Legitimate Political Ethics in East Asia
In this general election in Japan, the second largest and advanced economy in the world and history, there is one peculiar and remarkable phenomenon.
A religious group-based political party called "Kohukuto" has entered the election race with hundreds of candidates as its first trial in politics.
The notable New Komeito Party is also active in a tie up with the LDP as usual, though New Komeito is a political division of the Buddhist association named Soka-gakkai.
But, how can a religious political-party directly participate in democratic election?
Once a terror-associated religious body called "Aum Shinrikyo" joined a national election of Japan only to lose in all the election precincts in early 1990's.
Yet, a few years later, the ominous "Aum Shinrikyo" group started to attack lawyers and judges who were against this dangerous religious group and eventually the central government and high-ranking officers with violence and weapons including a sarin gas.
The leaders of "Kofukuto" must have learnt lessons from the failure of the "Aum Shinrikyo" case as well as the success of New Komeito/Soka-gakkai. They are probably simply taking this general election as a chance for advertising their religion. Yet, it is indeed undesirable, since religion needs no democracy, though in a higher context.
Even, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism do not need democracy.
Rather, Nazis and Hitler or the Soviet Communist Party and Stalin leveraged religious dictatorship and a democratic fashion to hold, consolidate, and deploy their power.
If you cannot make distinction and introduce separation between religion and politics, at least like Americans, you are very dangerous, since you can be another Hitler or "Aum-Shinrikyo" who used lethal gasses to kill their enemies.
It is not illegal for any religious body to form a political party and run for national or local election in Japan, and I do not intend to interfere with such acts; but the Japanese Government must keep observation to this kind of trends for the public safety and order based on the Japanese Constitution.
(Ultimately, theocracy is possible and a must eventually, but it must not get involved in money-based democracy as you need money for democratic election campaigns.)
SECTION I: Confucianism
Japanese politicians, in addition to Taiwanese, Korean, and Chinese politicians, who do not study words of Confucius cannot be trusted, if they are Buddhists, Taoists, Christians, or communists.
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The Master said, "Riches and honours are what men desire; but if they cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should be let go.
Poverty and meanness are what men dislike; but if they cannot be avoided in the proper way, they should not be avoided.
If a gentleman abandons virtue, how can he fulfill the requirements of his title?
A gentleman not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. Even in moments of haste, and in times of danger, he clings to virtue."
The Master said, "A gentleman points out the admirable qualities of men and does not point out their bad qualities. A petty man does just the opposite."
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/confucius.html
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Confucius found that if formality is observed, evil will find less chances to harm people.
Indeed, Japanese people are today the best observers of the Confucius formality theory, followed by some Koreans and some Taiwanese.
It is so, since Taiwan and Korea have never been colonized by Western powers (except Holland's 37 year occupation of Taiwan in the 17th century).
There are many Japanese people even today who love to read and study books written by Confucius, Mencius, and other philosophers of ancient China. In older days or before WWII or so in Japan, a level of liberal education of a person was mostly judged and measured according to his or her understanding of Analects of Confucius and other Chinese classics.
But, the core of virtue Confucius stressed is respect for others.
Europeans and European Americans have never learnt to respect others only because others are human beings. Christianity has not taught them to respect hidden virtue other person has somewhere in his or her personality or living. For them, virtue is power and mostly physical power. But, in East Asia, virtue is what is found outside the sphere of physical strength and power. In this context, the East Asian culture is advanced more than the Western culture.
(To be continued...)
(Tout mystère, ma princesse, sera entendu en fin de compte, si Dieu le veut ainsi. But, who can correctly measure significance of it? ....
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~UD3T-KRYM/902-jasrac/50805-jyubangainosatujin.htm
Source:http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~UD3T-KRYM/)
Luk 8:19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.
Luk 8:20 And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.
Luk 8:21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.