちは、警察や福祉事務所などの行政は、宗教的な問題への関わりを避けようとし、長年にわたり統一教会やエホバの証人の信者の支援に難色を示してきたと述べた。統一教会の代理人は、同教会の信者は自発的に行動し寄付を行っており、元信者からの同教会に対する批判は現信者に精神的損害を与えていると述べた。エホバの証人の職員は、同教会信者は子どもたちに対して信仰を強制しておらず、不満を持った一部の元信者が不正確で歪曲された主張をしていると述べた。
統一教会を巡る論争を踏まえ、岸田首相は8月、日本国憲法にある政教分離の原則は、宗教団体による政治的活動を排除する趣旨ではないと述べた。連立政権を組む公明党の山口那津男代表は8月、「宗教団体の政治的活動は憲法上保障されている」と述べた。公明党は、宗教団体である創価学会によって結成された。1970年に公明党は、一般的に認識されていたとされる政教分離を巡る憲法上の懸念により、創価学会から正式に分離した。公明党は創価学会を、「政党の政策や活動に影響を与えない主要な支持母体」と公式に説明している。公明党は、不当な寄付を制限する法律に賛成票を投じた。
厚生労働省は12月、児童虐待防止法の同省による解釈に基づき、児童虐待にあたり得る宗教教義の概要を示した新たな指針を地方自治体向けに公表した。指針は、宗教教義を強制するための体罰は身体的虐待にあたり得るとしている。また、宗教を理由とした子どもに対する心理的虐待には、「地獄に落ちる」と言うなどの言葉による脅し、布教など宗教活動への参加の強制、教育や職業の自由選択の阻害、婚姻や交友の自由の制限、年齢に見合った娯楽に触れることの禁止などが含まれ得るとも定めている。指針によると、法令で定められている児童虐待には、子どもが医療を受けることを禁止することや、子どもの年齢に見合わない性的なコンテンツを見せることなどが含まれている。
ウイグル人イスラム教徒は、中国は中国国内の政府職員を派遣し、中国に住む家族の安全性の危険を示唆することで、日本に住むウイグル人イスラム教徒を威嚇する活動を維持していたと引き続き報告した。ウイグル文化センターのイリハム・マハムティ理事長は、中国による威嚇により、監視と安全性の危険への恐れから、日本に住むウイグル人イスラム教徒は新疆に住む家族との連絡を減らしたと述べた。同理事長は、日本政府は引き続き、日本に住むウイグル人イスラム教徒の保護に対しておおむね意欲を見せ、中国に国外退去させたウイグル人イスラム教徒は過去1年いなかったと述べた。また、中国の反対があっても、政府はウイグル人による抗議デモを許可したとも同理事長は述べた。
日本法輪大法学会会長によると、在京中国大使館は法輪功を誹謗する資料を同大使館のウェブサイトに引き続き掲載した。学長は、日本の当局は、日本法輪大法学会が東京（4月および7月）と横浜（5月および10月）で行った中国政府による法輪功への抑圧に反対するデモ行進を引き続き許可したと述べた。
9月および10月、いくつかの法曹団体と宗教団体は、9月27日の安倍晋三元首相の国葬で中央政府省庁が弔意を表明するとした岸田首相の決定に抗議した。同団体は、国旗の掲揚と黙とうは日本の宗教的教義に基づいた服喪のやり方だと述べた。また、首相による政府省庁へのこのような要請は弔意の強要であるとし、よって憲法で定められた信教の自由の侵害だとした。首相は、公式な弔意表明に関する政府の決定は、国葬において弔意の表明を一般市民に強制するものではないと述べた。
法務省人権擁護局は昨年、引き続き外国語人権相談ダイヤルを、英語、中国語、韓国語、タガログ語、ポルトガル語、ベトナム語、ネパール語、スペイン語、インドネシア語、タイ語の10外国語で運用した。法務省は5月、同省の人権機関は2021年（入手可能な最新の統計）に、5件を信仰の自由が侵犯された可能性が極めて高いものと確認したと報告した。2020年は4件であった。同省は、5件全てについて、当事者間の仲裁を行う、人権侵害者と思われる対象に素行を改めるよう要求する、あるいは人権侵害の申立人が法的助言を得られるよう所管当局へ紹介するなど、潜在的被害者に対する支援を行なった。しかし、同省によるこれらの措置には法的拘束力はなかった。
文化庁によると、最新の統計が入手可能な2020年末時点で、国および都道府県は18万544団体を、法人格を持つ宗教団体として認証した。2019年末時点では、18万828団体であった。その数の多さには、宗教団体の地方組織が個別に登録していることが反映されていた。政府は要件を満たした宗教団体に対しておおむね法人格を認定した。
NGOは、低い難民申請認定率につながった国連の難民の地位に関する条約とその議定書の政府の解釈について、引き続き懸念を表明した。政府は、最新の統計が入手可能な2021年に、過去最多の74人の難民認定を行った。2020年は47人であった。認定を受けた74人中、32人はビルマ出身者であった。法務大臣は4月、政府はビルマ人の申請審査を迅速に進め、2021年の軍事クーデター後におけるビルマ国内の政情不安を考慮したと述べた。政府は、74人のうち数人に関しては難民認定の理由を公表し、宗教を理由に迫害の恐れがあるという十分に理由のある恐怖により11人を難民として認定したと述べた。2021年の難民認定申請者数は2413人で、2020年の3936人から39％減少した。
政府は、ビルマでの民族的・宗教的迫害を根拠に入国、あるいは日本で生まれた約400人のイスラム教徒ロヒンギャ人のほとんどに、人道的な理由に基づいた難民特別在留許可、あるいは別の形の許可を引き続き与えた。これらイスラム教徒の大半は、日本に10年超、中には20年超居住している者もいた。こういった人々には就労が認められており、地方出入国在留管理官署でその地位を定期的に更新することが義務付けられていた。在日ビルマロヒンギャ協会のゾーミントゥ会長によると、政府はこの1年で、8人のイスラム教徒ロヒンギャ人を難民として認定し、難民認定を受けた数は計26人となった。同会長はまた、公式の再定住プログラムに参加していない難民認定申請中の10人のイスラム教徒ロヒンギャ人が、就労を禁じられ、医療を受けられないなどの困難に直面していると述べた。政府は、それぞれの在留資格に関係なく、日本で生まれた者を含む日本に住むイスラム教徒ロヒンギャ人を無国籍と見なした。法的地位を有するイスラム教徒ロヒンギャ人の子どもは、他の住民と同じ公教育、その他の社会サービスを受けている。
