Regarding the Guilty Verdict of Freelance Writer Zenro Fujikura

March 16, 2021（Last Update: June 16, 2026）

In January 2018, freelance writer Zenro Fujikura entered the Initial Turning of the Dharma Memorial Hall without permission and took unauthorized photographs inside the hall where photography is prohibited. As a result of our religious group filing a damage report with the police, a criminal trial was held for trespassing, and on March 15, the Tokyo District Court handed down a guilty ruling to Mr. Fujikura, sentencing him to "a fine of 100,000 yen with a two-year suspended sentence."

Our group's comment on this matter is as follows.

Freedom comes with responsibility. Not everything is permissible under the guise of reporting. Despite multiple notices from our religious group prohibiting entry, the defendant's repeated unlawful entry into our religious facilities disrupts the peace of sacred religious sites. This ruling also demonstrates that "freedom of reporting does not allow for the infringement of others' rights," "the peace of religious facilities must also be respected," and "management rights cannot be said to be subordinate to freedom of reporting." We urge the defendant to sincerely accept the ruling and refrain from any further unlawful entry or actions that disturb the peace of our religious facilities.

Happy Science Group Public Relations Division