Navigating Care On and Off Temple Grounds: Faith in Practice in Lay Buddhist Social Welfare Efforts in Contemporary Japan

This study examines the evolving roles of a faith-based social welfare program, the Maitri Help Service, in providing care services in contemporary Japan. Launched in 1998 by the lay Buddhist group Kōdō Kyōdan in Yokohama, the Maitri Help Service offers a wide range of eldercare services to the public. In light of Japan's aging population and the COVID-19 crisis, this ethnographic study investigates the development of the Maitri Help Service and its interactions with external institutions. It seeks to understand the intricate dynamics that this program navigates with multiple interested parties in the non-profit sector. This study argues that the interrelationships between the Maitri Help Service, its parent religious organization, and external institutions are crucial in shaping the program’s actions and visions of how faith can bridge care and caring in times of crisis and enable opportunities for future development.