Ch 32 — The Example of Japan

The current imperial family of Japan has ruled for over 1,500 years. For centuries, the Japanese regarded their emperor as a deity known as ‘Kami,’ attributing divine qualities to him. However, after World War II, they began to view their emperor as merely a human, referred to as ‘Hito.’

This shift was a tremendous ideological upheaval for the Japanese people. For 1,500 years, they believed their emperor was a god endowed with divine attributes and capable of protecting them from any power. When the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan’s military might crumble. For the first time in over a millennium, Japan suffered complete defeat against an external power. On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced on radio that Japan had lost the war and would surrender to the United States.

Hearing this from their “divine” emperor was a profound shock for the Japanese. They had believed their emperor was invincible, but his admission of defeat shattered that belief. This realization left them with the understanding that their emperor was, after all, just a human being and not a supreme god.

This event proved even more devastating for the Japanese psyche than the atomic bombings themselves. The bombs temporarily destroyed two cities, but the loss of this belief fundamentally and permanently impacted the inner spirit of the Japanese people. The younger generation of Japan today faces deep frustration, having lost a profound source of confidence. The Japanese nation is now searching for a new ‘god’—a spiritual anchor to replace what they lost. This search has become Japan’s most significant challenge.

What happened in Japan reflects, in various forms, the state of modern nations worldwide. Each has lost its traditional ‘god,’ the source upon which they relied. Consciously or unconsciously, each nation is now in search of a new god, a replacement for what they have lost.