Quá trình hình thành, phát triển và tác động xã hội của trào lưu tôn giáo mới ở nhật bản từ sau chiến tranh thế giới II tới năm 2018 tt tieng anh

VIETNAM ACADEMYOF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATEACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES NGUYEN NGOC PHUONG TRANG THE PROCESS OF FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT, AND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF THE NEW RELIGION MOVEMENTS IN JAPAN IN THE PERIOD AFTER WORLD WAR II TO 2018 Major: World History Code: 92 29 011 SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS IN HISTORY Hanoi - 2020 The thesis is completed at: .… Science instructor: Reviewer 1: Prof.Dr Hoang Khac Nam Reviewer 2: Prof.Dr Tran Thi Vinh Reviewer3: Assoc.Prof.Dr Nguyen Hoang Giap The thesis will be defended in front of the Academy’s Thesis Assessment Council at at hour minute, date month year 20 The thesis can be found at: - National Library of Vietnam - Library of Graduate Academy of Social Sciences PREFACE Urgency of the project “New religion” is a term that appeared from the second half of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century in many countries around the world Around this term, the managers and researchers of each country have a different approach In Japan, although there are many different views on what a “new religion” is, the strong development of these phenomena after World War II in this country is undeniable Many new religions formed before the War took advantage of to promote their activities beside new religions that were appearing “like mushrooms after the rain” Japanese and international researchers have started using the term “new religious movements” when referring to this phenomenon in the sense that the new religious practice has become a trend that attracts many people to join in, has a clear impact on the spiritual life of many people in society The massive emergence of new religious organizations, the participation of a number of new religious organizations in political and economic life, and even some religious organizations that advocate and carry out violent terrorism created a very complicated social problem, seriously threatening security in Japan in the late twentieth century The Japanese Government has made great efforts and achieved remarkable results in finding timely solutions in the field of religious management, ensuring the principle of religious freedom while maintaining religious activities within the framework of the law Although the development of new religions in Japan has become stable, it is very necessary to theoretically and practically study the process of its formation and development, and evaluate its social impact from the perspective of historical research to comprehend comprehensively and have an appropriate attitude to deal with it In Vietnam, the development of the market economy, urbanization and population movement from rural to urban areas, etc have led to many great changes in all aspects of social life, including the religious life The study of the formation and development as well as the social impact of the Japanese new religion will certainly give us the theoretical and practical basis to recognize and evaluate the phenomenon of new religions in a more complete way Therefore, I have chosen: “The process of formation and development, and social impacts of the New Religious Movements in Japan after World War II to 2018” as the title of my doctoral thesis in World History The thesis’s research objectives andtasks: 2.1 Research objectives The thesis’s research objective is to clarify the cause of formation, movement and development of the new religious movements in Japan after World War II, and its characteristics, as well as to evaluate the its impact on Japanese society 2.2 Research tasks To achieve the above objectives, the thesis must solve the following tasks: Firstly, to clarify theoretical and practical problems as a basis for studying the new religious movements in Japan after World War II up to now Secondly, to analyze the formation and development of the new religious movements in Japan through the historical periods from World War II to 2018 Thirdly, to evaluate the role and social impact of the new religious movements after World War II to 2018 Research objects and scope of the thesis 3.1 Research objects of the thesis The thesis studies the new religious movements in Japan after World War II to 2018, focusing on typical new religious organizations and social impacts of this movement 3.2 Research scope of the thesis - In terms of space: the thesis analyzes in-depth the new religious movements in Japan - In terms of time: the thesis focuses on the formation and development of the new religious movements afterWWII to 2018 Methodology and research method of the thesis 4.1 Methodology of the thesis Based on the theoretical basis of Marxism-Leninism on religion, and the views of the Communist Party of Vietnam on religious work 4.2 Research method of the thesis The thesis uses the following research methods: + Historical method + Logical method + Comparative method + Case study method (Case study) + Expert method and field survey method New scientific contributions of the thesis - Analyze and present systematically the process of formation and development of the new religious movements in Japan after World War II to 2018 as well as draw out the features of this movement - Evaluate the impact of the new religious movements on Japanese society in both positive and negative aspects - The thesis is added to the source of documents serving the research and teaching of world history, Japanese studies, and religious studies in Vietnam Theoretical and practical significance of the thesis 6.1 Theoretical significance The thesis contributes to the clarification of some theoretical issues in Japanese religious studies in general and Japanese new religion studies in particular 6.2 Practical significance The thesis provides references on new religions in Japan today for research and teaching in religious history, and Japanese studies The thesis suggests an approach in the study of new religious phenomena in Vietnam Structure of the thesis In addition to the introduction, conclusion, references and appendices, the thesis is divided into four chapters: Chapter 1: Overview of research situation Chapter 2: Theoretical and practical basis for studying the new religious movements in Japan after World War II to 2018 Chapter 3: The process of formation and development of the new religious movements in Japan after World War II to 2018 Chapter 4: Features and social impacts of the new religious movements in Japan CHAPTER OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH SITUATION 1.1 Research works on new religions in Japan 1.1.1 Research works on traditional religions Among the research works on traditional Japanese religion published domestically in Vietnamese, some works can be mentioned such as History of Japanese Buddhism (Religion Publishing House, Hanoi, 2002) by Giac Dung, The influence of Buddhism on the spiritual life in Japanese society (National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011) by Nguyen Thi Thuy Anh Research on Shintoism - an inherent traditional Japanese religion is also an area with a lot of remarkable domestic research works Regarding to foreign author’s document, the article can be mentioned is Japanese religion, extracted and translated from the book “Japanese religion”, a research work of the Bureau of Citizens and Cultural Affairs (Journal of Religious Studies, No 1/1999) 1.1.2 Research works on new religions With reference to research works with in-depth analysis of a typical new religious organization in Japan, we can mention the article Issues of entering politics of Soka Gakkai sect (Journal of Northeast Asian Studies, No 7/2013) by Duong Kim Oanh Some articles about this Aum Shinrikyo sect were translated into Vietnam, such as the article Religion to the court, the end of Aum Shinrikyo sect by DWBrakett (Journal of Religious Studies, No 5/2001), the article Social psychology about “spiritual control by sect” by Nishida Kimiaki in “Application of psychology in Japan” (Co-editor: Vu Dung - Phan Thi Mai Huong - Ito Tetsuji - Yamamoto Toshiya, Polytechnic Dictionary Publishing House, Hanoi, 2005) Regarding to English documents, it’s possible to mention the book New Religions, Contemporary Paper in Japanese Religion-2, Research Institute of Japanese Traditional and Culture, Kokugakuin University, Japan, 1991) edited by Inoue Nobutaka In particular, the article Recent Trends in the Study of Japanese New Religions by Inoue Nobutaka has elaborated and analyzed quite in detail and definitions of what is meant by “new religions” With reference to Japanese works, it’s possible to mention the book Read-understand new religions (1992) by Inoue Nobutaka 1.2 Research works on the impact of new religions in Japan 1.2.1 Research works assessing the impact of new religions on Japanese socio-political life First of all, it’s the article The impact of religion on Japanese political life in the 90s of the twentieth century by Nguyen Thi Thuy Anh (Journal of Japanese and Northeast Asian Studies, No 3/2001), Modern Japanese Religions: Movements of Religious Freedom by Tran Van Trinh (Journal of Buddhist Studies, No 1/2007) With direct reference to the impact of new religions on socio-political life, it’s the bookJapanese religious life today (Social Sciences Publishing House, Hanoi, 2005), edited by Pham Hong Thai, the book has given a number of major problems that appear in the Japanese religious life since 1945 to present, including the outbreak of new religions, the social impact of this movement, and which religious policies given by the Japanese Government to suit the reality The number of works translated into Vietnamese is quite small, only the article by Hirochika Nakamaki with the title Japanese people and religion: Approach from a consumer perspective (Journal of Religious Studies, No 4/2001), mentioned the fact that the Japanese consider religion as apractical matter, related to reality, and show the self-interested nature of the Japanese Regarding to English research works studying the influence of Japanese new religions on socio-political life in recent decades, can mention the book Japanese New Religions in Global Perspective (Curzon Press, UK, 2000) edited by Peter B Clarke 1.2.2 Research works assessing the impact of new religions on Japanese government policies The article by Pham Hong Thai with the title Learn about the Japanese State's Religious policies in the book “State and church” (Editor: Do Quang Hung, Religion Publishing House, Hanoi, 2003) The next one is the Master’s thesis in Asian studies by Duong Kim Oanh, with the title Religious policies of Japan in the period of 1945 to 