Stereotypical explanations by foreigners

 

kazukazu88 Retweeted

A thorough report from NBC on the Abe assassination and growing scrutiny of the Unification Church. Commentary by @SheilaSmithCFR and me.https://t.co/2Bf9ihLYfd

— Levi McLaughlin (@mclaughlin_levi) July 12, 2022

 In Japan, conservative politicians like Abe have cultivated ties with groups like the Unification Church because of the influence they can hold, and it is not uncommon for them to appear at their events.

In September, former President Donald Trump spoke at a virtual “Rally of Hope” hosted by the Universal Peace Federation, which Moon and his wife founded in 2005 to help promote their goal of “one family under God.” Abe, a conservative politician who sought to expand Japan’s military power, also addressed the forum, calling for “solidarity between countries sharing freedom and democracy” in the Pacific region, The Washington Times reported.

Some online users sought to blame Korea for Abe’s death, said McLaughlin, the author of “Komeito: Politics and Religion in Japan.” The South Korean Consulate in Fukuoka warned Koreans living in Japan that they could be the targets of hate crimes.

“This is going to rile up anti-Korean sentiment because it’s a Korean-based church,” McLaughlin said. “The conspiracy theories are already being talked about similar to QAnon — the killer is Korean and it’s a conspiracy by Korea.”

McLaughlin added that marginalized people in Japan who belong to religious groups like the Unification Church, like women, immigrants and the economically disenfranchised, may “bear the brunt of any bigotry.”

“Blowback will fall onto the shoulders of people like the suspect’s mother,” he said, adding, “The irony is the murder of Japan’s most powerful person will have a direct impact on Japan’s least powerful people.”

While the extent of his online activities is unclear, the fact that Yamagami appeared isolated and concerned about his family’s financial ruin “is emblematic of a lot of ways that the Japanese have been grappling with these issues of self-isolation and the growing divide between the haves and have nots,” Smith said.

Levi McLaughlin

@mclaughlin_levi

Associate Professor, Philosophy and Religious Studies, North Carolina State University. Author of "Soka Gakkai's Human Revolution" (U Hawai`i Press 2019).

Sheila A. Smith

　トランプや安倍のような右翼と統一教会の深い関係

　この事件で在日韓国人や移民、女性、山上の母のような弱者に対する風当たりが強くなるのではないか、とMcLaughlin

　日本の格差と孤立化社会を象徴したような事件ではないか、と。

ーーごくごく抽象的、一般的レベルではあたっているかもだけど・・・読んでも、いまいちピンとこないなあ。なぜかなあ・・・・？

　たしかに抽象的なレベルで韓国人に危険は皆無ではないかが、アメリカのアジア人が襲撃されるような程度の危険はない。

　日本は格差や孤立化社会であるが、アメリカのほうがもっと格差があり、もっと孤立化した社会。似たような事件があった場合、同じような説明があるか？

　要するに、いつもの固定観念で説明してしまっているような印象があるな。

kazukazu88 Retweeted

タイトル、ド直球だな

統一教会との関係ゆえに殺害された安倍晋三 https://t.co/VtZLjFVgSP

— buu (@buu34) July 12, 2022

 Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese prime minister, assassinated for his links to the Moon sect

The mother of the gunman belongs to the Unification Church, also known as the Moon Sect, a religious movement to which she paid donations that led to her bankruptcy and the break-up of her family.

By Philippe Mesmer(Tokyo, correspondence)

As the investigation continues into the assassination of Shinzo Abe, targeted for his proximity to the Moon sect, the funeral of the former Japanese prime minister was held in privacy on Tuesday, July 12, at the Zojo-ji Buddhist temple in the heart of Tokyo.

まあ、おれなら、his alleged links  くらいかなあ？

政治家は祝辞なんか学校でも組織でもいろんなところに送っている。

どの程度の関係か、書いた時点で記者は知るまい。

彼の母親の寄付と安倍ちゃんビデオレターが無関係である以上、死に値するほど「関係がある」と言ってもそれは犯人の認識、妄想であり、その点は明確にすべき。