Buddhism, the religion of funerals, dying in Japan, Islamic Ideology, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Ideology

Buddhism, the religion of funerals, dying in Japan

By Norimitsu Onishi

Across Japan, Buddhism faces a confluence of problems, some familiar to religions in other wealthy nations, others unique to the faith here.

While interest in Buddhism is declining in urban areas, the religion’s rural strongholds are being depopulated, with older adherents dying and birth rates remaining low.

Perhaps most significantly, Buddhism is losing its grip on the funeral industry, as more and more Japanese are turning to funeral homes or choosing not to hold funerals at all.

Not only has the number of Buddhist temples in Japan been dipping—to 85,994 in 2006, from 86,586 in 2000, according to the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs—but membership at many temples has fallen.

In addition, an increasing number of Japanese are deciding to have their loved ones cremated without any funeral at all, said Noriyuki Ueda, an anthropologist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and an expert on Buddhism.

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