Japan First Party

Japan First Party (日本第一党) is a far-right political party founded in 2016 by Makoto Sakurai, the founder and former president of Zaitokukai. In addition to a host of far-right causes including the development of nuclear arsenal and hardline military stance toward neighbors China, South Korea, and North Korea, the party calls for the repeal of Kono Statement (1993), Japan-ROK Agreement (2015), and other reconciliatory positions on comfort women as well as severing diplomatic ties with South Korea.

Website: http://japan-first.net/

Study Group for Japan’s Rebirth

Study Group for Japan’s Rebirth (日本再生研究会) is a monthly study group on modern Japanese history founded in 2006 by comfort women denier Koichi Mera. The meetings were held in Japanese mainly for “shin issei” (new first generation) Japanese immigrants according to Mera. As of 2014, annual membership is $60.

Unlike Mera’s other group, Global Alliance for Historical Truth, the Study Group has largely remained unnoticed from the non-Japanese speaking public because it had not exerted itself into public controversies outside the Japanese speaking communities. However, in 2016 the Study Group collaborated with two similarly minded groups from Japan to submit a joint proposal that seeks to deny the historical orthodoxy on comfort women to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

Website: http://www.japansrebirth-sc.org/

studygroupforjapansrebirth

Ninohashi Club

Ninohashi Club (二の橋倶楽部) is an anti-Korean group named after Ninohashi area of Tokyo, where the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) as well as the headquarters of the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan, 在日本大韓民国民団) are located. The group organizes frequent demonstrations against the Korean Embassy and Mindan over history, territorial disputes, and other issues.

Ninohashi Club submitted a two-page position paper to the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 2016 which disputed the historical orthodoxy on comfort women–see Alliance for Truth About Comfort Women Geneva Delegation (2016).

Researchers of History on Modern Japan

Researchers of History on Modern Japan (HMJR, 日本近現代史研究会, also “KINGEN”) is a group of amateur “historians” founded in 2008 by Michio Ochiai (落合道夫), a member of Japan Conference. Kiyoshi Hosoya is the secretary general of HMJR, who hosts monthly lectures in Tokyo.

Under the leadership of Hosoya, HMJR submitted a position paper to the United Nations–see Alliance for Truth About Comfort Women Geneva Delegation (2016)–and filed an amicus curie in Gingery et al. v. City of Glendale.

Japan Mahoroba Station

Japan Mahoroba Station (JMS, 日本まほろば支援局), also known as Japan Mahoroba Support Agency is an online group founded in 2014 by New York-based Kaoli Koyasu to foster “better understanding of Japanese society and culture” starting among Japanese people. It promotes nationalistic views on Japan’s history and culture, including comfort women denial.

Mahoroba Station has co-sponsored various right-wing and comfort women denier events in the U.S., including Texas Night in NYC (2015), Texas Night in NYC (2016), and the Nadeshiko Action panel at the UN Commission on the Status of Women NGO Parallel Events (2016).

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jpnmahorobasupport/

Japan Family Value Society

Japan Family Value Society (FAVS, 家族の絆を守る会) is a conservative Japanese group dedicated to preserving “traditional Japanese families” through opposition to legislations aimed at improving the status of women such as anti-discrimination policies and legalized abortion. The organization also calls on Japan to withdraw from the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

At the founding in 2007, FAVS was part of the network of Japan Conference with Japan Conference’s Akiko Okamoto (岡本明子) as the Secretary General, although the organization appears to be less prominent under the leadership of Kiyoshi Hosoya today.

Under Okamoto, FAVS was one of the first Japanese right-wing groups to participate in the United Nations processes as an NGO along with “family values” and anti-abortion groups from around the world as a member of the World Congress of Families. More recently under Hosoya, FAVS focuses on comfort women denial at the United Nations level in collaboration with Global Alliance for Historical Truth, of which Hosoya is a board member, Alliance for Truth about Comfort Women, and Nadeshiko Action. It is unclear how much ties the organization maintains with the Japan Conference now.

Historical Awareness Research Committee

Historical Awareness Research Committee (歴史認識問題研究会) is a group consisting of far-right nationalists in Japan. It was first announced by Shiro Takahashi in his column on Sankei Shimbun newspaper on August 31st, 2016 and formally founded on October 1st, 2016. HARC aims to collect “evidences” that support its nationalist views, including comfort women and Nanking atrocities denial, and publish them in foreign languages to influence the international community.

At the time of founding, HARC distributes materials produced and previously distributed by Society for Dissemination of Historical Fact and Japan Policy Institute. Its office is housed at the Institute of Moralogy (モラロジー研究所), a semi-religious entity affiliated with Japan Conference.

Board members of HARC are:

Website: http://harc.tokyo/

Committee for Historical Facts

Committee for Historical Facts (歴史事実委員会) is the group behind paid advertisements The Facts (2007) and Yes, we remember the facts. (2012) that deny the history of comfort women. It appears to be closely connected to the Society for Dissemination of Historical Fact, but it is unclear whether or not it is the same entity.

Committee members at the time of the 2007 ad were:

Committee members at the time of the 2012 ad were:

Japan Institute for National Fundamentals

Japan Institute for National Fundamentals (国家基本問題研究所) is a conservative think tank founded and led by Yoshiko Sakurai. The Institute has close ties to Japan Conference, and many of its board members, advisors, and fellows are members come from Japan Conference and/or textbook reform movement. Its priorities include a revision of the pacifist clauses of Japan’s constitution, continued use of nuclear power, and comfort women denial.

Affiliated individuals include, in addition to Sakurai:

Website: https://jinf.jp/