EXCLUSIVE: Jehovah’s Witnesses Followers Sue Japanese Govt

Tokyo, April 11 (Jiji Press)–Jehovah’s Witnesses and 20 followers of the religious group have filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government, seeking to confirm the invalidation of its guidelines on the abuse of children born to parents devoted to a particular religion, Jiji Press learned Saturday. The plaintiffs, who filed the lawsuit with Tokyo District Court, claim that the guidelines violate religious freedom and are unconstitutional, also demanding compensation of 2 million yen per person from the state. The lawsuit is believed to be the first to challenge the constitutionality of the government guidelines. In December 2022, the welfare ministry issued the guidelines to local governments across the country calling for child consultation centers to take temporary custody of a child if there are acts that constitute child abuse, even if religious beliefs are involved. The guidelines were issued after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot in July that year by a suspect whose mother was a follower of the controversial religious group Unification Church. The shooter believed that Abe had ties with the church, against which he had a grudge. According to court records, the plaintiffs are the Japanese branch of the U.S.-headquartered Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, and couples of believers with children from the Japanese capital and six other prefectures. The guidelines, presented in a question-and-answer format, give examples such as whipping during religious activities as physical abuse and refusing blood transfusions deemed necessary by doctors as neglect. Followers of Jehovah’s Witnesses met with Japanese government officials in 2023 over the refusal of blood transfusions and other issues and demanded a revision of the guidelines. The lawsuit was filed in March last year. The first oral argument was held in July of the same year, and the closed proceedings have been continuing since then. In its complaint, the religious group said that the guidelines were drawn up without seeking input from independent experts or members of the general public, lacking transparency. It also claimed that the guidelines labeled parents’ religious activities as potential child abuse. Furthermore, the religious group claimed that the guidelines violate equality under the law and freedom of religion, saying that believers have suffered serious discrimination because booklets based on the guidelines have been distributed at elementary and junior high schools across the country. The government countered that there is no provision requiring public consultation or expert review when issuing such guidelines. It argued that the guidelines give technical advice to local governments and that the examples are intended to help objectively determine whether certain actions constitute child abuse. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]