Today's turbulent Japan: disbanded beliefs, shaken daily life, and int…
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Today's turbulent Japan: disbanded beliefs, shaken daily life, and reorganized international order
Written on: June 25, 2026 | Column by current affairs critic specializing in IT/media
Recently, in the Japanese archipelago, complex changes have continued every day, with past legacies coming to justice, and climate change and economic disruption threatening daily life. From the dissolution of religious corporations, which have long been the axis of social conflict, to the fear of rising prices brought about by the record low yen phenomenon, to the major revision of defense industry policies surrounding national security, Japan is currently facing a huge turning point. At the same time, issues that directly affect us are intersecting, such as diplomatic actions linking the Korean Peninsula and Japan and the delay in the rainy season due to abnormal weather. We need to take a close look at what the essential flow of change is that we must read in this rapidly changing landscape of Northeast Asia.
Japan's Supreme Court finalized the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) as a religious corporation, putting an end to decades of social controversy. With the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, the issue of large donations from religious denominations and the breakdown of families rose to the surface, and the court considered this to be an illegal act that went beyond the religious protection zone of 'freedom of faith'. The dissolution of a religious corporation based on illegal acts under civil law is unprecedented in Japanese judicial history, and contains a stern warning that public interest and social order take precedence over religious privileges. Now, the denomination will go through the process of liquidating its assets, and this is seen as a determination by Japanese society to correct the social harm committed in the name of religion through legal justice.
Daily life in Japan is also engulfed in economic turbulence. The measure to increase foreign visa issuance fees five-fold for the first time in 48 years is under the pretext of expanding finances and alleviating overtourism, but in reality, it is interpreted as a desperate measure to overcome the economic pressure caused by the weak yen. To make matters worse, political instability in the Middle East and the low yen phenomenon coincided with the onset of 'sugar inflation', in which prices of imported raw materials, including sugar, soared, putting a huge price burden on the restaurant industry and consumers in Japan, a country known as a dessert powerhouse. This economic instability is expected to continue for some time unless the fundamental dollar strength trend is reversed despite the cooperation of the US and Japanese financial authorities, and the perceived economic downturn for ordinary people is expected to further freeze.
Climate crisis and security strategy are also key variables defining Japan's present. The rainy season, which is more than 10 days later than normal, is affecting the Korean Peninsula beyond the Japanese archipelago, and the abnormal weather that delays the northward movement of the stagnation front is adding uncertainty to agricultural and living environments throughout East Asia. At the same time, the Sanae Takaichi administration is pursuing an aggressive security strategy of establishing a dedicated arms export organization and strengthening the defense production base under the banner of 'strong Japan'. This reflects the will to go beyond simply strengthening military power, to secure relay capabilities in case of emergency, and to use the defense industry as a national growth engine, and is expected to have a significant impact on the military tension structure in Northeast Asia in the future.
Even amidst these changes, technology companies' strategic actions are becoming busier. The fact that AI security company S2W has established a local corporation using the Japanese market as a base for business expansion in Asia is proof that Japan is putting its life and death into digital transformation (DX) and AI transformation (AX). As the Japanese government has established a cyber threat response system as an urgent national task, demand for technology is rapidly increasing, and this is providing a new window of opportunity for Korean companies to overcome high entry barriers and dominate the market. In addition, the historical grievances in Korea-Japan relations are still leading to emotional conflicts such as the controversy over the Rising Sun Flag at the World Cup, showing a complex pattern in which differences in historical perception at the private level and diplomatic tensions coexist.
■ Conclusion and analysis outlook
The series of incidents facing Japan are not just issues in neighboring countries. The process of social purification shown by the dissolution of religious corporations, changes in prices and economic policies, and reorganization of the security and technology sectors are also tasks we share within the huge ecosystem of Northeast Asia. As symbolized by the U.S. State Department official's visit to Korea and Japan, the need for stability and cooperation in the region is greater than ever. It is time for us to closely observe changes in Japan, establish future-oriented relationships that go beyond conflict, and seek wise countermeasures to protect our economic and security interests in a rapidly changing global situation.
* This post is a commentary by PlayBBS that analyzed real-time Google Trends popular search terms and related major articles.
- 上一篇文章A warning left by a night when the film was cut off: Baek Jin-hee’s confession of the fear of ‘blackout’ and its aftermath 26.06.25
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