Religious Education in Contemporary Japan

Abstract

AbstractIn Japan, religious education is usually divided into three categories: education concerning knowledge about religions or religious knowledge; the inculcation of religious sentiment; and confessional education. Education regarding religious knowledge can be taught at public schools, while confessional education is prohibited. There have been extensive discussions on the inculcation of religious sentiment since the postwar period. Some insist that it should be taught even within public schools. Others strongly oppose this view due primarily to the perceived negative consequences of the imposition of state Shinto during the prewar period when the state and religion (Shrine Shinto) were inextricably bound. The Basic Law on Education was revised in December 2006, soon after the inauguration of Abe Shinzo cabinet. The article concerning religious education was moderated slightly with ‘a general learning regarding religion’ added to the statute language. However, as Japanese society has tended to avoid discussions regarding religious education in the postwar period, it is likely to be quite difficult to establish a new education plan based on the already well‐entrenched positions, particularly with respect to the inculcation of religious sentiment. The idea of ‘religious culture education’ has been introduced recently as a possible way through this impasse. It aims to promote deeper understanding of both Japanese and foreign religious culture. Such a religious education could be practiced, it is argued, even at public schools. The result of questionnaire surveys and other research carried out in recent years shows that religious culture education would be far more acceptable to people, including students, than the inculcation of religious sentiment. Proponents argue that religious culture education is particularly necessary when considered in the context of globalization, the information age (i.e., Internet), and the ‘cults’ problem in the wake of the Aum affair. This essay reviews the historical background to this important and highly debated issue in contemporary Japan and provides a summary of the ‘religious culture education’ proposal currently under consideration.