Manga Pulled After Alleged Backlash From Japanese Cult
Manga publisher Shueisha has removed A Home Life With God ~We Children Born Into Religion online in what may be a response to a fringe religious group in Japan. The manga by Mariko Kikuchi followed the stories of several children's religious upbringings by their already faithful parents. After the fifth chapter of the manga was pulled online for «offending a particular religion or group of believers» on Feb. 10, the company fully removed the rest of its pages on Mar. 17.
«There were some places where the fact-checking and examination that the editorial department should have done at the production stage were insufficient,» Shueisha said in an official statement. «In response to that, as a result of repeated consultations with the author, we decided to end the serialization.» While the statement does not mention any specific organization by name, one expert believes this may have been done to appease the notorious religious group, Happy Science.
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«Looking back on the past 1-2 years, even when there have been scandals related to religious groups, their names are not reported,» Yoshirō Fujikura, a researcher of fringe religious groups told Smart Flash. «Multiple outlets have reported on Kikuchi's case, but none have mentioned Happy Science by name.»
Happy Science has become infamous in Japan due to its beliefs and the actions of its political arm, the Happiness Realization Party. As COVID-19 cases rise in the country, the group has taken to offering «spiritual vaccines» that they claim will protect against the virus. The group has denied Japanese atrocities such as the Nanking Massacre as well as the Imperial Japanese Army taking comfort women.
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