ウイグル文化センター理事長によると、政府は過去数年、たいていの場合は留学や就労を当初の目的として中国から来日した約1240人のウイグル人イスラム教徒に在留許可を与え、さらに約760人のウイグル人イスラム教徒には、帰化による市民権を付与した。
2022年夏、名古屋出入国在留管理局に収容された男性は、ハラル食の提供を申し入れた。市民社会情報筋は、入管施設がこの要請に対応しなかったため、男性は体重が約10キロ減少したと報告した。報道機関は8月、入管施設はハラル食の提供についてまだ検討しており、施設の食事はイスラム教徒の食材に準拠していると述べたと報じた。
市民社会グループは、申請者が難民として認められるまでに平均3年かかり、複数の申立を伴う場合には10年に及ぶこともあると報告した。
第3節 社会による信仰の自由の尊重の現状
安倍元首相の暗殺後、統一教会職員は、全国で数百件の嫌がらせ事案を記録した。暗殺直後、統一教会本部と複数の地方支部は、数多くの殺害脅迫や、日本から出て行けという要求があったと報告した。同教会によると、嫌がらせ電話や破壊行為はその後数カ月間も続いた。同教会は、心理的手段や身体的暴力などによって家族から脱会を迫られた多数の事案を報告した。また、同教会職員は、信者による公的施設の利用や地域ボランティア活動への参加が拒否された事例も報告した。
イスラム教徒のコミュニティーは、日本社会をイスラム教に対しておおむね寛容な場所と見なしていると述べた。報道機関は、遺体を埋葬するというイスラム教の伝統が土壌や水を汚染するのではないかという地元住民の懸念を挙げ（日本では99％が火葬）、近隣にイスラム教の墓地ができることに難色を示している地域が特に西日本にいくつかあると引き続き主張した。イスラム教の埋葬を受け入れている7カ所の墓地のほとんどは東日本にある。テレビ大分は、日出町の地元住民と別府ムスリム協会がイスラム教墓地の設置で合意し、協定書への正式な署名を2023年2月末に予定していると報じた。
米国ユダヤ人協会の代表は、日本はユダヤ教の受け入れ度が非常に高いと述べた。
第4節 米国政府の政策および関与
米国大使館職員および他の米国政府職員は、政府職員および国会議員との面談や省庁間会合を通じて、中国および他地域出身のイスラム教徒や、その他集団の信仰の自由を害する悪意ある中国の活動に抵抗するため、米国と引き続き協力するよう政府に促した。
米国大使館は、統一教会に関する諸問題に注視し、国会議員、政府規制当局、同教会の活動により影響を受ける者、そして同教会代表者との連絡を維持し、あらゆる事案において信仰の自由の重要性を強調した。
日本宗教連盟をはじめ、宗教団体指導者やイスラム教徒のロヒンギャ人やウイグル人、ユダヤ教および法輪功など少数派宗教団体の指導者および信仰の自由の擁護者との対話や会合において、大使館職員は米国が信仰の自由の尊重を優先事項としている点を強調し、このような団体が直面する問題について議論し、いくつかの団体に対しては、日本政府および地方自治体へ働きかける取り組みについて助言を行った。
Human Rights
信仰の自由に関する国際報告書（2022年版）－日本に関する部分
著 U.S. Mission Japan
Executive Summary
The constitution provides for freedom of religion and prohibits religious organizations from exercising any political authority or receiving privileges from the state. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA), there are approximately 180,000 registered religious organizations with corporate status that received government tax benefits.
Former prime minister Shinzo Abe’s July 8 assassination drew strong media attention to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification – known as the Unification Church – including demands for government measures to address church practices. Abe’s assassin, whose family was allegedly bankrupted by his mother’s voluntary participation in the Unification Church, said he targeted Abe due to the former prime minister’s ties with the church. In October, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his government would launch an investigation into the church under the “right to inquiry” provision of the Religious Corporations Act, citing 1,700 complaints received through a government hotline. In November and December, the government sent the Unification Church inquiries as part of the investigation. The church denied any