U.S. Department of State Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2000 - Japan

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government respects this right in practice.

There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report.

Both government policy and the generally amicable relationship among religions in society contribute to the free practice of religion.

The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights.

Section I. Government Policies on Freedom of Religion

Legal/Policy Framework

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice.

There are virtually no barriers to registering new religions, and organized religious groups enjoy generous tax benefits.

The Government does not require that religious groups be licensed. However, to receive official recognition as a religious organization, which brings tax benefits and other advantages, a group must register with local or national authorities as a "religious corporation." In practice almost all religious groups register. In response to Aum Shinrikyo terrorist attacks in 1995, a 1996 amendment to the Religious Corporation Law gives governmental authorities increased oversight of religious groups and requires greater disclosure of financial assets by religious corporations. The Cultural Affairs Agency estimates that nearly 5,000 religious groups across the nation appear dormant. In May 1998, the Matsuyama District Court ordered the dissolution of a registered Shinto religious group that had been dormant since 1982. This was the first time that a court had accepted the Cultural Affairs Agency's request to dissolve a religious body since the Religious Corporation Law went into effect in 1951. However, in June 1998, the Nagoya High Court upheld a lower court ruling ordering the Toyama prefectural government to pay monetary damages to 88 followers of a Buddhist group for violating their rights by ignoring for more than 10 years their application for certification as a religious group. Aum Shinrikyo, officially renamed Aleph in February 2000, lost its legal status as a religious corporation in 1996 following the indictment of several members.

Some Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines receive public support as national historic or cultural sites. However, this situation may change in the aftermath of a 1997 Supreme Court ruling that a prefectural government may not contribute public funds to only one religious organization, if the donations supported, encouraged, and promoted a specific religious group. In July 1998, the Kochi District Court ruled that using village government funds to repair two Shinto shrines was tantamount to allocating public funds to a religious group and therefore was unconstitutional.

Religious Demography

Participation in religious activities by the public is low, and accurately determining the proportions of adherents to specific religions is difficult. According to statistics published by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 1998, 49.2 percent of citizens adhered to Buddhism, 44.7 percent to Shintoism, 5.3 percent to so-called "new" religions, and 0.8 percent to Christianity. However, a 1996 Jiji Press Service poll showed that 46.6 percent of the population identified themselves with no particular religious group, 44.3 percent choose Buddhism, 3.2 percent Shintoism, 3.1 percent "new" religions, and 1.0 percent Christianity. A 1994 poll indicated that less than 7 percent of the population regularly took part in formal religious services. Shintoism and Buddhism are not mutually exclusive religions; most members claim to observe both.

The major Buddhist sects are Tendai, Shingon, Joudo, Zen, Nichiren, and Nara. In addition to traditional Buddhist orders, there are a number of Buddhist lay organizations, including the 8-million-plus-member Soka Gakkai. The three main schools of Shintoism are Jinja, Kyoha, and Shinkyhoha.

Among Christians, both Catholic and Protestant denominations enjoy modest followings.

Faiths classified as New Religions include both local chapters of international religions such as the Unification Church of Japan and the Church of Scientology as well as the Tenrikyo, Seichounoie, Sekai Kyusei Kyo, Perfect Liberty, and Risho Koseikai religions, which were founded in Japan.

A small segment of the population, mostly foreign-born residents, attend Orthodox, Jewish, and Islamic services.

There are no known restrictions on proselytizing.

Governmental Abuses of Religious Freedom

In September 1999, the Jehovah's Witnesses alleged that police maintain surveillance of church activities. The Government denies that it monitors the activities of the group or other recognized religious groups.

The only religion under active government surveillance is the Aum Shinrikyo "cult," which also was designated by the U.S. Department of State as a terrorist organization following the cult's 1995 Sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway system. Aum Shinrikyo lost its legal status as a religious organization in 1996 following the indictment of several cult members. It reportedly has an estimated 2,000 followers, down from 10,000 in 1995. From October 1999 through mid-2000, the Tokyo District Court gave death sentences to four of the five senior cult members guilty of the release of the Sarin gas. The exception, former Aum physician Ikuo Hayashi, had been sentenced in October 1998 to life imprisonment for his "cooperative and repentant" attitude. Cases still are pending in district courts against other senior Aum members, including cult leader Shoko Asahara. In March 2000, the Tokyo District Court ordered the cult to pay 688 million yen ($640,000) to survivors and next-of-kin to those killed in the attack. As of mid-2000, Aum had remitted but one installment of the damages awarded, and authorities publicly expressed concern that the cult is hiding and diverting funds to other purposes.

In February 2000, the Education Ministry asked officials of Saitama prefecture to reverse their decision not to allow two 6-year-old daughters of Aum Shinrikyo cult members to attend the local elementary school. However, the national Government did not intervene in decisions by local school administrators in Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures in 2000 to block the registration of three children of Aum founder Shoko Asahara.

Members of the Unification Church have alleged that police do not act in response to allegations of forced deprogramming of church members. In April 2000, a national Diet legislator raised this allegation in a committee session. National Policy Agency and Ministry of Justice officials considered the member's request for "appropriate actions," but took no action during the period covered by this report.

There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report.

There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners.

Forced Religious Conversion of Minor U.S. Citizens

There were no reports of the forced religious conversion of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States.

Section II. Societal Attitudes

There are amicable relations between the various religious communities. There were few reports of physical violence against members of religious organizations. At least eight municipalities in which Aum facilities are active refused to register group members as residents; other communities continued to block the establishment of new Aum settlements through protests and public appeals through mid-2000.

Members of the Unification Church alleged in June 1999 that police do not act in response to allegations of forced deprogramming of church members (see Section I). They also claimed that police do not enforce the laws against kidnaping when the victim is held by family members and that Unification Church members are subjected to prolonged detention by individuals, who are not charged by police. In September 1999, the Jehovah's Witnesses asserted that their members are mistreated similarly.

Section III. U.S. Government Policy

The U.S. Embassy discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the overall context of the promotion of human rights including the promotion of religious freedom internationally. The U.S. Embassy maintains periodic contact with representatives of religious organizations.