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Christian Science Monitor: Does Japan really need an emperor?

imperial family

Yesterday’s Christian Science Monitor features an article by Rena Singer with the headline “Japanese dare to ask: Do we really need an emperor?”

While still revered, the imperial family – whose head was considered divine until 1945 – is increasingly pitied as its members struggle with their tightly constrained lives. And with Emperor Akihito’s reign in its twilight, many Japanese are daring to ask what has been unspeakable for centuries: Does the country really need an emperor?

Quite a headline and quite a claim. When a reporter makes a claim that “many” people are daring to question the need for a royal family, one might expect some evidence to back up that claim. Did Singer include some quotes from Japanese people who don’t think the country needs an emperor? Nope.

The best she can do is a statement from an expert who says Japanese attitudes towards the royal family might change in 30 years, and a quote from a Japanese woman who thinks the crown prince needs to “change things to make the family more relevant.”

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45 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - January 31, 2009 at 9:46 am

Categories: Politics Tags:

http://www.feitclub.com feitclub

Well they don’t NEED one but they certainly do like the one they’ve got. And considering how integral the emperors are to their calendars, I can’t imagine them just suddenly saying “Well, that’s the end of that.”
http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

Trash journalism.

Sure, Japanese citizens might change their attitudes towards the imperial family in the next 30 years. It’s possible. Then again, Japan might also resurrect its aggressive occupational policies in Asia. 30 years is a long time, and we can’t predict the future. (Unless you’re Jucelino Nobrega da Luz?)

“Does Japan really need an emperor?” No, but is that a relevant question regarding their existence? If someone wants to have a useless piece of art in their house, that’s their choice.
LB

Readers ask: “Do we really need Christian Science?” Answer: No. Those two words belong together about as much as “teeth” and “penis” do.

Eric Marsh

Spot on.
NPC

I second this notion… and lol’d in the process.

Kenny

And the fact that an Emperor in Japan exists affect Christians how….?

K.

FYI, the Christian Science Monitor is not a religious-themed paper and doesn’t promote Christian Science at all. It’s usually a great news source, the ridiculousness of this article is way below their usually high standard.
Anon

It doesn’t. The Christian Science Monitor is not a religious journal. It is a newspaper that happens to be published by the church.

Nero

Wait what? Read the last part of your post then, read the article again.

If your not sure what part it is its this part. “It is a newspaper that happens to be published by the church.”

Unless that church is not Christian then theres not point to my post.

K.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Science_Monitor

If you’d ever read CSM before you’d know that its content is not Christian. The only stipulation of the founder was that an article about religion (any religion) appear in each issue. It doesn’t have an agenda and is a good news source that I (an agnostic) have always enjoyed reading.

It’s not a religious publication. If you read the rest of their articles that’s pretty obvious.

poncho

Do we really need an emperor? – I say NO, if I response with short answer.
Do we really need an emperor? – Why do we need dismiss Royal Family? – if I response with long answer.

I think this writer misunderstand the position of Royal family in Japan, and I know most of non-Japanese misunderstand and some Japanese too.
Do they still believe The emperor rule entire Japanese history? No way, most of time they didn’t have any political power, even though before WW2.

Do we need to make resign national heritage?
Scott

Something closer to “many foreign reporters are daring to ask”.

It’s unlikely that anyone would remove recognition of the imperial family even if a majority if Japanese wanted to. It would be too politically risky. Royal families tend only to go away during times of upheaval.
Tiki

A similar question could be asked “Does the Catholic Church Really Need a Pope?” Pope John Paul II barely had the strength to show up at a window and give a quick blessing or two in his last few years. Someone else was handling the day-to-day affairs, demonstrating that he was not needed in an administrative capacity

The Emperor and his family are not going to be deposed, dethroned, or thrown out of the palace just because a few Christians think that Japan doesn’t need a royal family. The Emperor’s family is an unremovable part of Japanese culture and history, and (as mentioned by another person) is integral to their calendar years.

Popes and Emperors are not there to run the country anymore; they are there to inspire their people. Besides – Keeping a royal family around does not hurt a country – just ask the Queen of England.

The Overthinker

The Pope is however far more involved with the Catholic Church than the Emperor is with the ruling of Japan. The Emperor does not have aides to take over ruling when he is old or sick – he does not rule in the first place, and a good argument can be made for saying he never ruled in the ‘conventional’ sense in the past millennium.

ダビ

Never heard a Japanese person say they should get rid of the emperor – unfortunately. I should make more 赤軍 friends.

The Overthinker

Hang around more Japanese historians…..

RT

Who tend to be pretty reliably leftist and outside the mainstream. But I agree, most Japanese I know rarely, if ever, even think about the imperial family. They’re certainly not wondering if it is time to abolish the establishment. The only time they do is when they get ticked at how Masako is treated and worried how creepy Akishino and his wife are.
ponta

My history teacher at high school used to say in class that Japanese emperor system(tennousei) should be abolished.
The student’s reaction was yawning;it didn’t matter to the students.

