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DPJ's Ozawa: Christianity 'exclusive'
TOKYO (AP) -- Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Japan Ichiro Ozawa has criticized Christianity as an "exclusive" religion that is weighing down Western society.
"Christianity and Islam are both exclusive. Civilizations based on exclusive Christianity are reflected in Western societies that have ground to a halt," Ozawa said on Tuesday.
Ozawa, one of the ruling party's most influential members, made the comments at a meeting with the chairman of Japan's main Buddhist organization, the Japan Buddhist Federation.
Buddhism, he said, teaches individuals how they should exist within nature, and is the basis for the thinking and way of life of Japanese people.
He made the comments on a trip to an ancient Buddhist temple in Wakayama Prefecture, about 400 kilometers southwest of Tokyo.
(Mainichi Japan) November 11, 2009