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Eito Suzuki

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The native form of this personal name is Suzuki Eito. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Eito Suzuki during a speech in Gamagōri (2023)

Eito Suzuki (Japanese: 鈴木 エイト, born 1968[1]) is a pseudonymous Japanese investigative journalist who covers new religious movements in the country. His primary area of editorial coverage is fraudulent missionary activities and the relationship between religious organizations and major political parties, primarily the Unification Church (UC) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).[2]

Background

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Early life

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Eito Suzuki was born in Shiga Prefecture, Kansai,[3] and later moved to Tokyo to attend Nihon University College of Economics. Prior to his career as an investigative journalist, he worked in the real estate industry and at a children's center.[3]

Career

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Around 2002, Suzuki became aware of suspicious missionary activities conducted by the Unification Church (UC), where their true identity and intentions were not disclosed to their targets. This discovery inspired him to take action against the solicitation practices of the UC, leading him to infiltrate the UC facilities in Shinjuku and Shibuya, which were disguised as non-UC-affiliated entities.[2] Seeking to address cult-related issues more comprehensively, he subsequently reached out to members of the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales (Zenkoku Benren) and the Japan Society for Cult Prevention and Recovery [ja]. Through these connections, he embarked on a full-scale investigative journalism career.[3]

Around 2009, Suzuki joined the news website "Almost Daily Cult News" (やや日刊カルト新聞) as a main editor.[4][5] The website was founded by journalist Yoshirō Fujikura [ja].[6] Throughout his career, Suzuki has been subjected to stalking, intimidation, physical violence and civil lawsuit from followers of the UC.[3][4][7] Leaflets featuring his photos and real name in the style of a wanted poster were distributed.[2][8]

Assassination of Shinzo Abe

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See also: Assassination of Shinzo Abe

Since the assassination of the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 8 July 2022, Suzuki has been making regular appearances as a guest commentator on various featured news programs across different broadcasting stations.[9] He shares his latest investigations on the activities of the UC and their ties with the Liberal Democratic Party.[10] In an interview of a documentary about Abe's assassination by CNA, Suzuki concluded that he wants that politicians become more transparent to the public about their dealings.[11] On the other hand, Suzuki holds a pessimistic view regarding the Unification Church's ability to regulate itself against alleged controversial activities and believes that accountability by third-party monitors is necessary.[12]

Suzuki has never met the main suspect Tetsuya Yamagami in person before or after Abe's assassination. It was revealed that Yamagami sent Suzuki two private messages on Twitter nine days before the assassination. However, Suzuki did not notice the messages before the assassination occurred. Yamagami's Twitter account was suspended not long after the assassination. Following Yamagami's arrest by the police, Suzuki has been able to communicate with him through letters delivered by Yamagami's lawyers. Through these exchanges, Suzuki has learned that Yamagami is a regular reader of his works. Particularly his report about Abe's video speech for a UC-affiliated event in September 2021 is cited as the main reason which incentivised Yamagami to target Abe,[13] but Suzuki believes that Yamagami had a precise understanding of the relationship between the UC and Abe prior to that 2021 rally. Suzuki feels "the accuracy of my articles will be even more scrutinized" which could further compromise his personal safety. On the other hand, he insists that Yamagami should be given a fair trial, and society should work towards prevention of similar tragedy.[14]

Awards

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In May 2023, Suzuki was awarded the special prize by the "Hizumi Fund for the Promotion of Information Distribution" for his coverage of the UC.[15] In July 2023, Suzuki received an Honorable Mention of the "Freedom of the Press" award by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan for the same reason. FCCJ praised him "almost alone among Japanese journalists - spent years investigating the church".[9] In August 2023, he was awarded the second prize of the "Investigative Journalism Award 2023".[16][17] In September 2023, he received the First Prize at the 66th Japan Congress of Journalists [ja] Awards for his authorship of the "Contamination of the Liberal Democratic Party" series.[18]

Books

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Single authorship

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  • 自民党の統一教会汚染―追跡3000日 [Contamination of the Liberal Democratic Party by the Unification Church - Tracking for 3000 Days] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. 26 September 2022. ISBN 978-4093801232.
  • 自民党の統一教会汚染2 山上徹也からの伝言 [Contamination of the Liberal Democratic Party by the Unification Church 2 - Messages from Tetsuya Yamagami] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. 26 May 2023. ISBN 978-4093801270.
  • 「山上徹也」とは何者だったのか [Who was Tetsuya Yamagami] (in Japanese). Kodansha. 21 July 2023. ISBN 978-4065328729.

