[Expert] Time to understand the religion of your “neighbors” “Newcomers are also growing old and thinking about death” “There are quite a few foreigners who wish to be buried for religious reasons”

Visiting professor Miki Hide of Soai University talks about the importance of paying attention to the religions of people of foreign origins, photographed by Hanzawa Shigeto at 2:32 pm on September 3, 2024, in Suminoe Ward, Osaka City. Many people may feel that there are more people of foreign origin around them. But have you ever thought about their “religion”? “Immigrants and Pagans Establishing Their Position in the Current World of Newcomer Religions” (Shichigatsusha), published in July, is a collection of essays that makes us aware of such perspectives. The program visits the prayer sites of newcomers to Japan, discovering what they are seeking and what worries them, and asking how Japanese society should accept them. Editor and author Hizuru Miki, visiting professor of religious sociology at Soai University, said, “The time has come to end when we can get away with saying we don’t know about the religions of people from other countries. It’s important to build deeper relationships.” It is estimated that one in 40 people living in Japan is now a foreign national. “International students and technical trainees may return to their home countries when their stay ends, but there are many who come to Japan for various reasons and want to continue living here for the long term.” He emphasizes that it is important to understand that “faith” has a greater significance for people of foreign origin who have become our “neighbors” than most Japanese people imagine. (Omitted)
Miki began researching the religions of people of foreign origin in 2008. I also feel a change over time. “Not only are their numbers increasing, but their lifestyles and attitudes are also changing.” The issue of “graves” is symbolic. “The newcomers are also getting older and reaching a stage where they start thinking about death.” In Islam, cremation is not permitted for religious reasons, and burial is the norm. In modern Japan, where the cremation rate is 99.9%, there are very few places where people can be buried, and there are no Muslim cemeteries in the Tohoku, Shikoku, or Kyushu regions. This book also addresses this issue, introducing initiatives such as one in Ibaraki Prefecture, where a Muslim cemetery was opened by renting part of an existing cemetery, and one in Kyoto Prefecture, where a Korean Buddhist temple operates a burial ground. Miki said, “I’m sure there are many foreigners, and even Japanese, who wish to be buried for religious reasons, not just Muslims. “This could become one of the major issues facing Japanese society in the future.” “It may be the first time that such a large number of foreigners have settled in Japan since the large numbers of immigrants from the continent, such as those from Silla and Baekje, came in ancient times,” Miki points out. Can modern Japanese people build a better future together with these newcomers? “Understand the prayer culture of your neighbors. I think that alone will make a big difference.” [Hanazawa Shigeto] 2024/9/11

Ｉｎｔｅｒｖｉｅｗ：三木英さん（相愛大客員教授）　「隣人」の宗教、理解する時　新著でより良い共生社会を問う | 毎日新聞

身の回りに外国出身者が増えたと感じる人は多いだろう。だが、その人たちの「宗教」にまで思いをはせることはあるだろうか。7月に刊行された『ニューカマー宗教の現在地　定着する移民と異教』（七月社）は、そんな視点に気づかせてくれる論集だ。

mainichi.jp