wrongdoing. In December, the Diet passed two laws prohibiting “unfair” solicitation of donations and extending the period donors may be reimbursed for such donations. In 2021, according to the latest statistics available, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) reported five cases of religious freedom abuses compared with four in 2020 and provided various forms of nonbinding assistance. According to the Japan Uyghur Association (JUA), individuals connected with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continued to intimidate JUA members residing in Japan by contacting them and making implied threats to their families residing in the PRC or by attempting to influence Uyghur Muslim organizations in Japan. The JUA stated that the government generally showed willingness to protect Uyghur Muslims in the country and did not deport any to the PRC during the year. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) continued to express concern regarding the government’s interpretation of the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its protocol, which resulted in a continued low rate of approval of refugee applications. According to available information, the ministry granted refugee status to 11 applicants based on a well-founded fear of persecution for religious reasons in 2021, up from two in 2020. The government continued to grant special permits to stay on humanitarian grounds to most of the approximately 380 to 400 Rohingya Muslims who had entered the country on the basis of fear of ethnic and religious persecution in Burma and to those who were born in Japan.
The Unification Church stated its members suffered attacks, assaults, and death threats since the assassination of Abe. Media outlets reported that while reluctance to have Islamic cemeteries in their neighborhoods persisted for some local communities in the western part of the country, a cemetery was accepted by a community in Oita Prefecture.
In meetings with government agencies and lawmakers, U.S. embassy and Department of State officials encouraged the government to continue working with the United States to protect Muslims from the PRC and other countries otherwise restricting religious freedom. In conversations and meetings with the Japanese Association of Religious Organizations, as well as with leaders of religious groups and organizations representing religious minorities and with religious freedom advocates, embassy officials underscored the priority the United States places on respect for religious freedom, discussed issues faced by these communities, and advised some of them on outreach efforts with the government.
Section I.