Joint authorship

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References

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  1. ^ 藤倉善郎×鈴木エイト どうなる旧統一教会…宗教法人解散か延命か、他の団体への波及は？ [Exchange between Yoshirō Fujikura and Eito Suzuki: What would become of the Unification Church, be dissolved or keep on living? Would it ripple towards other organizations?], Nikkan Gendai (in Japanese), 2 January 2023, archived from the original on 14 January 2023, retrieved 3 January 2023
  2. ^ a b c 政治家との関係白日の下に 鈴木エイト氏が旧統一教会を追う理由 [Ties to politicians in broad daylight, the reasons why Eito Suzuki chases after the Unification Church], Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese), 8 August 2022, archived from the original on 9 July 2023, retrieved 12 August 2022
  3. ^ a b c d 鈴木エイトが信者より許せない政治家の名 [Names of the politicians who are unforgivable much more than followers to Eito Suzuki], Bungeishunjū, 3 August 2022, archived from the original on 5 October 2022, retrieved 12 August 2022
  4. ^ a b 鈴木エイト氏　統一教会と“戦う取材”20年！「拉致してやろうか」と脅迫…自民の親密議員からは街頭で直接圧力 [Eito Suzuki: 20 years of fight for coverage on the Unification Church. Threat of abduction from church-friendly LDP congressmen in the street], Smart FLASH (in Japanese), 30 August 2022, archived from the original on 3 August 2023, retrieved 31 August 2022
  5. ^ 鈴木 エイト プロフィール [Eito Suzuki's profile], Bungeishunjū (in Japanese), archived from the original on 18 May 2023, retrieved 12 August 2022
  6. ^ やや日刊カルト新聞: 本紙について [About Almost Daily Cult News], Almost Daily Cult News (in Japanese), archived from the original on 11 June 2023, retrieved 12 August 2022
  7. ^ 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), 5 October 2023, retrieved 6 October 2023
  8. ^ 【解説】旧統一教会から"指名手配"された鈴木エイト氏語る「大学生勧誘の実態」ターゲットは『学生食堂で１人...友達少ない学生」 [Explained by Eito Suzuki who is wanted by the Unification Church. Reality of solicitation in the college: Targets are those without many friends, eating alone in the canteen] (in Japanese), Mainichi Broadcasting System, 8 August 2022, archived from the original on 10 June 2023, retrieved 12 August 2022
  9. ^ a b Johnston, Eric (August 2023), "Solidarity with the voiceless", Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, archived from the original on 21 August 2023, retrieved 21 August 2023
  10. ^ 安倍氏銃撃事件から100日経っても‟統一教会報道“を続けるワイドショー関係者のホンネ「やめたくてもやめられない」「エイトさんの登場が転換点」 [True thoughts of the talk show commentator who continues to report on the Unification Church 100 days after Shinzo Abe's shooting: I want to quit but I can't. Eito Suzuki's turning point], Nikkan Gendai (in Japanese), p. 3, 27 October 2022, archived from the original on 4 August 2023, retrieved 4 August 2023
  11. ^ "How Abe Shinzo's Alleged Church Ties Marred His Legacy & Japan Politics", CNA, 3 October 2022, archived from the original on 5 September 2023, retrieved 8 August 2023 – via YouTube
  12. ^ 旧統一教会が「改革」を強調する裏で飛び出した韓鶴子総裁の「日本賠償」発言 内部からも疑問の声 本当に変われるのか？, 47 News (in Japanese), p. 4, 26 July 2023, archived from the original on 17 August 2023, retrieved 17 August 2023 – via Yahoo News, 「違法行為をしてきた団体が宗教法人として税金の優遇などを受けているのはおかしい。教団に自浄作用は期待できない。外部から規制をかけるしかない」と強調した。
  13. ^ "Press Conference: "The Activities of the Unification Church in Japan"", Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, 29 July 2022, archived from the original on 10 August 2023, retrieved 9 August 2023
  14. ^ 安倍氏銃撃の９日前、山上被告から鈴木エイト氏にDMが！「従前からエイトさんの記事は読んでいます」エイト氏が明かすやり取りの全貌と今後の懸念 [Nine days before Abe's shooting, defendant Yamagami sent direct messages to Eito Suzuki. "I have been reading your writing." Eito reveals details of their exchanges and concerns from now on], Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (in Japanese), 12 June 2023, archived from the original on 3 August 2023, retrieved 3 August 2023 – via Yahoo News
  15. ^ 日隅一雄・情報流通促進賞2023大賞決定 [Announcement of the winners of the Hizumi Fund for Promotion of Information Distribution 2023] (in Japanese), Hizumi Fund for Promotion of Information Distribution, 10 May 2023, archived from the original on 9 July 2023, retrieved 9 July 2023
  16. ^ ２０２３年 調査報道大賞・発表, 報道実務家フォーラム (in Japanese), August 2023, archived from the original on 22 August 2023, retrieved 23 August 2023
  17. ^ 調査報道大賞に7作品「ジャニーズ事務所性被害」「みえない交差点」, Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese), 10 August 2023, archived from the original on 22 August 2023, retrieved 23 August 2023
  18. ^ 【66回 JCJ賞決まる】JCJ大賞 鈴木エイト『自民党の統一教会汚染 追跡3000日』『自民党の統一教会汚染2 山上徹也からの伝言』、 JCJ賞5点　9月23日（土）午後1時から東京・全水道会館で贈賞式, Japan Congress of Journalists (in Japanese), 6 September 2023, archived from the original on 8 September 2023, retrieved 24 September 2023
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