Matt

Why is the Christian white people forcing their ways on the people of the world? Why white people people?

Do you know that Jesus Christ was a dark skin Middle Eastern man?

We, white people, have brainwashed these poor Asians/Japaneses to believe in our fictitious white Jesus Christ. Now, we want to have these pathetic Japaneses to not believe in their Emperor.

The Overthinker

Has the global economic crisis made tinfoil too expensive these days?
http://www.usguyintokyo.com/new_friends_international_party_en.php Dave Faulkmore

How do we know Mr. J was real. Sounds like lots of rewrites have occurred over time.

South Korea would probably be a happier place with out the afflication of Paul.

The Overthinker

Pretty much anywhere would be. Bring back Zeus!

anon

Christian and science donät go in same sentence, except if is “christians hate science”.
lindewell

Today there is no christian kings, wherever they live the power has been stolen by lobbyist. These clown are just jaleous that Japan has its Emperor. I say he should rule the country to protect it from lobbyists and parasites.

RT

The British monarch is still the head of the Church of England.

The Overthinker

Ah, but the British monarch is a *Queen*, so this confusing and rambling post still stands in that sense.

Bob

Let’s there are Catholic Kings (and Queens) and a reigning Prince in: Spain, Portugal, Monacco, Belgium etc…
Protestant Kings & Queens in: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, & England.
Christians all! I’m sure there are others, I just can’t think of them all at the moment.
However, there are no Christian Emperors left in the world; there are one or two African emperors – but I don’t know of their legitimacy (they’re usually self-proclaimed.
Japan – as far as I know – has the only reigining emperor left in the world, and I don’t begrudge the Japanese that one bit. He has no political power, but the people of Japan think he is cool. That’s all that matters.

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Level3

That’s “journalism”, as usual turning personal opinion into “news”.

When there is no poll data to back it up, especially since it’s so easy to word a poll to yield the desired result:

Any report with the words “some think..[opinion X]”
is the reporter saying, “I think.. [opinion X]”

Any report with the words “many think..[opinion Y]”
is the reporter saying “me and my friends think.. [opinion Y]“
gane

Bad piece of journalism. What’s sad is that the majority of the articles today are written by the same principle mentioned above.
http://witzl.blogspot.com/ Mary Witzl

It might have been better if they’d examined this issue a little more carefully 60-some years ago.

The Overthinker

In what sense?

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http://witzl.blogspot.com/ Mary Witzl

The window of opportunity to question the imperial system pretty much snapped shut after the war, when MacArthur declined to prosecute Hirohito as a war criminal.

For what it is worth, I knew very few communists when I lived in Japan, but I heard dozens of Japanese people question the need for an emperor or wonder openly why the old emperor was not prosecuted as a war criminal.
Mister M

that should be the same question to England right?

Yes… culturaly and historically speaking the emperor was a symbol of power in the entire nation, and thanks to him and his ideas that Japan opened its doors to the world.

Even though the emperor does not have any power nowadays, he still have a great and a positive influence in a country. If you see well Japan is still a country where people preserve many aspects such as respect, honor, and etc…

I believe that the emperor ou king has a great and positive influence in a modern society. That is why Englannd still has that good maner of being on time in all the cases. That is why Japan still has that good maner of being respectful.

The Overthinker

“and thanks to him and his ideas that Japan opened its doors to the world”

Ummmm. Not quite.

While your hypothesis about the existence of a monarch and the politeness or manners of a society is completely unsupported, it might be fun to list up countries where there are monarchs and how “well-mannered” they are. How do you measure that, by the way?
Matt

Bingo. White people’s ways are okay and cool.

http://www.chirimotsumoreba.net Jordan

Is an Emperor really an Emperor when he doesn’t have an Empire?

hoihoi

He is Tenno.
indeed,He is not an emperor
The Overthinker

The title “tenno” was translated as “Emperor” back in the Meiji period to put the monarch of Japan on an equal footing (theoretically) with the other emperors of the time; in other words, you could say that the title predates the actual empire….

hoihoi

I think Japan should register Eperor system in World Heritage.
a yamato dynasty is kept for at least more than 1500
years, that is , succession of emperor lingage in male line.

The Overthinker

Not direct however, and with the use of adoption at times. Early Emperors are uncertain as the historical records may well have been altered.

World Heritage sites are exactly that: sites.

TR

Not to mention that archaeologists, probably the only experts today who could shed a light on the early imperial lineage, have had very limited access to ancient imperial tombs, courtesy of the Imperial Household Agency.

The Overthinker

It’s a great Catch-22. The Imperial Household says “you can’t excavate X tomb [kofun] as it is the tomb of Emperor Nantoka,” but without excavating the tomb there is no way to tell if in fact it IS the tomb of Emperor Nantoka or even if Emperor Nantoka existed.

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Christian Science Monitor: Does Japan really need an emperor?

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