Religious Demography
The U.S. government estimates the total population at 124.2 million (midyear 2022). A report by the ACA indicates that membership in religious groups totaled 181 million as of December 31, 2020. This number, substantially greater than the country’s population, reflects many citizens’ affiliation with multiple religions. For example, it is common for followers of Buddhism to participate in religious ceremonies and events of other religions, such as Shinto, and vice versa. According to the ACA, the definition of follower and the method of counting followers vary with each religious organization. Religious affiliation includes 87.9 million Shinto followers (48.5 percent), 83.9 million Buddhists (46.3 percent), 1.9 million Christians (1 percent), and 7.3 million adherents of other religious groups (4 percent). The category of “other” and nonregistered religious groups includes Islam, the Baha’i Faith, Hinduism, and Judaism. Media reports indicate the Unification Church has approximately 600,000 followers (approximately 0.5 percent of the population).
Most immigrants and foreign workers practice religions other than Buddhism or Shinto, according to an NGO in close contact with foreign workers. Waseda University Professor Emeritus Tanada Hirofumi, an expert regarding the Muslim community, estimates that as of 2020, there were approximately 230,000 Muslims in the country, including approximately 47,000 citizens. Most of the approximately 380 to 400 Rohingya Muslims in the country live in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, with some residing in Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, and Nagoya, according to Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan (BRAJ) President Zaw Min Htut. Uyghur Cultural Center President Ilham Mahmut said most of the approximately 2,000 Uyghur Muslims in the country continue to reside in Tokyo or its surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa. He estimates that approximately 760 of the around 2,000 Uyghur Muslims are naturalized Japanese citizens. The Jewish population is approximately 2,000 to 4,000, according to a representative of the American Jewish Committee.
Section II.
Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom
Legal Framework
The constitution provides for freedom of religion, requires the state to refrain from religious education or any other religious activity, and prohibits compelling any person to take part in any religious practice. It does not allow religious organizations to exercise political authority or receive privileges from the state. According to the government’s interpretation, the constitution allows an individual belonging to a political party backed by a religious organization to hold public office involving national political affairs, provided that the individual and the religious organization are legally two separate entities and that the individual does not act as a religious representative during his or her time in office. Religious organizations are also allowed to lobby and campaign for politicians and express political opinions publicly. The constitution states that the people shall not abuse their rights and shall be responsible to use these rights for the public welfare.
The government does not require religious groups to register or apply for certification, but the law exempts government-certified religious groups with corporate status from paying income tax on donations and religious offerings used as part of their operational and maintenance expenses akin to nonprofit organizations. The government requires religious groups applying for corporate status to prove they have a physical space for worship and that their primary purpose is disseminating religious teachings, conducting religious ceremonies, and educating and nurturing believers. An applicant must present, in writing, a three-year record of activities as a religious organization, a list of members and religious teachers, the rules of the organization, information about the method of making decisions on managing assets, statements of income and expenses for the past three years, and a list of assets. The law stipulates prefectural governors have jurisdiction over groups seeking corporate status in their respective prefecture, and that groups must apply for registration with prefectural governments. Exceptions are granted for groups with offices in multiple prefectures, which they may register with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT). After the MEXT Minister or a prefectural governor confirms an applicant meets the legal definition of a certified religious group with corporate status, the law requires the applicant to formulate administrative rules pertaining to its purpose, core personnel, and financial affairs. Applicants become religious corporations only after the MEXT Minister or governor approves their application and the applicants subsequently register.
The law requires certified religious corporations to disclose their assets, income, and expenditures to the government. The law also authorizes the government to investigate possible violations of regulations governing for-profit activities. Authorities have the right to suspend a religious corporation’s for-profit activities for up to one year if the group violates the regulations.
Under the “right of inquiry” provision of the Religious Corporation Act, the government may investigate religious corporations suspected of committing acts that are illegal or are deemed to clearly harm the public welfare. A court may order the dissolution of a religious corporation if the court finds they have committed such acts. After dissolution, the law does not hinder a religious group from continuing to practice its religion as a noncorporate entity.
The law stipulates that worship and religious rituals performed by inmates in penal institutions, alone or in a group, shall not be prohibited. To support the law and the constitutional right to religious freedom, the MOJ offers inmates access to volunteer chaplains from various faiths in prisons.