1951 (defended at the Master’s Thesis Assessment Council of Asian Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University, 2013) Regarding to foreign authors, there is a book by Sakurai Yoshihide, Inquiries about the “Cult” - the danger named “Freedom of religion”(「カルト」を問い直す信教の自由というリスク), Central Publication Publishing House, Japan, 2006) 1.3 Results achieved and issues to be studied Through researching domestic and foreign studies on new religions in Japanafter World War II, some remarks can be made as follows: 1.3.1 Results achieved In general, research works on Japanese religions in general and new religions in particular, have made some remarks and assessments that are quite useful for those who start to deeply learn about this field In particular, there have been many research works on a number of prominent new religious organizations, helping readers get an initial view of the new religions - a prominent movement in Japanese religious life after World War II With many different approaches and perspectives, this is a vast field with many useful works, in-depth understanding, analysis, and meticulous assessment of new religions in Japan after World War II, as well as the effects on social life, and the development steps of these organizations 1.3.2 Issues that have not been clarified - There is no systematic research providing a comprehensive and universalview of the process of formation and development, characteristics and social impacts of this movement in Japan - In terms of documents, documents in Vietnamese and translated into Vietnamese are quite few and general, they only introduce the history of Japanese religion and the features of each period, without much mention about new religions - There are in-depth studies on the Aum Shinrikyo Sect - a new sect of negative nature, but these have not helped readers understand the new religious movements in Japan after World War II, but only illustrated a typical sect - There are some articles about specific new religious organizations, but they are still sporadic, not systematic - Although Japanese documents are very diverse, they mainly analyze new religious in terms of psychology or sociology 1.3.3 Issues to be studied by the thesis - Firstly, it’s necessary to clarify the context forming the new religious movements after World War II - Secondly, analyzing the development process of the new religious movements in Japanafter World War II to 2018 by each specific historical period From the practical development of these periods, draw out the common characteristics of the new religious movements - Thirdly, analyzing the movement’s impact on Japanese social lifein both the positive and the negative sides - Fourthly, relating to the practice of religious life in Vietnam in the context of “Doi moi” CHAPTER THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BASIS FOR STUDYING THE NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN JAPAN AFTER WORLD WAR II TO 2018 2.1 Theoretical basis 2.1.1 Definition of religion There are many definitions of religion from theological, philosophical and sociological, biological and psychological perspectives and in fact, it is considered a pervasive cultural phenomenon According to the author, the most complete definition of religion is that of Friedrich Engels: “All religion, however, is nothing but the fantastic reflection in men's minds of those external forces which control their daily life, a reflection in which the terrestrial forces assume the form of supernatural forces” 2.1.2 Definition of new religion and new religious movement Like the definition of religion, the definition of new religion is quite diverse Definition of the Japanese religious researcher Nishiyama Shigeru in his book “Types and characteristics of new religions”can be seen asthe most complete definition of new religion, which is“The creation of new religious forms, relatively different from existing religious forms, compensates and resolves human conflicts with society due to rapid social upheaval Since the nineteenth century, in many The third is the rapid development of urbanization Urbanization in Japan took place strongly, due to the development of industries Cities quickly sprung up, young people in rural areas are mostly looking to urban areas, especially big cities to find jobs with higher income when they reach working age Cities are the home to a large number of people who are slowly moving away from their mental and spiritual connection with the traditional religion of their homeland, they encounter mental emptiness and loneliness This is also a factor affecting the rapid development of the new religious movement, because it has provided spiritual support for people who are lonely in a modern society SUB-CONCLUSION OF CHAPTER Through chapter two, we see that the new religious movement in Japan arose after World War II was not a coincidence but had a prior background New religion was born when many changes appeared in the society, creating a need to have a spiritual support to compensate for people’s psychological crisis and inadequacy This is evidenced through the practice of religious life in the world In Japan, after the end of World War II, the change of religious policy towards liberalization, the rapid economic development and urbanization resulted in massive population concentrationin the urban areas are favorable conditions for new religions to be born and spread