Just 10 years ago, a security camera at an ancient temple on the outskirts of Tokyo recorded a hooded man rubbing oil on a wooden pillar. Less than an hour later, another video 17 miles away showed a similarly-looking person anointing an offering box at the shrine, which was founded in the 7th century B.C. Japanese authorities classified the act as desecration of a sacred site and tracked the suspect to New York, where they issued an arrest warrant on charges of criminal damage. The man is Masahide Kanayama, 63, a Japanese doctor who has been based in the United States for about 30 years and specializes in endometriosis. Single and childless, he has become a reference point for treating illnesses that cause chronic pain in women, and claims his medical practice is guided by his Christian faith, which has inspired him from a young age.
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— I believe the Holy Spirit has worked through me and given me the ability to perform unique surgical techniques, — said Kanayama. — When guided by faith, medicine becomes a way to serve God by serving others. My goal is to reflect God’s love through my actions and service.
Ten years after a hooded man was spotted at the holy site, that task may soon become impossible. Japanese authorities said they had discovered a 2012 YouTube video in which Kanayama discussed anointing shrines for religious purposes. They are trying to bring him back to Japan for trial.
Kanayama’s lawyer said in a statement that Kanayama did not cause any damage to any property, adding: “Even if true, his actions were not harmful in any way.” The defense argued that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute and appealed to the federal court seeking an injunction against extradition. They also urged the State Department, which has the final say on extradition matters, not to approve the extradition.
The ministry recently notified Kanayama’s lawyers that it denied the request, but U.S. authorities agreed to delay the removal until Kanayama’s legal challenges are resolved.
The federal appeals court heard oral arguments last month and could issue a decision at any time. If the court rules against the doctor, he will be extradited to his home country of Japan to face prosecution.
The charge could result in five years of hard labor in a Japanese prison.
On a Sunday morning in mid-October, Kanayama entered the Times Square Church on West 51st Street near Broadway. This nondenominational church, once a theater, welcomes thousands of worshipers in person and online for worship in the Pentecostal tradition. There is a live band playing and gospel singing as believers approach the pulpit seeking healing. He prayed with his eyes closed, sang, and swayed to the music.
Kanayama, who is of Korean descent, was already an outsider in Japanese society, but he found faith when his mother took him to an evangelical missionary church in Tokyo at the age of 17. It was there that the doctor had a spiritual awakening, which led him to become a Christian and immigrate to the United States.
— “I will show you my healing power through your hands.” — he said of what he heard from God.
He attended Creighton University, a Jesuit school in Omaha, Nebraska, and graduated in 1985. magna cum road (“I am very honored”, paraphrase) Bachelor’s degree in chemistry. A few years later, in 1991, he earned his MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. After completing his four-year residency at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in 1995, he moved to New York and spent several years as a professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He also started a practice at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut, where he performed surgeries using excision techniques he developed.
Kanayama, a legal permanent resident of the United States, currently runs the New York Endometriosis Center in Manhattan, where patients come from all over the world, including Japan. The office has a meditation room with rice paper and bamboo flooring. Kanayama said he wants to provide patients with tranquility and a peaceful atmosphere.
“Healing is not only physical, but also mental, emotional and spiritual,” he said.
Jesse Lambius, 34, a Westchester County resident who owns two fitness studios and a jewelry store, has long struggled with the pain and fatigue of endometriosis. Doctor after doctor seemed to ignore his problems. One of them recommended a therapist. She said Kanayama noticed her condition right away and told her it wasn’t all in her head. She has had two surgeries with him, the most recent one this year.
— He was the only doctor who helped me. “It’s scary to think about a future where I still have this disease and he’s not around and there’s no other surgeon who can do the work he does,” he revealed.
Lawyers say Kanayama’s schedule has been packed for months and patients come from all over the world. He spoke to some of his patients about their legal situations and said they were taking refuge at the church as a respite from the stress of long surgeries and lawsuits during the week.
For most of the two-hour service that day at the Times Square church, Kanayama stood in a crowded row with a Japanese Bible in his left hand and his right arm in the air.
He always carries this Bible with him, its pages marked and its verses underlined. “Underline everything,” he says. And he also loves going to other churches. Several years ago, he founded a nonprofit organization called International Marketplace Ministries and traveled throughout Europe, Korea, Japan, and the United States. He spoke to religious groups and business people about living a spiritual life not only in church but also in the workplace.
— I’m just a doctor. But I know the Lord. I know God. I know how to communicate, so I just share my experience and encourage people.
“Anointing” appears throughout the Bible as a sacred act. Oil, whether anointed, rubbed, or poured, is a symbol of God’s choice of a person or thing for a divine purpose. It is used to sanctify physical space. In the book of Exodus, God tells Moses: “You will take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and you will sanctify it and all its utensils; and it will be holy.”
“Religious persecution” defense attorney speaks
At the ancient Naritasan Shinshoji Temple in the city of Narita, Japanese authorities said Kanayama left oil on a pillar that forms part of the main gate used to enter the shrine. Officials at the gate said in a statement to the court that the gate was built in traditional Japanese architectural style and is itself an object of worship. The oil left a black stain, he wrote.
At Katori Shrine in the neighboring city of Katori, an oily liquid was left on the wooden pillars on either side of the main staircase, on the stairs themselves, and in boxes for worshipers to make donations, shrine officials said in a separate statement. The oil stains remained, but over time they will become almost invisible unless you look closely, workers said.
Japanese authorities concluded that one person may have committed both crimes in the span of 51 minutes. It was also determined that the person seen in the security footage from both locations resembled the driver of a gray Toyota Prius that was also seen on the highway toll booth camera at the same time.
Using the Prius’s license plate, investigators visited a rental car company at a nearby airport and found Kanayama’s name on the rental records. According to flight records, he had flown from New York to Japan a few days earlier.
Kanayama said he was targeted because he was a Christian. Christians have been persecuted for hundreds of years in this country, and believers now make up only about 1% of the population.
“This is religious persecution,” said attorney Jeffrey Lichtman. –Why are they so intent on not only destroying this man’s life, but ending his ability to help thousands of women suffering from very serious medical illnesses?
The Japanese Consulate General in New York did not immediately comment on the matter.
On December 6, 2022, Kanayama sat with his lawyers in a federal courtroom in lower Manhattan as American prosecutors argued that Japan’s extradition request should be granted. If the judge agrees, extradition to Japan will be left to the U.S. Secretary of State.
Prosecutor Tara La Morte said the criteria for extraditing Mr. Kanayama to Japan have been met. On the one hand, in accordance with the requirements of the Mutual Extradition Treaty, Kanayama was charged with criminal damage to property in New York, which is comparable to the crime he faced in Japan. and the evidence showed that there was probable cause to believe that he caused damage to the building.
She pointed to a 2012 YouTube video of a man that Japanese authorities claimed showed Kanayama talking about spilling oil at a shrine.
–It is proof of your honor, your intentions and your motives, — said La Morte.
Kanayama’s lawyers are contesting whether he is clearly visible in the video, arguing that Kanayama’s comments about anointing the shrine were mistranslated. In court, Lichtman denied that his client was at the scene or that he left the oil unattended. But if that had been the case, Lichtman said the goal would not have been vandalism.
“He had no intention of hurting anything,” Lichtman said. — He was there to purify.
In January 2023, Judge Edgardo Ramos ruled that Kanayama could be extradited. A second judge asked to reconsider the case agreed. Mr. Kanayama’s appeal is pending.
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