This study is devoted to the formation of temperance societies in Russia and Japan during the second half of the 19th – first half of the 20th centuries, with the aim of identifying similarities and differences in their motivations and histories. The authors compare the experiences and histories of Christian organizations, as well as the transformations that occurred over time.  Due to the specific nature of the topic, the authors rely on both Russian and Japanese academic works and sources that reflect these processes. As a result, the authors reached the following conclusions: although the origins of temperance movements in both regions was based on different Christian traditions – Orthodoxy in Russia and Protestantism in Japan – the differences in formation in formation were due not so much to individual features of each tradition as to differences in the rationale behind the need to combat alcoholism. In Russian reality, we see that the origins of temperance societies were spontaneous and secular, but later they acquired spiritual support in the form of the church's support, and they no longer went beyond confessionalism. In Japan, things were almost the opposite: temperance societies initially had roots in the church, and were actually “cultivated” by Japanese society; later, with the help of the women's movement and the rhetoric of a “civilized nation” proclaimed by the elite, temperance societies became interfaith constructions.

Key words: Japan, Russian Empire, temperance societies, confessionalism, Christianity, Buddhism

DOI: 10.22250/2072-8662-2025-4-103-110

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About the authors

	Julia G. Matushanskaya – D.Sc. (Philosophy), Professor of the Department of Religious Studies, Kazan Federal University; 18 Kremlyovskaya St., Kazan, 420008, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Vyacheslav S. Shaporov – Assistant of the Department of Religious Studies of Kazan Federal University; Rector of the Church of St. Barsanuphius of Kazan; 18 Kremlyovskaya St., Kazan, 420008, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Aydar I. Faryakhutdinov – Postgraduate student of the Department of Religious Studies, Kazan Federal University;18 Kremlyovskaya St., Kazan, 420008, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.