Japan: Contemporary Affairs

Due to Japan’s secularist society, religious conflicts have generally not marred the country’s recent affairs. However, there are some significant events to be noted including the refusal of members of the Japanese cabinet to visit the Yasukuni Shrine in August 2010, marking the first time no members of the government were present at the annual religious ceremonies. The shrine is a controversial Shinto place of worship honoring Japan’s war dead, including fourteen high-level war criminals from the Second World War, and attendance by public figures had led to tensions with Japan’s neighbors in the past. Additionally, in June 2012, Japanese authorities finally captured the last fugitive suspected of carrying out the 1995 attack, Katsuya Takahashi, ending one of the longest manhunts in Japanese history at 17 years. Takahashoi was a member of the Aum Shinrikyo sect involved in perpetrating the 1995 nerve gas attacks that killed a dozen people and injured thousands in the Tokyo subway. The sect, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, declined dramatically in popularity following the attacks but currently maintains approximately a thousand followers in Japan. Lastly, in March 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in March 2011 and nearly caused a nuclear meltdown. The country has devoted a significant amount of resources to stabilize and upgrade the country’s nuclear facilities.