Foreign Student (hereinafter, FS): In Japan these days Halloween events are really catching on. I heard Japan is a Shinto and Buddhist country. Why do Japanese celebrate pagan events? Teacher (hereinafter, T): The Japanese not only celebrate Halloween, for a long time now they’ve also been celebrating Christmas and Valentine’s Day. For the majority of Japanese, especially for young people, these dates have no religious significance, rather they are simply enjoyable events. It has become customary to have cake on Christmas Day and present chocolates to people you like on Valentine’s Day. It is said the confectionery industry was responsible for starting these trends. Halloween, being associated with getting dressed up in costume, was easily accepted in Japan which already has a culture of cosplaying. It’s become a business opportunity for the clothing and food industries. Since Japan’s population mostly consists of a racially homogeneous group, there’s a tendency to accept anything as long as it is enjoyable, regardless of who devises the event. Young people generally view Oriental events as being outdated, while Western events are seen as being fashionable. FS: On the other hand, I heard that 80% of Japanese visit a shrine or temple on the first three days of the New Year. Does this mean the Japanese fervently believe in Shintoism and Buddhism? T: For the majority of Japanese, rather than being religious, these too are a kind of festive event. Most Japanese have a Christian-style wedding ceremony, visit a Shinto shrine on New Year’s Day, and hold funerals at a Buddhist temple. FS: Don’t Japanese feel that there is something contradictory about this? Don’t they have any religious sensibilities? T: Religious believers are apt to insist that the god they believe in is the only true god and consider (the beliefs of) others to be heretical. Because of this religious wars have broken out in the past and even continue to this day. There is a liberal attitude towards religion in Japan where diverse faiths, from Buddhism to Christianity, have been accepted. As a result Japanese have built a peaceful country. FS: Throughout the world dictators have appeared who have used religious power to oppress the people. Hasn’t Japan ever had a similar period? T: This has happened in Japan too. Most recently during World War Two when the military used the divine authority of the Emperor Showa to control the Japanese people. In many countries, those who rise to power become the king or emperor. However, in Japan no matter how powerful a leader becomes, they have never been able to attain the highest rank of Emperor. After the war, Japan was asked to take responsibility for its actions during the conflict, but at the Allied Nations’ Tokyo Tribunal, the Emperor was never accused of committing any crimes. One of the reasons for this was that over 90% of Japanese were loyal to their Emperor, even after Japan was defeated. Some people say that the Japanese attitude towards religion is insincere. However, you might take the view that the Japanese incorporate religion into their daily lives, without strictly abiding by its teachings and that this might be the true purpose of religion.