rapidly, forming a powerful trend in the society CHAPTER THE PROCESS OF FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN JAPAN AFTER WORLD WAR II TO 2018 The new religious movement in Japan after the war to 2018 has changed through the periods with different characteristics stemming from the specific context of Japanese society The first period, from 11 World War II to 1970, is considered to be the period when new religions take advantage of the change of the Religious Juridical Persons Law and the rapid transformation of the economy as well as the traditional family structure.New religious organizations tried to attract believers and made a great leap compared to the previous period The second period, from the 1971 to 1995, was affected by the oil crisis of the early 1970s around the world When Japan's economy was developing like a storm, it suddenly slowed down, making the material and spiritual lives of the people wobble, urging people to find mysterious experiences to forget the reality The third period, from 1996 to 2018, was the period when religious organizations made efforts to maintain the stability in the size and believers after the negative impact of the Aum Shinrikyo sect’s persecution Besides, it was also the period when new religions tried to promote and take advantage of the advantages of technology, especially the Internet 3.1 The period from after World War II to 1970 3.1.1 Overview of the process of formation and development of the new religious movement from World War II to 1970 The first period of the new religious movement in Japan after World War II was from 1946 to 1970, which is likened to “the blossoming moment of the gods” The investigation of the Jiji news agency announced in 1949 as “Mass religious investigation”, with 4600 votes issued on all professions, combined with previous investigations of 1946, 1947, and 1948 on the topic of democratization, have shown the number of people who believe in religion has increased gradually over the years, specifically accounting for 56.4% of the total number of respondents in 1946, by 1949 accounting for 70.1% Based on these data,it can be seen that the number of people who believe in 時事通信社 - Jiji Tsushinsha- roughly translated as Jiji News Agency 12 religion has increased significantly In new religious organizations, such as the Tenrikyo (Religion of Divine Wisdom), it had 2,032,400 believers in 1956 (according to Japanese Religions Yearbook annual release), by 1963, Tenrikyo had 2,284,656 believers A small new Shinto organization like Tenchikyo (Heaven and Earth Bridge) in 1956 had only 1,623 believers, but by 1963 it had grown to 7,410 believers The development and blossoming of new religions during this period were undeniable, forming a remarkable social trend In this period, the factors affecting the formation of the new religious movement after the War, all play an equally important role, complement each other and are direct factors 3.1.2 The process of formation and development of a number of prominent new religious organizations in the periodafter World War II to 1970 3.1.2.1 Soka Gakkai (創価学会) Soka Gakkai ( 創 価 学 会 ) is the most popular religious organization in Japan, worthy of mention when studying the new religious movement in the period after the World War II to 1970 In 1961, the number of believers of this organization was 130,000 households2; by 1968, the size of this religious organization had reached more than 800,000 households Although it appeared before the war, the strong development of Soka Gakkai in this period is a clear testament to the “blossoming” of religious organizations, and the creativity in missionary methods as well as mode of operation is also a featureshowing that religious organizations are free to develop in all aspects after the war.3 The number of believers in Soka Gakkai is calculated by household In Nhat Lien Tong, there are two basic methods of expounding this truth The first, termed Shoju, is to share this view of life without directly challenging the other person’s existing beliefs and the other is called Shakubuku, which means it doesn’t need to see how the other’s attitude is but just convey its thoughts 13 3.1.2.2 Church of Perfect Liberty (PLKyodan) P.L Kyodan is also a new religious organization that needs to be analyzed to clarify the doctrinal diversity of the new religious movement If Soka Gakkai is a new religion whose ideological foundation is Buddhism, then the Church of Perfect Liberty (abbreviated as PLKyodan, even more succinctly just P.L, in Japanese it is パーフェクトリバティー教団) Perfect freedom), was created on the basis of the fusion of many traditional Japanese religions and beliefs In addition, this is also one of the new religious organizations with a large number of believers in Japan According to the Annual Religion Yearbook, in 1956, PLKyodan had only 605,213 believers, by 1963, this number was 1,164,814 in Japan Along with Soka Gakkai, this is also a typical organization in this period that needs to be studied 3.2 The period from 1971 to 1995 3.2.1 Overview of the development process of the new religious movement from 1971 to 1995 This is the period when the phrase “new religion” (新新宗教 shin shin shukyo) emerged Around the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was an influx of scholars and journalists who argued that it was important to distinguish these rapidly growing new religions from slowly