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.
Unlike other major liberal democratic countries where the states can be argued to have oriented their involvement in cybersecurity relatively more towards the national security aspect such as the US, the role of the state in the cybersecurity realm has a less clear-cut orientation in the case of Japan. This paper clarifies the nature of the role of state in cybersecurity in Japan using the framework utilized by Cavelty and Egloft’s 2019 article (Cavelty & Egloff, 2019). Within this framework, the role of the state is analyzed in theoretical, empirical, and normative dimensions. The theoretical dimension analysis focuses on different theories in literature regarding the Japanese state whereas the data for the empirical dimension analysis come from publicly available records by key Japanese state and private organizations involved in cybersecurity. The normative dimension analysis emphasizes the time horizon aspect of cybersecurity policies the Japanese state should be directing its attention. In conclusion, it is found that the Japanese state embodies the roles of “knowledge creator/disseminator”, “supporter/representative of society”, “partner”, and “guarantor and protector” in addition to a necessity for government bodies to turn towards proactive long-term policies and initiatives for better cybersecurity in Japan.
Integrated circuits (ICs or microchips) are used in high-tech consumer electronics such as computers and automobiles. In the history of IC manufacturing, the 1980s featured rapid improvement and spreading of the chip manufacturing technology around the globe. This led to the United States manufacturers which had been the incumbent leaders so far to face new competition. The Japanese manufacturers had effectively captured both the US and world market by the mid-1980s. In reaction, the US manufacturers filed complaints to the Office of the US Trade Representative leading to an official protective initiative. Under the threat of being cut out of the largest electronics market at the time, Japan agreed to sign the 1986 Japan-US Semiconductor Agreement, with significant demands placed on its industry. The agreement was renewed in 1991 and in 1996, the expectation on the US side was another renewal. Instead, Japan proposed founding the World Semiconductor Council (WSC). This major framework change from a bilateral agreement between governments to a multilateral forum of private sector representatives begets the question of “why.” This paper presents a historical analysis of the factors that led to the Japanese proposal for foundation of the WSC. In this analysis, explanation factors are divided into international and domestic factors from the viewpoint of Japan. It is concluded that the effect of the US diplomatic advantage in the 1986 agreement and Japan’s own domestic political economic transformation culminated in the WSC proposal.
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