HOPE FOR HUMANITY

There Is a Way to Curb the Momentum of the Extreme Right

And it’s very simple, but not easy

Obon family grave visit, a summer staple of Japanese culture. Photo from 2014 by author.

In the Western world, where I was born and raised, extreme right ideology is often associated with religion. This is probably because religion is a very effective conduit of concrete ideas of right and wrong. But in Japan, where I live now, religion is not really a “thing.”

Religions exist, of course. But for most people in Japan, religion is not something that dictates what to do and what not to do, except in explicit situations like festivals and funerals. And the religion referenced in each case is usually different: Shinto for festivals, Buddhism for funerals.

Yet, I think most people who have ever travelled to Japan would agree that on average, Japanese people have high moral standards. City streets are clean. People wait politely in lines and stop at red lights, even when there is no other traffic. If you leave your wallet on the train, you can find it the next day at the nearby police box.

What is the conduit then, that Japanese people use to maintain their high moral standards? After living in Japan for over two decades, I have a theory about this. If my theory is correct, it would mean by extension that there is a very simple way for the world to…