Japan Association of Religion and Ethics
Research Theme for the Year 2009

Increase in Social Inequality and Threat to Human Dignity

In present-day Japan, about one third of the workers are employed on a non-permanent basis, and they are subject to summary discharge at times of economic stagnation. Under such conditions, they are forced to live unstable lives with hardly any hope for the future. Thus, the increase in employment inequality is denying them the possibility of living with basic human dignity.
However, the employment inequality in Japan is only one example of the expanding gap between rich and poor in societies throughout the world. Recognizing poverty as the source of people’s sufferings and finding ways to restore human dignity to each suffering person?aren’t these by nature questions that must be tackled and answered first and foremost by religion? Isn’t it the primary raison d’etre of religion to share the suffering of each person and find a way to lead him or her out of the suffering? This crisis originating from social inequality propels us students of religion to ask ourselves what we can do for the people who are suffering from the aggravation of social inequality.
During the year of 2009, we would like to study not only the present conditions in Japan, but also various experiences connected with this theme in different parts of the world in the past and present, and then we would like to attempt to give some answers to these questions, for the future betterment of the world. We hope that our members and friends of this association will actively offer presentations and participate in discussions based on this theme.