The law states that schools established by the national and local governments must refrain from religious education or other activities in support of a specific religion. Private schools are permitted to teach specific religions. The law also states that an attitude of religious tolerance and general knowledge regarding religion and its position in social life should be valued in education. Both public and private schools must develop curricula in line with MEXT standards. These standards are based on the law, which states that schools should give careful consideration when teaching religion in general to junior high and high school students.
Labor law states a person may not be disqualified from union membership on the basis of religion.
The country is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Government Practices
On July 8, former prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by a man who news reports stated claimed to be motivated by animus toward the Unification Church. The assassination drew attention to the church in Japan, which according to a Tokyo Broadcasting System Television news program in August that cited an internal document obtained from a former member of the church, raised approximately ¥60 billion ($455 million) from its followers annually from 1999 to 2011. Media outlets reported that the Unification Church demanded its followers donate large sums of money and purchase items. Abe’s assassin, whose family was allegedly bankrupted by his mother’s voluntary participation in the Unification Church, stated he targeted Abe due to the former prime minister’s ties with the church, including his speaking at an event hosted by the Universal Peace Federation, an NGO established by the church’s founders. According to a media survey, more than 100 out of 712 members of the Diet had some connections with the Unification Church. These included speaking at church events and church members volunteering to help with Liberal Democratic Party member election campaigns. On October 24, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio dismissed Economic Revitalization Minister Yamagiwa Daishiro after he initially failed to disclose his attendance at Unification Church events.
In October, Kishida, for the first time in the country’s history, exercised the “right of inquiry” provision under the Religious Corporation Act to open an investigation into the operations and management of the Unification Church due to reports that it solicited coerced or excessive donations. The church is a registered religious organization with corporate status under the act. An official statement from the church in response to the inquiry offered condolences to Abe’s family and stated the church would “fully cooperate with any inquiries from authorities and make relevant information available to the press as appropriate.” In November and December, MEXT sent the Unification Church inquiries regarding civil court judgments on donation collection, its accounting practices, and its organizational management. The church responded to these inquiries. Kishida said a government hotline set up for inquiries related to the Unification Church received more than 1,700 complaints alleging financial and mental health damage. The church denied any wrongdoing. In September and October, Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience, (CAP-Freedom of Conscience), a Paris-based NGO, submitted a series of statements to the UN Human Rights Committee that said that the Unification Church had become a victim of “a campaign of intolerance, discrimination, and persecution” in Japan since Abe’s assassination. The church stated its members suffered attacks, assaults, and death threats as a result of negative media attention.
The Diet passed on December 10 new and revised legislation that the government said was intended to prevent organizations (religious or otherwise) from engaging in “unfair” solicitation of donations and from requesting donors to use real estate or other assets as collateral to procure funds for donations, and to provide relief for individuals and their families financially damaged by such organizations by allowing them to recoup donations and cancel contracts. The legislation prohibits organizations from soliciting donations by “unfair” means, including restricting freedom of movement or obstructing consultation with family or outside groups. The legislation calls for imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to ¥10 million ($75,900), or both, for repeat violations. The legislation also extends the time period that individuals and their families may be reimbursed for donations or cancel contracts deemed unfair from five years to 10 years. The Unification Church said these laws should be immediately rescinded because they violated religious freedom and contract law.
Certain lawmakers, religious leaders, religious scholars, and lawyers said that the controversy surrounding the Unification Church was not about religious freedom, citing what they said were various forms of harm the church had imposed on its own adherents and on society, such as psychological and financial distress, including household bankruptcy due to excessive donations. For example, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations stated it received 309 complaints against the Unification Church on its pro bono hotline in September and October. The federation reported 80 percent of complaints were regarding financial distress, with amounts lost up to more than ¥100 million ($759,000). Individuals reported large debts and loss of homes and land taken as collateral because of donations to the church. One individual reported being forced by the church to work for election campaigns and being subject to labor exploitation.
