Christians in Japan are expressing wariness towards the nation’s new nationalist-leaning Prime Minister following her first few months in office.
The Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) Sanae Takaichi was elected as the nation’s first female Prime Minister. She is on the conservative right of her party and is believed to be against same-sex marriage and proposed legislation to allow women to retain their maiden names after getting married, but several Christians are concerned about her leadership, and the impact it is likely to have on Christianity.
A long-term missionary in the nation revealed that, while there is support for Takaichi’s stance on LGBTQ legislation, Christians “seem concerned” about the level of power she now enjoys following her election win, enabling the LDP to “pretty much do as they want”.
The missionary revealed that some fear a “Japan first” emphasis “can easily get wrapped up with the Emperor and Shinto (Japanese indigenous religion)”, with Christians left vulnerable to being considered as outsiders if they reject such beliefs, with some potentially viewing it as a “Western religion”.
