You've probably heard the rumors: Some SGI-USA members are claiming that the movie "Embattled Buddhists: Under the Rising Sun dead link," a one-hour documentary about Soka Gakkai's history, was made and paid for by the SGI.

I called Sylvia Hueston, the SGI-USA member who served as the film's producer, and asked her point blank who financed the film. "It was paid for by Global Management Group," she said. Hueston assured me that the documentary is an independent production. A dispatch dead link from the SGI Office of Public Information also states that the documentary was made by an independent company.

Hueston told me that she does not know much about Global Management Group or the film's executive producer, Keiko Kimura. According to Hueston, Kimura is not a member of the SGI.

But some SGI members say that "Embattled Buddhists" is not an independent production at all. They are quick to point out that the film's director and editor is Cory Taylor, a prominent SGI-USA leader. They also point to Hueston in the role of producer.

"It's like a cardinal and an archbishop making a documentary about the Catholic church," said Chris Oaks, a Los Angeles-area SGI member. "There's nothing wrong with that, but you can't claim it's independent or objective."

"Who is Global Management Group?" asks a screenwriter, would-be indie film producer and SGI member who asked not to be identified. "Anyone who has tried to make an independent film knows that production funds are hard to get. Most PBS-type programming is made possible through grants and donations. So who put up the money for this film and why? Was it financed by SGI directly or indirectly?"

We may never know the answer to that question; SGI declines to disclose the details of its financial dealings.

According to the online database dead link provided by the California Secretary of State, Global Management Group, Inc. (corp. number C1772225 dead link) is listed as "suspended." Kimura is listed as the contact.

"If SGI paid for the movie, fine," says Oaks. "But let's not be sneaky about it. This is a documentary that supports SGI's version of events, SGI's interpretation of its past and SGI's point of view. Why not just be honest about our bias?"

Hueston says that if anyone really wants to know who contributed money toward the production, they should record the broadcast and freeze-frame the donor acknowledgements at the end of the film. "Everyone who contributed is listed," Hueston says. "These are sponsorships that Keiko Kimura solicited." Hueston adds, "Keiko is back in Japan now and -- really -- she is not a member. She got the inspiration to make this documentary after seeing how the SGI was treated in Japan."
[The final paragraph was added after the story was originally posted.]

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Shortly after I wrote the above article, I received this response from SGI's director of communications:

Dear Ms. Jones,

I would like to clarify some of the speculation that you have
highlighted on your website regarding the film “Embattled Buddhists:Under the Rising Sun.”

First, I wish to state for the record that Keiko Kimura, the producer of “Embattled Buddhists,” is not a member of the Soka Gakkai. Her independent production company, Global Management Group, Inc., was established in 1996 and produces programs exploring inter-cultural issues.

Ms. Kimura first approached our office with the idea of introducing the history of modern Japan to a foreign audience through the lens of the Soka Gakkai, because it is considered such a controversial religious group in Japan. She was intrigued by the fact that, despite its controversies, few had done research on or published the historical story of the Soka Gakkai. Judging her to be sincere and genuine, we offered to support her by making available to her background information and historical footage from the Soka Gakkai’s archives. I want to clearly emphasize, however, that her films were neither financed nor conceived by the Soka Gakkai.

Ms. Kimura has made two films about the Soka Gakkai. The first was “Daisaku Ikeda Up Close,” produced in 1999, which examined the controversy surrounding SGI president Daisaku Ikeda specifically. “Embattled Buddhists” is a follow-up to this, in which she attempted to look at the Soka Gakkai movement more broadly.

There were no Soka Gakkai members involved as production staff in the making of “Daisaku Ikeda Up Close.” For “Embattled Buddhists,” which was produced in both Japanese and English, Ms. Kimura chose to include two SGI members Cory Taylor and Sylvia Hueston, successful directors and producers in their own right, as members of the production staff. The rest of the team, which included a prominent Japanese director and producer, were not Soka Gakkai members.

The specialists interviewed in the film for their views on Soka Gakkai and its relations to the power structure in Japan are, moreover, recognized authorities in their respective fields and have no affiliation to Soka Gakkai.

The film was subsequently entered in many competitions around the world and selected for screening at prominent film festivals in Hawaii, Houston and in other international arenas.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Rie Tsumura
Director of Communications
Soka Gakkai International

I responded with this e-mail:

Hi Rie --

Thanks for the info about "Embattled Buddhists." I have not seen the film, but I would like to.

One SGI-USA member wrote down the list of sponsors at the end of the film. Can you provide more information about them? Are they members or otherwise connected with SGI?

Angel Capital Corporation
Mari Shikoda
Hiromi Nabeshima
A.N.L. Corporation
MacDonald & Beckman (Steven MacDonald is a San Francisco-area SGI leader)
Virender Goswami (SF attorney specializing in immigration law)
Rouse & Bahlart (Cheryl Rouse is a leader in San Francisco)
Chuck Texeira (SF attorney)

Also, another SGI-USA member noted that the credits listed the following people: Clarice Robinson (producer), Anthony Andrews (writer), Tim Jones (composer who has done work for SGI before). Are all of these people SGI members?

Please understand that the issue for some SGI-USA members is not about the film's quality or accuracy. It's about the integrity of portraying the film as an independent production, implying that the film was made independent of SGI's editorial control.