growingreligions by calling them as“new religions” When analyzing this new phenomenon, scholars often take Shinnyo-en (真如 苑 - Chan Nhu Uyen), a new Buddhist organization according to the Chan Ngon Sect, as an example In 1965, the official number ofbelievers of this organization was nearly 125,000 However, in 1974 directly to persuade the others Soka Gakkai chose the Shakubuku method They took the position of presentism and thought that the result of that belief would manifest in the present world as well as the reason to gain more believers Source: http://www.sgi.org/about-us/buddhism-in-daily-life/shakubuku-revealtrue-potential.html 14 this number increased to 300,000, and it was 2,600,000 in 1988 It is argued that there was a third "religious boom" that became quite popular in the late 1970s Usually, these religions characterize and emphasize spirituality and spiritual phenomena Most of these religions have shown their ability to attract young members and increase the number of believers in a short time, but after that, there has been a slowdown in growth An important factor affecting the development of the new religious movement in this period was the currency and oil crises of the early 1970s, which slowed down Japan’s economy compared to the previous period, many Japanese companies were affected, leading to many changes in social life, people could not adapt to the new context, so it facilitates people to find mysterious spiritual feelings to relieve mental stress If the factors influencing the birth of the new religious movement after World War II are shown clearly in the previous period, at this stage, the most important factor is the change of a rapidly growing society which puts a lot of pressure on people 3.2.2 The process of formation and development of a number of prominent new religious organizations in the period from 1971 to 1995 3.2.2.1 Aum Shinrikyo Sect (オウム真理教) Not only in Japan but all over the world, people cannot forget the horrible crimes that this sect committed at the subway system in Tokyo in March 1995 Officially founded in 1987, in the most popular time,the sect only had about 15,000 believers in Japan and 35,000 believers in Russia, quite little compared to other prominent new religious organizations However,the 1995 terrorist event was one of the main reasons for the reform of religious policy in Japan in 1995, more “Outbreak of religion” (宗教ブーム), the first is considered to be the late Tokugawa shogunate-early Meiji period, the second after World War II, and the third is usually considered in the years 1970-1980, however this is still controversial 15 specifically, the Religious Juridical Persons Law was amended in 1995, in order to increase the supervision of the authorities in the activities of religious organizations And it is the Aum Shinrikyo sect that has caused the image of the new religion in Japan to be seen in a more negative direction since 1995 3.2.2.2 Happy Science (幸福の科学 - Kofuku no Kagaku) Happy Science is a new religion founded in 1986, so it is also often referred to as a “new religion” The author selected this organization for analysis in this second period for two reasons: the first is the date of establishment of the organization in this pperiod so it will be a clear example for the second development period, showing a continuous temporal continuation of this period, emerging institutions also gaining their place; and the second is the size and influence of this organization The number of believers of Happiness Science is often not public, nor is there any data on the number of believers of this organization in the Japanese Religious Yearbook However, the number of believers of this organization is quite large The most recently updated figures are in the 2010 organization’s publication, in which the number of believers in a total of 86 countries around the world is 12,000,000 They also formed their own party, the Happiness Realization Party (幸福実現党, HRP for short) 3.3 In the period from 1996 to2018 3.3.1 Overview of the development process of the new religious movementfrom 1996 to 2018 This period began in 1996, after the revised Religious Juridical Persons Law in late 1995 came into effect Tokyo subway sarin attack in March 1995 of the Aum Shinrikyo sect - as described in the previous section - caused disadvantages for new religious organizations, a series of debates about new religions has emerged, along with the change in public attitudes towards religion in general and new religions in 16 particular In addition, the new religion’s participation in politics, through the case of Soka Gakkai’s Komeito Party and later the Happiness Realization Party of the Happy Science, made public opinion more cautious about new religions Although these parties themselves win the favor of voting from their believers, many ordinary people think that these political parties are trying to apply their religious philosophy all over Japan The apparent decline can be seen from the annual data of Religious Yearbook, in 1990 the number of Tenrikyo’s believers was about 1,800,000, and by 2015, there were only about 1,117,000, which means,after 25 years, the number of believers has decreased by about a third So does Rissho Koseikai, in 1990, it was estimated to have 6,330,000 believers, in 2015, there were only about 2,830,000 believers, especially after only one year, from 2014 to 2015, it decreased by 260,000 believers Moreover, the