Japan Press Weekly

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2013 June 12 - 18 [PEACE]

Buddhists adopt resolution against PM’s plan to revise Constitution

The Shinshu Otani-ha Sect, one of the largest Buddhist denominations in Japan, has adopted a resolution to protest against the Abe Cabinet’s plan to amend Article 96 of the Constitution.

Representatives of its member priests on June 11 along with devotees on June 12 held general meetings and passed the resolution unanimously.

The resolution points out that the Shinshu Otani-ha adopted a war-renouncing resolution in 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary year of the end of WWII. It expressed feelings of deep remorse over the past mistake of supporting the mobilization of troops to battle during WWII in disregard of the teachings of Buddha.

The religious group in the resolution displayed its opposition to the plan to relax requirements for a constitutional amendment and stressed the need to protect the Constitution that calls for everlasting peace.

Japan’s Buddhist Sinshu Otani-ha Sect, with its main temple in Higashi Honganji in Kyoto, has about 8,000 affiliated temples and approximately five million devotees.