Children of certain Unification Church and Jehovah’s Witnesses members stated at November Diet hearings that the Unification Church and Jehovah’s Witnesses violated religious freedom by using force to compel minors (younger children and teenagers) of their members to participate in Unification Church and Jehovah’s Witnesses practices. Former members of these organizations said that the government, including police and welfare offices, demonstrated a long-term reluctance to help Unification Church and Jehovah’s Witnesses because it sought to avoid being involved in religious issues. Representatives of the church stated its believers acted and donated voluntarily and that criticism of the church from former members was causing psychological damage to practicing members. Jehovah’s Witnesses officials stated that church members do not force children to adopt their faith and that certain disgruntled former associates were making inaccurate and distorted claims.
In light of the controversy concerning the Unification Church, Prime Minister Kishida said in August that the separation of politics and religion contained in the country’s constitution “is not meant to foreclose political activities by religious institutions.” Natsuo Yamaguchi, president of Komeito, the junior coalition partner in the government, said in August that “political activities by religious groups are guaranteed by the constitution.” Komeito was founded by the Soka Gakkai religious group. In 1970, Komeito formally separated from Soka Gakkai due to what were described as publicly perceived constitutional concerns over the separation of religion and state. Komeito officially describes Soka Gakkai as a “major electoral constituency” that “does not influence party policy or activities.” Komeito voted in support of the legislation restricting unfair donations.
In December, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare published new guidelines for local governments outlining how religious doctrine could constitute child abuse, based on its interpretation of the Child Abuse Prevention Act. The guidelines state that corporal punishment for enforcing religious doctrine could constitute physical abuse. They also state that psychological abuse towards children could include verbal threats such as telling the child that they will go to hell; forcing participation in religious activities, including proselytization; impeding the free choice of education or career; restricting freedom of marriage or friendship; and forbidding access to age-appropriate entertainment for religious reasons. According to the guidelines, statutory child abuse includes banning a child’s access to medical treatment and showing children age-inappropriate sexual material.
Uyghur Muslims continued to report that the PRC maintained its practice of deploying officials in the PRC to intimidate Uyghur Muslims residing in Japan by implying risks to the safety of their families in the PRC. Uyghur Cultural Center President Ilham Mahmut said the PRC’s intimidation reduced communication between Uyghur Muslim residents in Japan and their families in Xinjiang out of fear of surveillance and safety risks. He stated the government continued to generally show willingness to protect Uyghur Muslims in the country, noting that the government did not deport any Uyghur Muslims to the PRC during the year and allowed Uyghur protests to occur, despite PRC objections.
According to the president of the Japanese Falun Dafa Association, the PRC Embassy in Tokyo continued to display material on its website that disparaged the Falun Gong. The president said Japanese authorities continued to grant permits for the association’s street marches that opposed the PRC’s repression against the Falun Gong in April and July in Tokyo and in May and October in Yokohama.
In September and October, several legal and religious groups protested Prime Minister Kishida’s decision for national government ministries to express condolences on the death of former prime minister Shinzo Abe on September 27, the day of Abe’s state funeral. The groups stated the flying of national flags and the observation of moments of silence were methods of mourning based on Japanese religious doctrines. They labeled Kishida’s requirement to do so at the ministries as coercive mourning and therefore an infringement on constitutional religious freedom. The Prime Minister said the government’s decision to offer official condolences would not compel private citizens to express condolences during the state funeral.
The MOJ’s Human Rights Bureau continued to operate its hotline for human rights inquiries, available during the year in 10 different foreign languages – English, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Nepali, Spanish, Indonesian, and Thai. In May, the MOJ reported that in 2021 (latest statistics available), its human rights division confirmed five cases were highly likely to have been religious freedom violations, compared with four such cases in 2020. The MOJ assisted the potential victims in all five cases by mediating between the parties, calling on alleged human rights violators to rectify their behavior, or referring the complainants to competent authorities for legal advice. These MOJ measures, however, were not legally binding.
According to the ACA, as of the end of 2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available, central and prefectural governments had certified 180,544 groups as religious groups with corporate status, compared with 180,828 such groups at the end of 2019. The large number reflected local units of religious groups registering separately. The government generally certified corporate status for religious groups when they met the requirements.