aging age of believers is also a concern for these organizations New religions face the need to innovate, if they want to survive 3.3.2 The process of formation and development of a number of prominent new religious organizations in the period from 1996 to 2018 3.3.2.1 Tenrikyo (天理教 -Religion of Divine Wisdom) Tenrikyo is a monotheistic religion, founded by Nakayama Miki (中山美伎) (1798-1887) Nakayama Miki is a woman; as the founder, she is also known as Oyasama (親様) or ancestor of this sect Tenrikyo is chosen for analysis in this third period, because although it is a new religion that appeared before the war, throughout its history, Tenrikyo has always been one of the new religious organizations with the biggest number of believers, in the third period – period of maintaining stability and taking advantage of new technological strengths, Tenrikyo has promoted the use of technology effectively, especially through online consulting According to the 2018 Japan Religious Yearbook, the 17 number of believers of this organization is 1,199,223 in Japan Although the number of believers has decreased quite a lot compared to the number of followers in 1990, about 1,800,000, but if compared with 2015 with about 1,117,000 followers, it also increased, showing the effectiveness of technology application 3.3.2.2 Konkokyo (金光教 - Konko religion) Like Tenrikyo, Konkokyo is a new religion considered to be derived from Shinto, born in a rural village in Okayama Prefecture in 1859, at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate period According to the 2018 Japan Religious Yearbook, Konkokyo has 1,495 temples and 429,855 believers in Japan The reasons for selecting Konkokyo for analysis in this third stage also stems from the fact that Konkokyo is a large-scale organization, which appeared long before the end of World War II, but it has skillfully applyied technology in attracting believers to their teachings, clearly reflecting the trend of attracting believers of new religious organizations in this period The method of sending petitions to the gods over the Internet without going to the temple also applies This is clearly shown in Konkokyo’s Momoyama Shrine in Tennoji area, Osaka city In 2004, Momoyama Shrine changed its name into Negai no miya, and in 2005, the website “Negai no miya”was created Since having their own Website, those who cannot afford to go to the temple will send their petitions through the Internet From June 2010 to May 2012, i.e 24 months, total 9147 petitions were submitted By maintaining trust and in regular contact with the believers when accepting their petitions over the Internet, the number of believers going to the temple to worship directly has also increased SUB-CONCLUSION OF CHAPTER Through analyzing the periods, we can imagine the development of this movement after World War II Soka Gakkai represents the postWar renaissance organizations thanks to the 1951 Religious Juridical 18 Persons Law which allows religious organizations to operate freely, and has a suitable missionary mode, attracting believers through its essential goals, bringing into play the positives of the new religion The second period, from 1971 to 1995, was the period when the “new religions” appeared, typically the Aum Shinrikyo sect or the Happiness Science The next period from 1996 up to now, due to the influence of the Aum Shinrikyo sect as well as the amendment of the Religious Juridical Persons Law at the end of 1995, the operation of new religious organizations became quieter,partly due to the need to win sympathy from the public Tenrikyo and Konkokyo, the new religions that appeared long before the War, still maintained their forces and achieved some stability, but in the new context, they took a quite appropriate step which is making use of the Internet, an existing means of communication CHAPTER FEATURES AND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF THE NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT IN JAPAN 4.1 The common features of the new religions after World War II to 2018 The general features of the new religions in Japan after World War II to 2018 can be generalized as follows: 4.1.1 Magic - Mysterious The founders of new religions are considered to have spiritual powers, on behalf of a certain God or Buddha, they teach the path of enlightenment to believers, through joining and cultivating, believers can attain "realms" 4.1.2 Combined The new religions are also combined, such as the case of the Shinto-influenced Tenrikyo, which is evident in the rituals, but in philosophy, it is influenced by Buddhist thought 19 4.1.3 Realistic New religions go into the daily problems of human concern such as healing, environment, and getting rid of stress, etc giving them spiritual escape, finding joy right in the present life 4.1.4 Secular The new religions have a way of promoting new believers and the scope of activities is very practical This feature is evident from 1996, when new religions tried to attract believers with new technologies 4.1.5 Women play a prominent role In the new religions, there are a lot of women playing the role of head of religion, in addition, the number of female clergies and believers is also quite large, typically Tenrikyo, Omotokyo, Shinnyo-en, etc 4.1.6 Efforts to reach international impact The new Japanese religions have a quite large number of believers abroad, especially in Brazil, in the US The