(Tokyo – February 25, 2026) The second international forum, “China’s Human Rights Abuses Unreported by the Media” (Japanese: メディアが報じない中国人権弾圧), focusing on human rights issues under the Chinese Communist Party, was held on February 23, 2026, at the conference center of Hibiya Library and Museum in Tokyo. Dr. Bob Fu, founder of ChinaAid, was invited to deliver a keynote address as a special guest. He co-presented alongside Eiji Satomura (さとむら えいいち), Chair of the Policy Research Council of the Happiness Realization Party, and participated in a panel discussion.
Drawing on his own experiences as well as the firsthand accounts of other Chinese pastors, Dr. Fu gave a detailed account of the Chinese Communist Party’s systematic persecution of religious faith, including church demolitions, the arrest of pastors, and the forced “Sinicization” of religion. He emphasized that religious freedom is a cornerstone of a democratic society, stating that “without freedom of religion, there can be no freedom of conscience, and without freedom of conscience, there can be no genuine freedom of association or assembly.” Dr. Fu called on all sectors of Japanese society, regardless of religious affiliation, to pay greater attention to and show solidarity with persecuted religious communities, and to help promote comprehensive religious freedom in China.
In his speech, Mr. Satomura (さとむら えいいち) noted that human rights abuses by the Chinese Communist Party are extremely severe, yet rarely reported by mainstream media. He cited examples, saying that if media outlets report on human rights issues disliked by the Chinese authorities, they are barred from operating in China. “To my knowledge,” he said, “at least three journalists have been banned from reporting in China for covering such issues, and some ultimately lost their jobs.” He urged Japan and the international community to confront these “unreported” dark realities and to advance a values-based alliance centered on “freedom, democracy, and faith” to counter authoritarian oppression.
Dr. Fu further called on democratic countries such as the United States and Japan to strengthen cooperation and apply diplomatic and economic pressure on the Chinese Communist Party to jointly halt its transnational repression, religious persecution, and human rights abuses.
On February 24, Dr. Fu and his wife, Heidi, visited the headquarters of the Happiness Realization Party in Tokyo, where Party Chairwoman Ryoko Shaku (しゃく りょうこ) warmly welcomed them. Mr. Wang Dai (王戴), Vice President of the Federation for a Democratic China (民主中国阵线), accompanied the visit. During the visit, Dr. Fu gave an exclusive interview to the party’s assistant director of Public Relations, Gentaro Hatakeyama (はたけやま げんたろう).
The Happiness Realization Party (幸福実现党) was founded in 2009 and has approximately 200,000 members and holds seats in more than 55 local councils (though it has not yet secured seats in the national parliament). Its platform centers on “freedom, democracy, and faith,” strongly opposes the Chinese Communist Party’s authoritarian rule, and advocates for a market economy, tax cuts, and strengthened national defense. In its China and Taiwan policy, the party takes a hardline anti-CCP stance, opposes Beijing’s military threats against Taiwan, and views a Taiwan contingency as an existential crisis for Japan, stressing that a Taiwan crisis would be a crisis for Japan itself and should be deterred through enhanced defense capabilities and values-based alliances.
This event highlighted the growing international coordination between Japanese political parties and human rights advocates from Japan and the United States on issues of religious freedom and opposition to authoritarianism, while maintaining sustained attention on human rights conditions in China.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the number of seats held in local councils. It is more than 55 seats instead of more than 40. This article has been updated to reflect the correct number. (Updated on Feb. 27)
