Mark R. Mullins is a professor of religion in the Graduate School of Global Studies and the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Sophia University, Tokyo.
關鍵詞
nationalism; Association of Shinto Shrines; Yasukuni Shrine; Liberal Democratic Party; Shinto Seiji Renmei; civil religion; coercion; public sphere
摘要
The 1995 social crisis in Japan—brought on in part by Aum Shinrikyō—created an environment in which the political interests and agendas of neo-nationalist leaders and groups found a more receptive audience. Most of their concerns and restoration initiatives had been envisioned by the Association of Shinto Shrines since the end of the Occupation and promoted by its political arm, the Shinto Seiji Renmei, since 1969. In the first few years after the Aum Affair, a number of new groups emerged—such as Nippon Kaigi—and joined forces with these older organizations. With the leadership of politicians and prime ministers from the Liberal Democratic Party, these groups have recorded significant progress toward the goal of reshaping public life and institutions over the course of a decade. Both secular and religious critics are concerned that the institutionalization of these neo-nationalist initiatives is seriously eroding individual freedoms. The public concern for “protection” from deviant new religions—initially generated by the Aum crisis—has evolved to include a concern for protection from civil religious obligations in public institutions.
