Anna Lee, Jason Lewis, Nahya Pelito, Sora Shojae |
Shinto influence in politics
Shinto's Influence in Politics
Hakubun Shimomura, the education minister of Japan, and his ally Abe Shinzo, Prime Minister of Japan both agree that the modern charters need to be changed. Abe plans to revise the 1946 constitution. In doing so, he hopes to strengthen the security treaty with the United States of America and also to raise the value of patriotism. This would ensure that the Emperor has a higher role in society. Mark Mullins, who has been a professor of Japanese studies since 2013 and been teaching in Japan for over 27 years claims, "They’re trying to restore what was removed by the U.S. Occupation reforms." If they are to succeed in their goals, they would change Japan back to how it was antebellum (pre-World War II). Due to the fact that the Association of Shinto Shrines is the most powerful lobbyist of Japan, they have a great religiously-political presence.
And with the organization containing over 80,000 shrines, they represent a majority of the shrines in Japan. In addition to that, Abe and Shimomura make up a powerful section of the Shinto Association of Spiritual Leadership. This adds to the religious presence in the government. The Shinto Political Alliance Diet Members' Association contains over 240 legislators. Out of the 19 officials in the government's cabinet, 16 of them are from the Diet Members' Association. This goes to show how much influence these religious associations have in the government, which makes Abe's goals more realistic. The Association of Spiritual Leadership aims to see an alteration in the education in schools regarding patriotism and morals. However the association has already made some political achievements in the past to restore Japan to how it was in the past. Take for example how in 1979 they swayed the government to allow imperial names to be used again.
Abe, however, is currently making strides to achieve his goals. In October, he attended the most sacred and important ritual in Shinto at the Ise Shrine. An author Hisashi Yamanaka made the statement that, "Abe's act is clearly a return to the ways before World War II." While some people aren't sure how far Abe is willing to go, Shimomura makes the claim, "They are sending out the wrong image that we are trying to reinstate the prewar education system." What he said is true though; there are some aspects of Shinto that do not comply with the economic industry the government of Japan is attempting to create. However, Abe's visiting of the Sengyo no Gi has lead to some controversy. There are people who feel that if the Prime Minister is to visit an event so closely tied with the Emperor, he would be violating the separation of religion and politics. But, there are others who claim that he was visiting for personal reasons, which would not be in violation. With the various Shinto associations trying to regain their power and Abe trying to change Japan as we know it today while casuing controversy, Shinto could undergo some changes.