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Jehovah's Witnesses' Japanese corporation and member families sued the state over 2022 guidelines on religion-related child abuse

Illustration: an open government circular beside a tied case file on a bare courtroom table before a closed paper screen

The suit in the Tokyo District Court, filed in March 2025 and reported by Jiji Press in April 2026, argues that a health-ministry Q&A listing a parent's refusal of a blood transfusion a doctor judges necessary as neglect is unconstitutional, and asks for the guidelines to be set aside, with ¥2 million in damages per person. The state was contesting the claims, according to April 2026 reports; three advocacy groups for people raised in religious households criticised the suit.

· April 11, 2026 · 11 min read

Director Pablo Aguinaga described the survivors' testimonies as 'devastating; these were deeply broken people who had suffered greatly.'Confirmed

HBO Max Releases Spanish Docuseries 'Surviving the Jehovah's Witnesses'

Illustration: a film clapperboard and a play-button triangle

The three-part series Sobrevivir al Paraiso: Mas alla de los Testigos de Jehova premiered on HBO Max on 20 February 2026, tracing former Spanish members' accounts of abuse, shunning, and legal action. Reception has so far been mixed and thinly covered by major outlets.

· February 20, 2026 · 3 min read

The $40 million judgment names one man who did not contest it; the church's separate settlement stays sealed.Confirmed

A Hawaii Judge Awarded $40 Million Against a Former Jehovah's Witnesses Elder. It Was Not a Verdict Against the Organization.

Illustration: scales and gavel beside an island motif

In 2023, Judge Dean Ochiai awarded a survivor known as N.D. $40 million against Kenneth Apana, a former Makaha congregation elder who did not defend the suit. The congregation and its entities settled separately and confidentially.

· July 18, 2023 · 6 min read