Chairman of a cooperative society at a Shinto temple
Japan has a population of approximately 130 million, and its constitution guarantees religious freedom for all. Nearly 90% of them are described as belonging to Shinto, with their influence on the beliefs of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, but the majority of them do not care much about practicing beliefs, rather they tend to be non-religious or spiritual, and their participation in religious ceremonies is more of a tradition than a duty, since they do not consider religion as valuable culture.
Also, official holidays do not include any religious events, and they do not have sacred figures, as is the case in our regions. Western customs are also common among them, especially at weddings, birthdays, and New Year’s Day.
The Shinto religion is different in its philosophy from the Middle Eastern religions. Shinto, the main belief of Japan, is ancient and the majority of its concepts and practices revolve around tangible values such as land, the Japanese seasons and their relationship with humans, and there is no mention of heaven or hell.
A report showed that the residents of the Japanese capital handed over to the authorities sums estimated at $30 million in cash, and hundreds of thousands of other valuables, during 2022, in addition to 126,000 mobile phones and 93,000 pieces of jewelry. A box containing about $300,000 in cash was also handed over to the police.
The police also received nearly 330,000 items of clothing and shoes, in addition to 280,000 umbrellas.
Street crime rate in Japan is very low, compared to other major cities of the world. Corruption is unknown in government departments or in politics or in large corporations. As ordinary citizens abide by the law, even the Japanese yakuza gang clans have their own rules, and they discourage engaging in street crime.
This is what comes from a people who, in the eyes of our people, are considered non-believers and disbelievers in all the values and ideals of our societies.
If we turned our faces towards part of our small society, which is most of the boards of directors of cooperative societies, which represent the entire Kuwaiti nation, we would find the situation completely different, despite all the manifestations of piety that appear on most of the members of the boards of these societies, and their continuous involvement in spending on Umrah trips for area residents, spending generously on other religious activities.
Since the establishment of the cooperative societies system and the theft by many of its boards of directors of the money of its shareholders, it has continued and is in a frightening expansion, and hundreds of referrals to the Public Prosecution have not changed the course of the situation. Ministers have come and gone, and corruption in societies is growing, increasing, and spreading more.
Sadly, the entire relevant institutions and individuals are aware of the corruption including Ministry of Social Affairs, the Government, Cooperative Societies Union, shareholders, tenants and supplying contractors. Apparently, no one is willing to put an end to that game which has spoiled the people and turned them either into thieves or dumb to utter the truth. I do not know whichever of the two parties are more criminal than the other.