Harumi Suzuki and Katsumi Takenaka are among the few who have gone public as survivors of Catholic clergy sexual abuse in Japan. But they are starting to feel less alone as other victims decided to come forward.
In this Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, photo, Katsumi Takenaka holds a protesting banner during an interview with The Associated Press in Tokyo. Takenaka and Harumi Suzuki are among a handful of people who have gone public as survivors of Catholic clergy sexual abuse in Japan. They held signs, when Pope Francis visited recently, standing where his motorcade passed, but in different spots and days.
But as in other parts of the world, from Pennsylvania to Chile, Takenaka and Suzuki are starting to feel less alone as other victims have come forward despite the ostracism they and their family members often face for speaking out. Japanese media reports said the woman had been hospitalized for PTSD. Police confirmed an investigation was underway but the church declined to provide details, citing privacy concerns.
Broadcaster Japan News Network said 21 cases were found in the latest investigation. The conference declined to confirm that number. It’s unclear whether that includes decades-old cases like Takenaka’s and Suzuki’s. Takenaka identified his abuser as the late Rev. Thomas Manhard. The Salesians in Munich confirmed Manhard had worked in Japan from 1934-1985, when he returned to Germany. He died a year later. Spokeswoman Katharina Hennecke said the order had no information in its records about allegations against him.
Suzuki represents the Japan section of the American organization SNAP, or the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which supports victims of religious authorities.She said a few other victims in Japan have contacted her. Takenaka and Suzuki talked by phone for the first time recently, although they have yet to meet.
“I did not ask for sex,” she said, adding that she has suffered flashbacks, depression, as well as blackouts about how even she got home that day.
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