Nihonjin Mushūkyō-setsu (Discourse on Japanese non-religiousness - Insights from history)

Statistics reveal a global rise in the number of people with no religious affiliation, with a notable surge in the U.S.—a country once regarded as more devout than Western Europe. The population share of religiously unaffiliated Americans is now so substantial that a new term, “nones,” was coined to describe them. In Japan, however, religious non-affiliation is not a novel phenomenon as many Japanese people have long identified themselves as non-religious. Yet, there is a significant difference. In the U.S.(as well as in many other countries), saying “I am not religious” typically refers to a personal identity, whereas in Japan, the same phrase reflects a collective identity of the Japanese people.
 
Since when have Japanese people been identifying as non-religious? This book delves into that question. The co-authors, a professor in religious studies and four graduate students, with the assistance of undergraduate students, thoroughly investigate the origins and development of the discourse on Japanese non-religiousness from its inception to the present. They primarily use materials from three major newspapers—Asahi, Mainichi and Yomiuri. The research yielded the following findings.

- The notion that Japanese people are non-religious dates back to the early Meiji period, even before the term shūkyō, a translation of “religion,” became widely accepted.
- From its inception until the 1960s, the discourse on Japanese non-religiousness predominantly followed a “deficiency theory,” arguing that their non-religious indicated a lack of some essential qualities. The specifics of what was “lacking” changed according to the socio-political context of each era.
- After the 1960s, although the “deficiency theory” persisted, new perspectives emerged, including arguments that “Japanese people are not actually non-religious,” “what was perceived as non-religiousness was actually ‘Japanese religion,’” and “there exists a unique religious tradition rooted in harmony with nature.”
 
In essence, the discourse on Japanese non-religiousness has been used, much like a conspiracy theory, to explain various societal problems throughout different periods. For example, it was commonly claimed that “the reason Japanese people are X (e.g., uncivilized) is because they are non-religious.” From the 1960s, the narrative took a more positive turn, asserting that “the reason Japanese people are Y (e.g., peaceful) is owing to what was mistaken as non-religiousness (but which is actually a unique Japanese religion).” Therefore, the simplistic cause-and-effect logic remained consistent through all discourse.
 
Thus, by summarizing the historical changes in the discourse on Japanese non-religiousness, this book relativizes such narratives, encouraging readers to question whether a true causal relationship exists. Simultaneously, the history of these discourses, spanning from the mid-19th century to the present, encapsulates the evolving identity consciousness of the Japanese people across different eras. Therefore, this book offers a unique lens to view modern Japanese history.
 

(Written by FUJIWARA Satoko, Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / 2024)