Eito Suzuki

Eito Suzuki (鈴木 エイト, born 1968 ) 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).

Early life
Eito Suzuki was born in Shiga Prefecture, Kansai, 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.

Career
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. 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. Through these connections, he embarked on a full-scale investigative journalism career.

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

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. He shares his latest investigations on the activities of the UC and their ties with the Liberal Democratic Party. 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. 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.

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, 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.

Awards
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. 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". In August 2023, he was awarded the second prize of the "Investigative Journalism Award 2023". In September 2023, he received the First Prize at the 66th Japan Congress of Journalists Awards for his authorship of the "Contamination of the Liberal Democratic Party" series.