Some members find it disheartening that the only scholars, writers and documentarians who have favorable views of the SGI are the ones on the SGI's payroll or membership list. Granted, this may not be the fact in all cases, but it is a widespread perception among members in the US. Perhaps no one has a problem with this kind of thing in Japan. But in the US, it raises questions about the legitimacy and true motives of an organization; in public relations terms, it raises people's suspicion and makes the organization look like it is trying to deceive people somehow.

I truly appreciate that you took the time to clarify some facts about the film. I will post your response on the BuddhaJones website the next time we update it, which will probably be sometime in the coming week.

Thanks!
Lisa Jones

This is the response from Rie:

Dear Lisa,

In your email you say that there is a widespread perception among SGI-USA members that, “the only scholars, writers and documentarians who have favorable views of the SGI are the ones on the SGI’s payroll or membership list.” Before responding to your questions, I’d like to respond to this because it is untrue and seems to be the kind of misperception that is central to a more general type of suspicion or misgiving that members apparently feel.

To begin with, I think it’s important to consider the context in which SGI finds itself. As you may know, early scholarship on the Gakkai, which was often quite shallow or misinformed, created various negative stereotypes about our movement which have persisted and been perpetuated in both academic and popular media. Thus both academic and popular perception of the Gakkai is colored by the view of our organization as a closed, rightist, intolerant and dangerous cult. It is very difficult to change a view like this once it has taken hold. Added to this, there has also been, as I'm sure you know, very deliberate and damaging efforts both in Japan and elsewhere to discredit the SGI through the media.

Given the overwhelmingly negative bias against us, it is of course natural that SGI would want to work closely with and support those credible voices that are genuinely interested in our organization and present a more balanced view of our movement and it’s motivations. It is also very natural that SGI should look for ways to encourage balanced scholarship and should promote those findings when they are positive. To equate this with deception or bribery is distorted and wrong. It is also misleading. The fact is that there has in recent times—as SGI has become more predominant—been a growing interest among academics and others to look closely at our movement.

I think it is naive to imagine that SGI should merely maintain a passive and detached stance while negative perceptions and misinformation perpetuate.

With regard to Keiko Kimura and her programs on SGI, as I wrote previously, she is an established producer who approached Soka Gakkai on her own initiative and out of a genuine desire to explore and present, in the context of a long history of scandal-mongering about the Soka Gakkai in Japan, a more substantial view of the organization.

I do not believe that her decision to involve SGI members in this endeavor compromised her ability to present a view of Soka Gakkai which she felt was accurate. From my perspective it demonstrates of her desire to strive for a fair and balanced view and does not undermine her integrity as an independent producer, nor the program’s as an independent production.

The people you ask about in your mail are not members of SGI, neither are any of the Japanese production staff or the Japanese producers. The program elicits the opinions of a number of scholars and social commentators. These are all established individuals in their particular fields and are not spokespersons for SGI. They certainly were not paid for their views.

The fact that so many film festivals and television stations around the world embraced this program reflects the integrity of the film’s view.

Since we were not involved in the financing of the program, I cannot confirm whether any of the sponsors were SGI members. SGI, however, did not, as I have said, provide sponsorship for the film. If your question means to probe whether any of these individuals or corporations is a front for SGI, I can assure you that they are not.

I hope this puts your mind to rest.

Best regards,

Rie Tsumura

I agree that it is naive to imagine that SGI should merely maintain a passive and detached stance while negative perceptions and misinformation perpetuate. ;-)

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On April 4, 2003, SGI-USA issued memo ORG-12 about the film. The text of the memo appears below. Subsequent promotional materials distributed by SGI-USA about the film made no mention of it being an "independent production."

DISTRIBUTE TO: All Members

TO: All Zone, Region Leaders and Office Managers

FROM: SGI-USA Organization Department

SUBJECT: "Embattled Buddhists" will broadcast on PBS

"EMBATTLED BUDDHISTS: UNDER THE RISING SUN" TO BE BROADCAST ON PBS STATIONS IN THE U.S. APRIL 13 AND 20

"Embattled Buddhists: Under the Rising Sun," a compelling one-hour documentary on Soka Gakkai's history in post-war Japan produced by Global Management Group Inc., will be broadcast in two parts on two consecutive Sundays, April 13th and 20th, on "Asian America" -- a nationally syndicated weekly program on PBS. "Embattled Buddhists" demonstrates how the spirit of Nichiren and the spirit of the Soka Gakkai is to struggle for the sake of people's happiness. It also portrays the resistance that the organization has met in Japan in response to its efforts to oppose state authoritarianism and empower ordinary citizens.

The broadcast schedule that has been confirmed is as follows (for both the 13th and 20th showings):

New York/Tri-State area: WNYE-TV Channel 25, Sunday at 7:30 pm

Washington DC./Maryland, Virginia: WNVC-TV Channel 56, Sunday at 5 pm

Philadelphia: WYBE-TV, Sunday at 8:30 am

Greater Los Angeles: KOCE-TV Channel 50, Sunday at 11:30pm

(Orange county, Los Angeles, Southern California)

FLORIDA, GEORGIA and other cities in the U.S. times to be confirmed.

We would like to ask local SGI-USA organizations to check their local PBS listings to see if other cities broadcast "Asian America." Please forward the information of the station call letters, channel number(s) and area covered to [e-mail address deleted].

"Embattled Buddhists: Under the Rising Sun" was screened at the 23rd International Festival of New Latin-American Cinema in Havana, Cuba and won a Silver Remi Award at the 4th Houston Pan-Cultural Film Festival.

Thank you very much.

SGI Office of Public Information

For more information, please contact: Sylvia Hueston [contact info deleted]