Aso says world religions can learn from Japan

Friday 09th January, 07:00 AM JST

TOKYO —

Prime Minister Taro Aso said Thursday some of the world’s major religions could learn from Japan’s work ethic. The conservative leader, who is known for his controversial remarks, told a parliamentary committee that Japan’s belief in hard work contrasted with that of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

“Our values in Japan regard hard work as important,” Aso said during a discussion on the global economic crisis. “To work is good. It’s completely different thinking from the Old Testament. We should share our philosophy with many other nations.”

Christians make up around 2% of the population in deeply secular Japan, where most people follow a mix of Buddhism and Shinto.

Aso, who is a Catholic, was apparently referring to the Bible’s description of work as God’s punishment of Adam for disobeying his commands in the Garden of Eden.

He made a similar argument in a speech on Dec 7 in southern Japan, according to the Nikkei newspaper.

“In the Old Testament, God gave Adam punishment: labor. The Old Testament, Christianity, Islam—if you add them up, what percent of the world is that? About 70% of religions hold a philosophy that work is a punishment.”

He then referred to Japan’s oldest known book, the Kojiki, which features Japan’s creation myths. In the text, an important sun goddess saw many other deities working.

The Japanese are famous for their long working hours, which have turned the island nation into the world’s second largest economy.

Thousands of Japanese literally work themselves to death each year, a problem that has become so common it has spawned its own word - “karoshi.”

Aso, 68, is notorious for gaffes ranging from making jokes about Alzheimer’s disease to once saying that Japanese were better placed to mediate in the Middle East because they do not have blue eyes.

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 92 Total Comments Show All

omarbabilon at 01:38 PM JST - 10th January

Sure, Dear Mr. Aso, you are right: "The Japanese are famous for their long working hours, which have turned the island nation into the world’s second largest economy".

But Japan is also famous for disfunctional families, where children almost never meet their fathers (whose ussually continue working at bars with co-workers or playing golf on saturday and sunday), families where parents have own life separately, where kids live on their own in the streets of shibuya, sometimes until midnight, where sometimes the father rape or chase his own daughter. Sure, we should learn about enjo kosai, about child's pornography sold in any place, like Akihabara where perverts can buy it easily as a candy, about chikans, about discrimination of foreign people in public places as restaurants, hot springs or even places like soaplands or snacks, we should learn about being isolated and never change a word with our neighbor, never listen someone problems and never share ours, learn to never kiss our wife or kids on the street if we want, never tell them that we love them, we should learn to accept IJIME as a normal practice in schools and dont do anything about it, we should learn to understand that people jumping in front of a train is completely normal and getting angry about the time we lose is absolutely acceptable, we should learn that is completelly healthy and normal understand that somebody got angry, took a knife and killed somebody, because was stressed, we should learn life has not value at all, because being selfish and nevermind about any other suffering is totally reasonable. Sure Mr. Aso, you are catholic, but anyway all religions around the world have to learn A LOT OF THINGS from a country where people believes blood type is important to define human behavior.

And please my friends at Japan Today don't delete my post saying that I'M OFF TOPIC, because i'm using Mr. Aso's name, Mr. Aso's words and saying my opinion about his comments, and please don't delete it saying IT IS OFFENSIVE, because it is not, we read about it in your web page everyday, no matter YOU LIKE OR NOT my opinion, all these things really happen in Japan.

HELLO KITTY FOR NEXT PRIME MINISTER!!!!!.... SHE DOESNT HAVE A MOUTH TO SAY SUCH STUPID THINGS.
Seiharinokaze at 04:18 PM JST - 10th January

“Our values in Japan regard hard work as important,” Aso said during a discussion on the global economic crisis.

The predestination of Calvinism that God unalterably from the beginning chose some people for salvation and others for damnation made its believers quite uneasy and they began to try to believe that they were chosen for salvation. Theirs is no more the Heavenly Father of Heaven of the New Testament but Yahweh of the Old Testament. In a way Calvinism is similar to Judaism in that they are lacking assurance that they are saved.

As a result they were compelled to follow a secular vocation in a sense of calling with much zeal which more often than not brought about their worldly wealth. And that hard earned money was also forbidden to be wasted meaninglessly. Thus they began to invest that money, which consequently boosted capitalism. That is to say, at some point the Calvinist rationale informing the "spirit" of capitalism became unreliant on the underlying religious movement behind it, leaving only rational capitalism. In essence then, Weber's "Spirit of Capitalism" is effectively and more broadly a Spirit of Rationalization.

Doesn't Calvinism share something with Judaism? The idea of "rationality" comes from something quite Judaistic and has brought about the present financial crisis, or even perhaps its end?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheProtestantEthicandtheSpiritof_Capitalism
ptolemy at 04:45 PM JST - 10th January

Aso was baptized Catholic, but has said in many interviews he hasn't attended Mass outside of funerals of family members as an adult, and has had none of his children baptized.
illsayit at 05:06 PM JST - 10th January

I am so glad that he stirred this can of worms up!

Brilliant! Though I think theyd have to deal a little with their ingrained Confucious-like habits. And awaken some of those living, to Life. Maybe that's where he is confused about who works the most?

