Sociology

RELIGION

RELIGIOUS VALUES AND TRADITIONS

Around 84% of Japanese people profess to follow both Shinto (the indigenous religion of Japan) and Buddhism. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism from China have significantly influenced Japanese beliefs and mythology.

In Japan, people follow a variety of practices, amalgamating Shinto rituals, Buddhist beliefs and Christian practices in strange and unexpected ways. Since the mid-19th century, numerous religious sects have also emerged in Japan.

PROBLEMS

Since mid-century, Japan has grown to become one of the most highly industrialized countries in the world. In marked contrast to the rapid development it has enjoyed in the economic arena, however, Japan's culture of civil liberty-particularly religious liberty-is still very much in its infancy. This is partially because the principle of the separation between church and state, which Western countries such as the United States tend to take for granted, has no parallel in Japanese tradition. Instead, the usual pattern of Japanese history has been for governments to control religion. In the words of Metraux (1997, 217), "Americans have a long tradition of the separation of the two entities, but that distinction, despite the postwar constitution, does not exist in the Japanese cultural mind."

Other factors inhibiting the maturation of a culture of religious liberty are an atmosphere of religious apathy, a general lack of respect for human rights, a tradition of social authoritarianism, the absence of a truly independent judiciary and, in recent years, an officially-sanctioned intolerance of religion. As a consequence, threats to religious freedom have rarely met with resistance, with the exception of opposition from certain religious minorities.

EDUCATION

EDUCATION SYSTEM

The Japanese educational system was reformed after World War II. The old 6-5-3-3 system was changed to a 6-3-3-4 system (6 years of elementary school, 3 years of junior high...