Anti-Religious Secularism and State Persecution

Misunderstood separation of state and religion leads to anti-religious form of secularism and extreme persecution of religious minority the Family Federation

Tokyo, 24th December 2024 – Published as the 56th article in a series in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article

Series: Freedom of Religion Under Threat – Epilogue – part 1 

Misunderstandings About the Separation of Church and State, Giving Rise to Anti-Religious Secularism

by the Religious Freedom Investigative Team of the editorial department of Sekai Nippo

See part 1 of the series: The Kishida Administration’s Reckless Actions: 1st article, 2nd article, 3rd article, 4th article, 5th article, 6th article

See part 2: Ripples to Local Assemblies: 7th article, 8th article, 9th article, 10th article, 11th article, 12th article, 13th article, 14th article, 15th article

See part 3: Believers Suffering Discrimination and Human Rights Violations: 16th article, 17th article, 18th article, 19th article, 20th article, 21st article, 22nd article

See part 4: Media Crossing the Line: 23rd article, 24th article, 25th article, 26th article, 27th article, 28th article 

See part 5: The Distorted Image of the “Second-Generation”: 29th article, 30th article, 31st article, 32nd article, 33rd article, 34th article, 35th article, 36th article, 37th article, 38th article

See part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders: 39th article, 40th article, 41st article, 42nd article, 43rd article, 44th article, 45th article, 46th article

See part 7: Religion in Japan in a Global Context: 47th article, 48th article, 49th article, 50th article, 51st article, 52nd article, 53rd article, 54th article, 55th article

See Epilogue: 57th article, 58th article

Why is it that violations of freedom of religion, such as the reinterpretation of the Religious Corporations Act overnight by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (as of October 2022), can occur so readily in a democratic nation like Japan? Why does the mass media turn a blind eye to the enforcement of faith-breaking – an infringement on fundamental human rights?

While freedom of religion is guaranteed under the Japanese Constitution, it is a fact that this freedom was effectively granted rather than won through struggles like the religious wars or persecutions seen in Western countries. This historical context and its limitations cannot be ignored. Additionally, in postwar Japan, the concept of separation of church and state has been misunderstood, giving rise to an extreme secularist trend.

On 15^th December 1945, the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Allied Powers issued the “Directive for the Abolition of Government Guarantees, Support, Maintenance, Supervision, and Propagation Related to State Shinto and Shrine Shinto”, commonly known as the “Shinto Directive”.

The GHQ, aiming to spiritually disarm Japan, ordered the separation of State Shinto – viewed as a pillar of Japanese militarism – from the government. Furthermore, it advocated for a complete separation of state and religion.

However, William Parsons Woodard, a staff member of the GHQ Civil Information and Education Section (CIE) who played a central role in the drafting of the Religious Corporations Act, later acknowledged flaws in the Shinto Directive. He pointed to “an overly extreme separation of religion and the state, rather than just the separation of church and state”. These issues have been brought to light through the research of religious studies scholar Yasuo Ohara (大原康男).

Article 20 of the Japanese Constitution begins by stating,

“Freedom of religion is guaranteed to all. No religious organization shall receive any privileges from the State, nor exercise political authority.”

It first ensures freedom of religion, followed by the so-called principle of separation of church and state. The aim of the separation of church and state is to prevent the government from favoring a specific religion and thereby infringing on freedom of religion. This intention is evident from the historical context of the Shinto Directive and the creation of the new Constitution.

Even when examining the reality of the separation of church and state in Western nations, it is clear that this does not imply that politics must be completely disconnected from religion. The goal is to safeguard freedom and fairness.

In 1977, the Japanese Supreme Court made a significant ruling on the separation of church and state in the Tsu Groundbreaking Ceremony Lawsuit (津地鎮祭訴訟). This lawsuit was initiated by a Communist Party city councilor, who argued that using public funds to pay for a Shinto priest’s service at the groundbreaking ceremony for a gymnasium in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, was unconstitutional. The Court held that while the principle of separation of church and state requires the government to maintain religious neutrality, it does not entirely prohibit any involvement with religion. The Court stated:

“Separation of church and state requires the state to maintain a neutral stance on religion. However, it does not mean that any interaction with religion is entirely prohibited. Acts involving religion must be judged based on their purpose and effect, and they should only be deemed unconstitutional if they exceed reasonable limits under these conditions.”

This judgment explicitly rejected the notion of “complete separation” of state and religion under the Constitution. It also clarified that the purpose of the separation of church and state is to ensure the government’s religious neutrality and to protect freedom of religion.

Nevertheless, even after this Supreme Court decision, lawsuits seeking stricter enforcement of the separation principle – often driven by leftist factions – persisted. This trend fostered an atmosphere where even minimal interaction between politics or administration and religion was hastily labeled as a “violation of the separation of church and state”. Consequently, an extreme and anti-religious form of secularism began to take root.

When ties between politicians and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) became a prominent issue, a widespread view emerged that such connections were inherently wrong. This perspective was shaped by the excessive secularist trends that had taken hold.

Ironically, the misinterpretation and political exploitation of the principle of separation of church and state – originally designed to protect religious freedom – have instead threatened that very freedom. The current crisis surrounding religious freedom, highlighted by the move to dissolve the Family Federation, cannot be adequately understood without recognizing the role of the GHQ’s ad hoc religious policies and the leftist factions that have exploited these policies over time.

Featured image above: The former main entrance of the building housing the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology; the Japan Sports Agency; and the Agency for Cultural Affairs (Tokyo Office) in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Photo: Reiwa Kato (加藤玲和)

See part 1 of the series: The Kishida Administration’s Reckless Actions: 1st article, 2nd article, 3rd article, 4th article, 5th article, 6th article

See part 2: Ripples to Local Assemblies: 7th article, 8th article, 9th article, 10th article, 11th article, 12th article, 13th article, 14th article, 15th article

See part 3: Believers Suffering Discrimination and Human Rights Violations: 16th article, 17th article, 18th article, 19th article, 20th article, 21st article, 22nd article

See part 4: Media Crossing the Line: 23rd article, 24th article, 25th article, 26th article, 27th article, 28th article 

See part 5: The Distorted Image of the “Second-Generation”: 29th article, 30th article, 31st article, 32nd article, 33rd article, 34th article, 35th article, 36th article, 37th article, 38th article

See part 6: Voices of Religious Leaders: 39th article, 40th article, 41st article, 42nd article, 43rd article, 44th article, 45th article, 46th article

See part 7: Religion in Japan in a Global Context: 47th article, 48th article, 49th article, 50th article, 51st article, 52nd article, 53rd article, 54th article, 55th article

See Epilogue: 57th article, 58th article

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Related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Courts Using Debunked Concepts Against Minority

Also related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Dissolution Case: Wild Claims, Illegal Actions

Also related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Terms from Consumer Law Used to Rob Faith

Also related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: 2nd-Generation Members Protesting Persecution

Also related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Inhuman Government-Supported Mass Deprogramming

And also related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Bias: No Right to Respond for Religious Minority

More, related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Collusion to Rob Minority of Its Rights

And more, related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: State and Media Creating “Today’s Non-Citizens”

Still more, related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Japan Criticized for Glaring Rights Violations

Even more related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Two European Scholars Warning Japan

And yet more related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Japan Censured at Religious Freedom Event

And still more related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Lawyer Exposes Dirty Leftwing Plot

And even more related to attacks by anti-religious secularism: Inhuman Government-Supported Mass Deprogramming

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