NGOs continued to express concern regarding the government’s interpretation of the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its protocol, which resulted in a low rate of approval of refugee applications. The government recognized 74 refugees in 2021, the most recent year for which statistics are available, a record high and up from the 47 recognized refugees in 2020. Of the 74 recognized refugees, 32 were from Burma. The Justice Minister said in April that the government expedited screening of Burmese applications and took into consideration the instability in Burma after the military coup d’état in 2021. The government publicized the reasons for granting refugee status to some of the 74 individuals, stating it granted refugee status to 11 persons because of a wellfounded fear of persecution for religious reasons. In 2021, 2,413 individuals applied for refugee status, down 39 percent from 3,936 applicants in 2020.
The government maintained its practice of granting special permits to stay in the country on humanitarian grounds under refugee status or other forms of permission to most of the nearly 400 Rohingya Muslims who had entered the country on the basis of ethnic and religious persecution in Burma or who were born in Japan. The majority of those individuals had resided in the country for more than 10 years, some more than 20 years. They were allowed to work and required regular renewal of their status by regional immigration offices. The government granted refugee status to eight Rohingya Muslims during the year, for a total of 26 with refugee status, according to BRAJ President Zaw Min Htut. The BRAJ president said approximately 10 Rohingya Muslims with pending applications for refugee status who were not associated with any formal resettlement program were prohibited from obtaining employment and faced hardships, including a lack of health care. The government deemed Rohingya Muslims in Japan stateless, including those born in Japan, irrespective of their residential status. Children of Rohingya Muslims with legal status receive the same public education and other social services as other residents.
According to the Uyghur Cultural Center president, the government over the last few years granted citizenship through naturalization to approximately 760 Uyghur Muslims, in addition to issuing permits for the remaining approximately 1,240 Uyghur Muslims in the country, most of whom came to the country from the PRC initially to study or work.
A Muslim man detained in the Nagoya immigration center began requesting halal meals in the summer. A civil society source reported the man lost approximately 10 kilograms (22 pounds) due to the immigration center’s failure to fulfill his request. Press reported in August that the immigration center was still considering whether to provide halal accommodations and said the center’s food was compatible with Muslim food preferences.
Civil society groups reported that it takes an average of three years for an applicant to be recognized as a refugee, and some cases involving multiple appeals have lasted 10 years.
Section III.
Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom
Following the assassination of former prime minister Abe, Unification Church officials documented hundreds of cases of harassment across the country. Immediately after the assassination, the Unification Church headquarters and multiple local churches reported numerous death threats and demands for the organization to leave Japan. According to the church, harassment over the telephone and vandalism continued in the following months. The church reported multiple cases of family members pressuring them to leave the church, including through psychological means and physical assault. They also reported instances where Unification Church members were not allowed to use public facilities or participate in community volunteer activities.
Muslim communities said they characterized Japanese society as generally tolerant of their faith. Media outlets continued to maintain that local communities, particularly in the western part of the country, were reluctant to have Islamic cemeteries in their neighborhoods, citing local residents’ concerns that the Islamic tradition of burying a body could contaminate soil and water (99 percent of the dead are cremated in Japan). Most of the seven cemeteries accepting Islamic burials are in the eastern part of the country. TOS TV Oita reported that that the local community in Hiji town and the Beppu Muslim Association reached an agreement to allow the group to establish an Islamic graveyard, with the signing of the official agreement scheduled for the end of February 2023.
A representative of the American Jewish Committee said the country was very accepting of Judaism.
Section IV.
U.S. Government Policy and Engagement
In meetings and interagency events with government ministries and with lawmakers, embassy and other U.S. government officials encouraged the government to continue to work with the United States to resist malign PRC activities that harm the religious freedom of Muslims and other groups originating from the PRC and from other countries.
The embassy closely monitored issues surrounding the Unification Church and maintained contact with Diet members, government regulators, those affected by church practices, and church representatives, emphasizing in all cases the importance of religious freedom.
In conversations and meetings with the Japanese Association of Religious Organizations as well as with leaders of religious groups and organizations representing religious minorities and with religious freedom advocates, including Rohingya and Uyghur Muslims and the Jewish and Falun Gong communities, embassy officials underscored the priority the United States places on respect for religious freedom, discussed issues faced by these communities, and advised some of them on their outreach efforts with the national government and local municipalities.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Japan