ABSTRACT
The free practice of religion has been a prominent feature of Japanese society since the end of World War II. The disestablishment of State Shinto by the Occupation government, the abolishment of the wartime laws regulating religion, and the post-war Constitution of 1947 created a free-market religious economy in which all forms of religion were allowed to exist without interference from agents of the state. In this new environment, legally registered religious organizations (shūkyō hōjin) were defined by the government as ‘public benefit organizations’ (kōeki hōjin) and accorded special treatment and tax benefits. It was understood that diverse expressions of religion could co-exist and contribute in some positive way to a democratic and peaceful society.
