Japanese Society and Culture
Keywords
Religion Shinto Politics Civil Japan
Publication Date
3-29-2024
Abstract
The separation of church and state is the separation of state power from religion. It prohibits the establishment of a state religion and the suppression of other religions. Whereas the First Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits the establishment of a state religion, the Japanese Constitution does not stipulate the separation of church and state in the clear terms. The second sentence of Article 20,Paragraph 1,Article 20,Paragraph 3,and Article 89 are the basis for this provision.
The separation of church and state means a division between the church and state, or the abolition of a state religion, and not the separation of politics and religion. The main purpose of these provisions in Japan was to deny the de facto state religion of prewar Japan, the state Shinto.This paper introduces and examines the concept of civil religion, and discusses the permissibility of the separation of church and state.
Creative Commons License
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Recommended Citation
Nitta, Hiroshi
(2024)
"Juristic Consideration on the Separation of Religion and Politics and Civil Religion,"
Japanese Society and Culture: Vol. 6, Article 4.
Available at:
https://gensoken.toyo.ac.jp/japanese-society-and-culture/vol6/iss1/4