But, it would lend a whole lot of light to what Judaism is, rather than the image that those idiots in Israel, with their toys, are doing recently.
Angus101 at 05:19 PM JST - 10th January

Well, not to offend but man! Thats one thing I love about Japan, having no Christians or Muslims!! They can go fight there issues out else where!!! I say the world can learn from Japan! Ummm, BUT not its work ethics!! Man I'm tired! ...... Maybe France and Japan could Swap ethics! FRANCE could destroy all destructive religions, like Muslims and Christians.... (Umm, thought I'd just stop here for a bit about myself,, so there is an understanding,,, just to say I do Believe in God and also Believe in Jesus, though will never be a "Christian"! Probably makes no sense, but I also believe in Aliens and my Main "religion" umbrella is Quantum Physics!! And when they actually get Universal Physics going!! Thats cool!)...
JAPAN could try to take in Frances working hours, Holiday pay and bedroom life a bit more seriously! Good luck Japan in this area! Anyway, really happy Japan has less controversial Religions! O, Abe must be a typical Christian too, his comment also be controversial! ha... O wait, he is,, He's catholic! Won't that annoy you guys out there who believe in the nitty gritty stuff between the two! :) And Muslim's,, you'll never have the guts to speak out about Terrorism because of three things. Jihad being taken out of context, and if you question it, you'll be called to intellectual and that’s not cool in your department! So fear fear guys!!! If only I was a better person, I'd say less to annoy others here! O wait, I'm just as bad as a Christian or Muslim! Or Abe himself!! guess we all have things in common! How about we forget this and just get along ?? P.S,, There were two Jesus’s! and, 2000 years later and no Christian has learnt how to heal with there hands!!! Why is that ????? WOW!! There is another war on ‘mainly’ over people believing they belong to a side! God Bless Japan!!!
zurcronium at 09:24 PM JST - 10th January

Has the man worked a day in his charmed life? I doubt it.
gogogo at 09:57 PM JST - 10th January

omarbabilon: Excellent post!
30061015 at 03:53 AM JST - 11th January

omarbabilon: Yes, very well written.

tkoind2: Homerun! Bravo x2!

" This nonsense from Aso about religion and work ethic is just another example of clueless leaders leading a repressed and politically zombified people.

What Japan needs is higher productivity, shorter work hours, more time with family and a return to social interaction and values. Not being put on some imaginary pedistal to shine for all to see."
omarbabilon at 01:55 PM JST - 11th January

Thanks for your comments gogogo and 30061015..., I guess this web page has not too much japanese readers, but if there are few of them reading these, i hope they understand nobody want to attack their society, if we criticize, is because we are living here too, then if we dont open our eyes to the reality and help them to do the same, things would never change and get better.
helloklitty at 11:46 PM JST - 11th January

Potsu says: Thank God I'm an atheist...

I can't tell you how much I admire those in the non-prophet organizations.

They work as hard or harder than Mr. Aso and his workaholic cathoholics.
LostinNagoya at 09:41 PM JST - 12th January

The same old song: they believe Japan is a example to the world. The sad thing is that, as unbelievable as it may seem, there are a lot of Japs that DO agree with Aso´s words.

They work a lot, that´s true. But man, they know how NOT to enjoy life. Is this the point?
chardk1 at 12:25 PM JST - 13th January

When the PM is this out of touch is it any wonder there are problems? Setting aside how wrong Aso is on his characterizations of religious doctrine, IMO Japanese people under 30 are just as lazy if not lazier than people living in Judeo-Christian nations. In terms of NEETs, freeters and parasite singles who have mommy cooking and cleaning for them long past the point of shameful spongery, Japan doesn't compare all that favorably to a lot of other countries, and many of the slackers here don't even seem to be having that much fun, just gloomily apathetic.
Kijimuna at 01:19 PM JST - 13th January

Hey, whatever you need to tell yourself as the country's debt push effective tax levels over 2/3 and your disintegrated pension system means you need to work until you're dead. At least you're special.
kagunlapell at 10:14 AM JST - 14th January

why some here keep blaming shinto state religion for the nuclear bombing of Japan? this is like saying that a girl has been raped because of wearing a skirt far too shor! As far as I know, the bomb was made in the States thanks to German scientists...which happened to be either catholic or jewish, at least, culturally. The States expended a lot of resources to develop the bomb and eagerly needed of some field tests. Being too late and hardly acceptable to use it in Nazi Germany, the only possible target was Japan, which population was not considered even equally human by American people. So, what's the point of such silly statements? Shinto was used to brainwashed population as much as ethinic propaganda was used in Nazi Germany, Communism and the love for Mother Land in Russia, or the defense of our capitalist way of living in the States. Whom not guilty, please, throw the fist stone!
hakujinsensei at 11:19 PM JST - 14th January

Shintoism had nothing to do with the war. First, most Japanese are about as kuwashi on their state religion as Asokun is on Christianity. Second, the war was proffered by the Japanese conglomerates pure and simple. Analogy of the short skirted girl asking to be raped? Japan was not guilty of tempting America, they were guilty of refusing to end the war and take responsibility for their actions. There would have been no place to test the bomb had they simply surrendered. The invasion of Okinawa or before would have been a good time to surrender. I suppose it would have been appropriate for the allies at that point to just have said that Japan learned her lesson and went home. Lets not let our idealism lead us into gross naivety. Lets ask Aso what he thinks? I am sure he has read many mangas about the war. The reason that the war was drug out? So Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Mitsui could fuel the war effort to the very end. They knew they would emerge unscathed. Though the smaller zaibatsu suffered, the larger ones became yet more powerful and wealthy as they were given the task of rebuilding the nation. I think the point that Aso missed is not what the world could learn from Japan but what Japan learned from the western world with regards to just how much more powerful a monopoly becomes when it emerges from an agrarian economy and adopts industrialism. That is what fueled the Japanese 'work ethic'.