00181177

open access

Version of Record

ニホン シホン シュギ ノ シュウキョウテキ キソ

The Religious Foundation of the Modern Japanese Capitalism

Japanese (日本語)

国際協力論集

1(1)

1-21

神戸大学大学院国際協力研究科

1993-06

2007-04-11

It is often argued that the behaviors of Japanese firms, consumers and government officials are considerably different from those of the Western partners. But, there has been very few works written on the religious foundation of the Japanese capitalism. This note tries to offer a hypothetical theory on the religious fuondation of the modern Japanese capitalism. After the introductory note of section I, section II points out several characteristics of Japanese religions (Buddhism, Confucianism and Japanese Shintoism). Section III focuses on the Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors (Gunjin Chokuyu) of 1882, the Imperial Rescript on Education (Kyouiku Chokugo) of 1890 and Meiji Laws of Family and Inheritance of 1898, and explains that those Rescripts and Laws asked Japanese people to be faithful to the Emperor, to respect their ancestors and parents, to be honest and modest, and to work hard. Section IV argues first that Japanese people accepted the virtues shown in those Rescripts as their own and behaved themselves to be in accordance with them either as workers in the factories, as farmers in the farm fields or as soldiers in the army and navy forces, and secondly that the results were both the Japanese economic development and also the reckless Pacifc War. Finally a tentative summary is given in the last section V.

紀要論文