Japan
Celebrity surgeon Dr. Oz seeks to be first Muslim elected to the US Senate
By Joseph Hammond — December 2, 2021
(RNS) — Besides Sufism, the mystical Islamic sect, Oz's spiritual practices include transcendental meditation and elements of his wife's Swedenborgian tradition.
Lack of burial space is changing age-old funeral practices, and in Japan ‘tree burials’ are gaining in popularity
By Natasha Mikles — June 9, 2021
(The Conversation) — In a Japanese tree burial, cremated remains are placed in the ground and a tree is planted over the ashes to mark the gravesite. Environmental responsibility is part of Buddhism.
Masue Katayama: Changing nursing care industry in Japan with kindness
By Magdalena Rojo — August 20, 2020
(RNS) — Inspired by her Catholic faith, the ‘social entrepreneur’ is not only one of Japan’s few female CEOs but one of the most innovative providers of elderly care in the world.
In Japan, Pope Francis condemns nuclear weapons as immoral
By Claire Giangravé — November 24, 2019
(RNS) — During visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Pope Francis called for the abolishment of nuclear weapons and remembered the victims of U.S. nuclear attacks.
Pope Francis urges Japanese to address suicide, depression in Tokyo speech
By Claire Giangravé — November 23, 2019
TOKYO (RNS) — Francis also urged the country's bishops to cater to young people in particular, as they are the most prone to suicide and “thirsting for compassion."
Pope Francis’ Japan visit fulfills lifelong missionary dream
By Claire Giangravé — November 21, 2019
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — As a young man, Pope Francis says, he hoped to one day become a missionary in the island nation of Japan, inspired by the Jesuit missionaries who first brought Catholicism there.
New cardinals: The men are the message
By Thomas Reese — September 12, 2019
(RNS) — By making these men cardinals, the pope is handing them megaphones.
School for missionary children in Japan investigating allegations of past abuse
By Emily McFarlan Miller — July 12, 2019
(RNS) — The Christian Academy in Japan is investigating 66 cases of alleged past abuse at the school spanning decades.
Emperor performs ritual to report abdication to Shinto gods
By Mari Yamaguchi — April 18, 2019
TOKYO (AP) — Akihito performed the ‘Shinetsu no Gi’ ritual at Ise Shrine in western Japan as part of the succession process.
Cult leader executed for Japan sarin attacks still a mystery
By Mari Yamaguchi — July 6, 2018
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga confirmed doomsday cult leader Shoko Asahara was executed Friday (July 6).
Francis cardinals make up almost half of electors of next pope
By Thomas Reese — May 22, 2018
(RNS) — Pope Francis continues to remake the College of Cardinals so that almost half of the men who will choose his successor have been chosen by him.
Japanese throng shrines to pray for profitable 2017
By RNS staff — January 4, 2017
(Reuters) Thousands packed a 1,300-year-old Shinto shrine in downtown Tokyo on the first official working day of 2017 in Japan to pray for good luck and economic success in the new year.
Japan’s ancient temples bid for foreign tourists as Japanese lose interest
By Reuters — January 1, 2016
A remote monastery that once attracted Steve Jobs's attention now hopes construction of a nearby hotel could encourage international visitors.
Pope Francis on the anniversary of the bomb: ‘A lasting warning to humanity’
By Rosie Scammell — August 9, 2015
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Speaking to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Francis recalled the “horror and repulsion” aroused by the twin bombings of Nagasaki on Aug. 9 1945, and Hiroshima, three days earlier.
Détente on Christmas * Beard passes * Christ Bless Mississippi: Religious Freedom Recap
By Brian Pellot — December 4, 2014
This month's religious freedom news and views from around the world. Read with caution. Prozac optional.
