Birleşme Kilisesi ve Japonya: Tarihsel Bir İnceleme

Öncesinde Dünya Barışı ve Birleşmesi için Aile Federasyonu olarak adlandırılan ve Birleşme Kilisesi (UC) olarak bilinen tarikat, Temmuz 2022'de eski Japonya Başbakanı Şinzō Abe'nin öldürülmesinin ardından dünya çapında kamuoyu tartışmalarının ön saflarına taşındı. Tarikat, geçmişi göz önüne alındığında bu tarz tartışmalara yabancı değildir. Ancak bu olay, Japonya'da Hıristiyan bir dini grubun neden olduğu sosyal sorunlar nedeniyle önde gelen siyasi liderin öldürülmesi ve söz konusu grup ile iktidardaki siyasi parti arasındaki yaygın bağlantıların ortaya çıkması nedeniyle özellikle yıkıcı olmuştur. Bu olaylar zinciri, Japonya demokrasisi üzerinde olumsuz yönde bir etki yarattı ve Birleşme Kilisesi’nin Japonya’daki köklerinin daha yakından incelenmesinin gerektiğini ortaya koydu. Böylece bu çalışmanın amacı, Birleşme Kilisesi'nin II. Dünya Savaşı öncesi ve sonrası siyasi tarihi boyunca Japonya'da siyasi nüfuz elde etmesine neden olan faktörlere odaklanmaktadır. Ayrıca, Aum Şinrikyo ve Birleşme Kilisesi gibi tartışmalı tarikatlar da dahil olmak üzere Japonya'daki dini gruplar, "kült tartışması" başlığı altında halkla ilişkiler ve oransız büyümeleri noktasında önemli vaka çalışmaları sunmaktadır. Bununla birlikte, önceki çalışmaların çoğu kapsam bakımından sınırlıydı. Ayrıca, UC'nin Japonya'nın demokratik sistemi üzerindeki temel/genel etkisine ilişkin görüşleri sunmak veya değerlendirmek için sadece birkaç tek tip teknik vardı. Bu çalışma, tarihi ve güncel faktörlerden hareketle önceki görüşler arasında bir köprü kurarak literatürün sınırlarını genişletmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Mevcut literatürün yanı sıra arşiv verilerinin nitel analizi yoluyla, belirli siyasi figürlerin, İkinci Dünya Savaşı öncesi siyasi ideolojik farklılıklardan beslenen rekabetlerinin ve İşgal dönemi politikalarının UC'nin Japonya'da kök salmasına yardımcı olan faktörler olduğu saptanmıştır. Bu faktörler, UC'ye dair ilk dönem bakış açılarını ortaya çıkarmak için araştırılmıştır. Sonuç olarak, ortaya çıkabilecek sosyal sorunlar pahasına İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonrası Japonya'da siyasi genişleme için UC'nin hızlı ve derin bir şekilde organize olmasının önünün açıldığı görülmüştür.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Japonya, Şinzō Abe, Tarikat Tartışması, Birleşme Kilisesi, Nobusuke Kişi

Unification Church and Japan: A Historical Review

The cult previously known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, called the Unification Church (UC), was launched to the forefront of public discussion around the globe following the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe in July 2022. The cult itself is no stranger to controversy given its history, however, this incident was particularly disruptive as Japan faced a politician’s assassination motivated by social problems caused by a Christian religious group along with the revelation of widespread connections between the said group and the ruling political party. This chain of events inflicted a damaging influence on Japan’s democracy, an outcome that requires a closer inspection of its roots. To achieve such a goal, this study turns toward factors that allowed the UC to achieve political influence in Japan during the country's pre- and post-World War II political history. In addition, religious groups in Japan, including controversial cults such as Aum Shinrikyo and the UC provide important case studies in public relations and fast development under the title of the “cult controversy”. However, many of the previous studies were insufficient regarding their scope, and there was no uniform technique for presenting or assessing the usually brief opinions on the UC's actual overall influence on Japan's democratic system. However, many of the previous studies were limited in scope. Moreover, there were only a few uniform techniques for presenting or assessing views on the core/overall influence of UC on Japan's democratic system. This study aims to expand the limitations of the literature by bridging previous views based on the historical and recent factors. Through qualitative analysis of archival data as well as existing literature, it is found that the rivalries of certain political figures, pre-WWII rivalries rooted in political ideological differences, and Occupation-era policies were factors that allowed UC to take root in Japan. These factors were explored to reveal early perspectives on UC. As a result, it is found that the rapid and deep organization of UC paved the way for political expansion in post-WWII Japan at the expense of potential social problems.

Keywords:

Japan, Shinzō Abe, Cult Controversy, Unification Church, Nobusuke Kishi Japonya, Şinzō Abe, Tarikat Tartışması, Birleşme Kilisesi, Nobusuke Kişi,

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