The Prison Chaplaincy and the Death Penalty in Postwar Japan

• In Event: Buddhism beyond Temple Walls: The Everyday Engagements of Japanese Buddhists

Abstract

This paper explores how religion and law interact in the context of Japanese prisons today. It addresses two straightforward questions: what do chaplains do, and how do they understand their role? In researching these questions, the author combined site visits to prisons and interviews with chaplains with close readings of contemporary chaplaincy manuals.
The argument is that despite common misconceptions, chaplains in Japan are more than mere “volunteers,” “officers of the court,” or "agents of the state:" chaplains are also witnesses to closed-door executions and, occasionally, conflicted abolitionists. As appointees from massive ecclesiastical organizations who serve in the prison system, these religionists face a series of unique challenges and dilemmas due to conflicting obligations. In particular, some chaplains struggle to reconcile their personal religious beliefs with their multiple responsibilities to their clients, sectarian organizations, correctional institutions, and the Chaplains’ Union. Most importantly, opposition to the death penalty is a particularly challenging issue for chaplains who face institutional pressure to keep these views silent. This presentation sheds light on this hidden aspect of the Japanese justice system.
Recent opposition to capital punishment voiced by the former president of the Chaplains’ Union has created a politically significant scandal in Japan, which I outline in order to contextualize ethnographic data. Results from interviews and observations within prisons reveal that chaplains today are also reflective about the role of previous generations of the chaplaincy in the suppression of “thought crime,” and that this historical awareness informs their opinions about their role today.

Author

• Adam Lyons, Harvard University