This photo taken on Dec. 17, 2022, shows students walking past autumn leaves along a tree-lined street at the center of the Hongo campus at the University of Tokyo, also known as Todai, in Tokyo. (Photo: AFP)
By Cristian Martini Grimaldi
Jul 5 2023
In the wake of the tragic shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a year ago, a majority of Japanese universities have taken proactive steps to combat cult recruitment on their campuses.
Out of the 50 universities that provided a valid response, 56 percent reported strengthening their efforts to alert students about the risks associated with joining cults. Sixteen universities reported putting up warnings on bulletin boards, while 14 distributed flyers to raise awareness.
Additionally, 12 universities conducted lectures on cults for students, and 11 increased campus patrols. Seven universities included warnings in their guidelines for new students and two implemented enhanced information-sharing measures with the police.
The controversy surrounding Abe’s assassination on July 8 last year, orchestrated by Tetsuya Yamagami, who held a grudge against the Unification Church, commonly regarded by the vox populi as a cult, intensified the urgency to address the issue.
Yamagami targeted Abe due to his familial connection with former prime minister, Nobusuke Kishi, who assisted the Unification Church in establishing itself in Japan. Yamagami’s family had faced financial and emotional distress due to substantial donations made to the church by his mother.
In Japan, past recruitment practices have often involved direct calls to students or organizing student clubs. Cult experts emphasize that incoming students are particularly targeted because they are considered more vulnerable, and lacking strong social connections. They warned that cults have now begun targeting junior and high school students and highlighted the emergence of new groups promoting self-help topics.
Not many people know that in Japan, alongside the major religions such as Shintoism and Buddhism, there are also numerous minor religions collectively known as “Shinshukyo.”
The term “Shinshukyo” translates to “new religions” and refers to a diverse array of faiths that have emerged in Japan since the mid-19th century.
These religious movements may incorporate elements of traditional Japanese beliefs, but also influences from Western religions and new spiritual philosophies.
Many of these movements were founded by sole charismatic leaders who sought to address the spiritual needs and anxieties of the people during times of social and economic downturn, and some of them like the Aum cult ended up crafting actual terrorist attacks like the one on the Tokyo subway in 1995.
While of course it is crucial to ensure the safety of students, it is equally important to critically examine the definition of “cult” to avoid jeopardizing the cherished freedom of belief that exists in Japan, thanks to its constitution.
First of all, the term “cult” carries a negative connotation and is often used to describe religious or spiritual groups that exhibit certain characteristics, such as manipulation, authoritarian leadership, and harmful practices.
However, arriving at a universally accepted definition of a cult is not so easy due to the subjective nature of the term. What may be perceived as a cult by one person might be viewed as a legitimate spiritual group by another.
For example, there is an ongoing debate now in the West, especially in the United States, that is centered on the so-called “woke” movement that many critics define straightforward as a cult. Despite the widespread presence of this movement in universities, many individuals are challenging its stated goals.
But if we did a survey, many people would also not consider it a cult. So who defines what? What are the criteria to define a term so that a vast majority of people would agree?
The Constitution of Japan guarantees the freedom of religion, and individuals have the right to practice and express their beliefs.
Branding every spiritual group present on university campuses as a possible “cult” without due process or evidence not only risks infringing upon this freedom but also creates a climate of suspicion and discrimination against those individuals that have the right to believe what they choose.
While it is of course crucial to address the potential risks associated with certain groups, it is essential to approach this matter with caution and fairness.
Universities, as centers of knowledge and intellectual inquiry, should play a vital role in providing students with the tools to evaluate and make informed decisions about their spiritual pursuits.
University students are adults by any criteria, therefore thinking that an above authority would feel the need to ‘protect’ them against their personal decisions is challenging the very fundamentals of these educational institutions.
Japanese universities have now instead taken positive steps to combat cult recruitment on their campuses. These initiatives can include organizing workshops, seminars, and discussions on religious diversity, ethical practices, and critical thinking.
Fostering an environment that encourages open dialogue, is a good choice, but if these measures are justified with the need to ward off bad influences then students will be already primed to interpret those seminars’ goals as target practice for potential Unification Church-like cults. – UCA News
*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.
