The Japanese Language and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Diponegoro University, on May 14, 2022, held an online public lecture. The lecture was presented by Prof. Hisanori Kato from Chou University, Tokyo, as the speaker for the second time. This time, the public lecture had “Religious Reality, Exploration, and Meaning of Belief” as its theme. He has experience with cultural diversity in Indonesia. As a researcher who has ever lived in Indonesia, he can feel the difference between the cultural diversity of Japan and Indonesia so he can give a realistic opinion. He did research about Islam di Indonesia, over the last 25 years he has met Indonesian prominent figures who developed Islam in Indonesia. From his research, he wrote a book entitled Islamic Sects and Movements that is available in English, Indonesian, and Japanese. For approximately one hour, Prof. Hisanori Kato explained the authenticity of religion and gave an understanding related to religion as a whole.
“Don’t look at religion from one point of view, but from both (theological and social),” he said. At the end of the public lecture, he gave several book recommendations that discuss this theme in more detail: Agama dan Peradaban, Kangen Indonesia, Islam di Mata Orang Jepang, and Islam Nusantara.
This public lecture with Prof. Hisanori Kato went so well and was attended by approximately 260 students and lecturers of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program. The topics presented were very interesting, so many good questions were asked by the participants in the chat room. Unfortunately, due to the limited time, not all questions can be answered.