reason for this was the wave of emigration from Japan to other countries after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, followed by the attempts to spread new religions abroad after 1945 4.1.7 The architecture of the place of worship is modern and creative One of the points that create a unique look for new religions is the architecture of place of worship, from creatively imitating Western architecture or following traditional architecture but having a distinct feature 4.2 Assessment of the impact of the new religious movement on Japanese society after World War II to 2018 4.2.1 Positive impacts The new religions have activities to contribute to the society such as movement for peace, environmental protection, advocacy for 20 education reform, etc These are important issues in post-war Japan After the great Kobe earthquake in 1995 and the 2011 earthquaketsunami double disaster in Japan, new religious organizations have made active contributions to charitable activities, helping people in disaster areas, rebuilding their lives and overcoming psychological shocks 4.2.2 Negative impacts The most typical of the activities that have a negative impacts on the society of new religion is that of the Aum Shinrikyo sect Propaganda of reactionary teachings, justification for acts of damage to lives and property, especially the 1995 Sarin poisoning in the subway in Tokyo causing disorder, social security is unforgivable In addition, the issue of new religion and politics is also a controversial issue in Japan 4.3 The impacts of the new religions on the Adjustment of the Religious policy of the Japanese Government Until 1990, the need to amend the Japanese Law on religious legal entities, though mentioned more or less, was not an overly necessary issue However, the event that Aum Shinrikyo sect organized a series of kidnappings and poisoning with Sarin gas in 1995 created a tremendous shock not only in the political and social life in Japan but also in the world The persecution carried out by the Aum Shinrikyo sect was immediately debated by public opinion and experts, legislators The Aum Shinrikyo sect was the direct cause leading to the amendment and supplementation of the Japanese Law on religious legal entities The draft amendment to the Japanese Law on religious legal entities was submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval on December 8, 1995 4.4 Some connections with Vietnam According to the announcement of some religious researchers in Vietnam, new religion is also a very remarkable phenomenon in 21 Vietnam From practical Japanese experience, it is perceived that in order to prevent harmful social activities caused by religious organizations, as well as to prevent the exploitation and support of hostile foreign forces, the necessary oversight of religious organizations is required SUB-CONCLUSION OF CHAPTER 4 The new religions in Japan in the period after World War II to the 1990s have outstanding features and have a multifaceted impact on the cultural and social life in Japan The activities participating in the movement of peacekeeping and environmental protection, disaster relief, etc demonstrate the positive aspects of the new religious organizations However, the "sudden" appearance of new religions also brings many negative impacts on society CONCLUSION The new religions in Japan, from the end of World War II until now, have been a prominent phenomenon in the religious life of Japan during this period The lax about the State's role in religious management regulated by the law, the hot economic growth that leads to high-speed changes in socio-cultural life are the basic factors that led to the "outbreak" of new religions in Japan, forming a spiritual movement The new religions have met the spiritual needs of a majority of the people in our constantly changing society The new religions were born from the modification of traditional religious elements and reflected the psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of post-war Japanese social life Therefore, besides the traditional features, the new religions also have their own features and changes in different periods The development of a new religious movements in Japan after World War II was a process that had a very big initial appearance Of the thousands of religious organizations that were considered new in this period, there are many organizations that have emerged or originated in 22 the pre-war period As one of the religions with miraculous progress after 1945, Soka Gakkai- not only has a rapid growth in believers but also features a new type of religion closely related to the political life of a country in which the principle of "dissociated orthodoxy" has been affirmed in the Constitution and the Law on religious legal entities This also confirms the current nature of modern Japanese religion as well as the transformation of traditional Buddhism in new religions Aum Shinrikyo sect, which appeared in the second period of 1971 to 1995, considered a "new religion" is a special example of a new religious sect that tends to go against the values of the Japanese people in particular and the human race in general The event of mass murder by this sect's toxic chemical is a wake-up call for managers in Japan in particular and around the world in general about the danger level of a new religious organization that has committed violence beyond the control of the state