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Genki Fujii
Genki Fujii (藤井厳喜), alternatively spelled Gemki Fujii and also known as Noboru Fujii (藤井昇), is a conservative political commentator and comfort women denier (no relation to Mitsuhiko Fujii). He ran unsuccessfully for the parliament twice under Sunrise Party of Japan (たちあがれ日本) in 2010 and Japan Innovation Party (日本維新の会) in 2012. Fujii is on the board of Global Alliance for Historical Truth.
Fujii is the founder and owner of Cambridge Forecast Group of Japan, which includes publishing company Direct Publishing and online channel World Forecast. Direct Publishing published the Japanese translation of “Inside Trump’s White House: The Real Story of His Presidency” written by conservative political commentator Doug Wead.
Fujii’s Direct Publishing offers his book, “Nihon jin ga shiranai taiheiyou sensou no oouso” (日本人が知らない太平洋戦争の大嘘, Big Lies about the Pacific War that Japanese People Do Not Know) for free on its website (550 yen or about $5.50 for shipping and handling required) in which Fujii advances heterodox claims such as that President Franklin D. Roosevelt conspired with the Chinese to entrap Japan into the WWII, or that the U.S. ignored Japan’s offer to surrender toward the end of the WWII until after atomic bombs could be used.
Fujii has spoken at J-CPAC (later renamed CPAC Japan) held by Japanese Conservative Union, and his company is a “Presenting Sponsor” for the (American) CPAC 2021 which is the second highest sponsorship level said to cost $125,000.
Gingery et al. v. City of Glendale
Michico Shirota Gingery et al. v. City of Glendale et al. refers to a series of lawsuits filed by Global Alliance for Historical Truth (GAHT) and Los Angeles area Japanese migrants against the City of Glendale seeking the removal of a comfort women memorial in Glendale within its Central Park in summer 2013. The lawsuit was initially filed in the U.S. District Court of Los Angeles, but was later also filed in the California State Superior Court of the County of Los Angeles.
Federal Case
Federal case (docket nuber #2:14-cv-01291-PA-AJW) was brought by Glendale resident Michiko Shirota Gingery (who passed away during the trial), GAHT president Koichi Mera, and GAHT-US Corporation on February 20, 2014. The plaintiff was initially represented by Mayer Brown, which removed itself after facing criticisms for promoting historical revisionism. Defendant City of Glendale and its city manager were represented by City attorneys and Sidley Austin, which took the case on pro bono.
While maintaining that they were not arguing over historical accuracy of the comfort women story, plaintiffs alleged that Glendale’s decision to enact the memorial violated the U.S. Constitution by infringing on the federal government’s exclusive authority to conduct foreign affairs. Plaintiffs also argued that the City violated administrative rules by failing to vote on the text of the plaque accompanying the statue.
On August 4, 2014, Judge Percy Anderson ruled that plaintiffs lacked the standing to bring a case on the basis of the alleged violation of the U.S. Constitution. On the question of the violation of administrative rules, the judge ruled that the issue belonged in the state court, no federal. Plaintiffs appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on September 4, 2014 (docket nuber #14-56440) and also filed another case in the state court.
In the August 4, 2016 ruling, the federal appellate court partially reversed the district court ruling by acknowledging the plaintiff’s standing, but nonetheless ruled that the City of Glendale had not exceeded its role in establishing a comfort women memorial, which was considered similar in nature to other cities’ expressive resolutions and memorials on various international issues. The plaintiffs appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
GAHT’s request for rehearing en banc was denied by the appellate court on October 13, 2016. GAHT appealed the decision to the Supreme Court on January 9, 2017 (docket number #16-917).
In a highly unusual move, the Government of Japan filed an amicus curie brief on February 22, 2017 in support of GAHT’s petition, as did a couple of Japanese far-right groups.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied plaintiff’s petition to review the circuit court ruling on February 27, 2017, ending the suit.
State Case
California State case (docket number #BC556600) was filed in the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles on September 3, 2014. On February 24, 2015 the judge granted the defendant’s special motion to strike under California’s anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) statute, dismissing the case and granting attorney fees to the defendants. The plaintiffs were ordered to pay about $150,000 to Sidley Austin, which they did on August 25, 2015.
The case was appealed to the Second Appellate Court of California on May 21, 2015 (docket number #B264209). On November 23, 2016 the appellate court ruled in favor of the defendant City of Glendale, ordering GAHT to pay additional damages under the anti-SLAPP statute. GAHT filed a petition for rehearing, but it was denied on December 23, 2016.
GAHT did not file for the California Supreme Court to review the Appellate Court ruling, and the verdict became finalized on February 1, 2017.
Global Alliance for Historical Truth
Global Alliance for Historical Truth (GAHT, 歴史の真実を求める世界連合会) is a Japanese comfort women denier group founded by Koichi Mera. There are branches in Japan and in the U.S.; Mera has stated that another branch in Brazil is being formed.
In 2014, GAHT filed a lawsuit (Gingery et al. v. City of Glendale) seeking the removal of a Comfort Women Memorial in Glendale in the federal court and then in the California state court, alleging that the City infringed on the federal government’s exclusive authority to conduct foreign affairs by enacting the memorial.
GAHT established the Princeton Institute for Asian Studies, a misleadingly named website in 2019 offering its far-right nationalist perspectives on the attack on Pearl Harbor (it was a conspiracy by FDR), comfort women (they were willing and well-paid prostitutes), Nanking massacre (all made up by the Chinese Communist Party), and the Tokyo Tribunal (racist and unfair).
GAHT leader Koichi Mera passed away in late 2019.
Board Members of GAHT-US (as of 2016)
- Koichi Mera (目良浩一), President and Chair
- Genki Fujii (藤井厳喜), Deputy Chair
- Ichiro Mizushima (水島一郎), Treasurer
- Mistsuo Takahashi (高橋光郎), Secretary
- Kiyoshi Hosoya (細谷清), Public Relations / Newsletter Editor
Board Members of GAHT-Japan (as of 2020)
- Kazumi Koba (木庭一三), President
- Genki Fujii (藤井厳喜), Co-Chair
- Kiyoshi Hosoya (細谷清), Vice Chair
- Kumiko Mera (目良久美子)
- Yumiko Yamamoto (山本優美子)
- Miyuki Noguchi (野口深雪)
- Hiroshi Horino (堀野浩史), Auditor
Board Members of GAHT-US (as of 2016)
- Koichi Mera (目良浩一), President and Chair
- Genki Fujii (藤井厳喜), Deputy Chair
- Ichiro Mizushima (水島一郎), Treasurer
- Mistsuo Takahashi (高橋光郎), Secretary
- Kiyoshi Hosoya (細谷清), Public Relations / Newsletter Editor
Website: https://gahtjp.org (Japanese)
Website: http://gaht.jp (English)
Group that will convey the correct history
Group that will convey the correct history (正しい歴史を伝える会) is a historical revisionist group founded in 2012 by Wako Katsura (桂和子) to hold panel exhibits across Japan that deny Japan’s war atrocities, especially the comfort women system. Co-sponsors for the Group’s panel exhibits and lectures include Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform, Nadeshiko Action, as well as chapters of Japan Conference and Zaitokukai.
Website: http://tutaerukai.com/