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Buddhism and Disasters: From World War II to Fukushima

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2025

Brian Victoria
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Abstract

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This article explores the longstanding relationship between Buddhism and disasters in Japan, focusing on Buddhism's role in the aftermath of the Asia-Pacific War and the Tohoku disaster of March 2011. Buddhism is well positioned to address these disasters because of its emphasis on the centrality of suffering derived from the impermanent nature of existence. Further, parallels between certain Buddhist doctrines and their current, disaster-related cultural expressions in Japan are examined. It is also suggested that Japanese Buddhism revisit certain socially regressive doctrinal interpretations.

Keywords

BuddhismdisasterssufferingimpermanencekamikazeFukushimaAsia-Pacific WartsunamiStoicismdiscrimination
Type
Research Article
Information
Asia-Pacific Journal , Volume 10 , Issue 11 , March 2012 , e8
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2012

References

Notes

1 Quoted in Brian Victoria, Zen at War, 2nd edition, p. 139. (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006).

2 Harvey Wasserman, “Fukushima and the Radioactive Sea,” Counterpunch, May 26, 2011. link.

3 “The costly fallout of tatemae and Japan's culture of deceit,” The Japan Times, November 1, 2011. link.

4 Quoted in John Dower, Embracing Defeat, 2000, p. 496. (New York, NY: W.W. Norton, 2000).

5 Found in “The Practices & Vows of Samantabadra Bodhisattva,” Avatamsaka Sutra, Chapter 40.

6 Quoted in Victoria, op cit, p. 160.

7 “‘Daishinsai wa tenbatsu’ ‘Tsunami de gayoku arai otose’ Ishihara tochiji,“Asahi Shimbun, March 14, 2011. Available here.

8 Quoted in Brian Victoria, Zen War Stories, Routledge, 2003, p. 159.

9 Justin McCurry, “Tokyo governor apologizes for calling tsunami ‘divine punishment,” The Guardian, March 15, 2011. Available here.

10 “Tokyo Governor Apologizes for Calling Disasters Divine Punishment,” Global News (@Sizly.com). Available here. (Accessed on November 11, 2011)

11 Nick Pisa, “Cleric who said Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for how homosexuality is made bishop by Vatican,” Mail Online, February 2, 2009. Available here. Due to the controversy surrounding his views, the Pope effectively revoked Wagner's appointment a month later.

12 Zvi Alush, “Rabbi: Hurricane punishment for pullout,” ynetnews.com, July 5, 2009. Available here.

13 Dower, op cit, p. 61.

14 “Unsafe at Any Dose,” New York Times, April 30, 2011. Available here.