government Also from here, the development of the new religious movements in Japan entered a new stage, after 1995, it was a period of trying to maintain influence and take advantage of the new context The massively emerging new religion considered as "mushrooms after the rain" in the post-war period had a significant influence on Japanese society Besides the positive impacts such as contributing to the peacekeeping movement, environmental protection, charity activities, investment in the health and education sector, relieving psychological stress and bringing balance to people in a fiercely competitive society, many new religions also have harmful impacts on society, for example, criminal activity that has been condemned publicly and legally punished as in the case of the Aum Shinrikyo sect, there are many religious organizations that make profits and propagate superstitions, causing damage to human lives and property However, when assessing the impacts of the new religions in Japan, we can still comment that the new religions still play a significant and active role, 23 contributing to social life in many fields Compared with the new religions in the US or Europe, the new religious picture in Japan still has a brighter and more peaceful color The development of the new religious movements in Japan, compared to the US and Europe, did not face too much fear from the public, and quickly attracted a large number of believers It was not until the Aum Shinrikyo sect carried out a terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995 that people's apprehension and precaution were truly remarkable This terrorist event has made public opinion see the new religions with more suspicious eyes, and questions about the safety and whether the activities of these organizations are legal or not are often raised Religious researchers, journalists, etc all hold a more cautious attitude when evaluating new religions To reinforce this, the Law on religious legal entities revised in 1995 is a step forward in the management and supervision of religions in general, including new religions According to the announcement of some religious researchers in Vietnam, new religion is also a very remarkable phenomenon in Vietnam Starting from the point of view that religious belief is a spiritual need of a part of the people, the Party and State have set out a policy of religious freedom, encouraging and creating conditions for religions to uphold their moral and ethical values and contribute to society In addition to suggestions drawn from the amendment of the Japanese law on religious legal entities, we also draw a conclusion that religious freedom is the indispensable requirement of modern and social life, however, religious freedom needs to be understood historically, specifically, it is necessary to associate the degree of religious freedom with the economic, political and social conditions of each country, not with a general measure of freedom 24 LIST OF THE AUTHOR’S SCIENCE WORKSRELATED TO THE THESIS Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Trang (2011), Learning about the Omoto sect in Japan, Northeast Asian Studies, No 01 (119)/2011, p 71 -78 Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Trang (2011), Learning about the Aum Shinrikyosect in Japan, Northeast Asian Studies, No 07 (125)/2011, p.50 -57 Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Trang (2012), New religions in Japan in the period afterWorld War II to the 1990s and their social impact, Religious Studies, No 08 (110)/2012, p.60 - 70 Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Trang (2013), Tenri sect in Japan, Northeast Asian Studies, No 08 (150)/2013, p 69-75 Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Trang (2014), New religions in Japan after World War II- Cause of formation and some characteristics, Religious Studies, No 10 (136)/2014, p 91- 100 Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Trang (2015), Religion in the field of education in Japan since World War II until now, Northeast Asian Studies, No 12 (178)/2015, p.50-60 Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Trang (2016), Preschool education of some religious organizations in Japan, Northeast Asian Studies, No 12 (190)/2016, p.56–66 Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Trang (2017), Japanese Buddhism in the US and the case of Soka Gakkai,Northeast Asian Studies, No 12 (202)/2017, p.50~59 Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Trang (2018), An overview of the modernization of Japanese religion on the Internet in the early twenty-first century, Northeast Asian Studies, No 10 (212)/2018, p.64-73 10.Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Trang (2019), An overview of Buddhist social welfare in Japan, Northeast Asian Studies, No 12 (226)/2019, p.59– 66 ... after World War II to 2018 Research objects and scope of the thesis 3.1 Research objects of the thesis The thesis studies the new religious movements in Japan after World War II to 2018, focusing... movements in Japan after World War II to 2018 Chapter 3: The process of formation and development of the new religious movements in Japan after World War II to 2018 Chapter 4: Features and social... common features of the new religions after World War II to 2018 The general features of the new religions in Japan after World War II to 2018 can be generalized as follows: 4.1.1 Magic - Mysterious