Religious Juridical Persons andAdministration of Religious Affairs
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Overview of the Religious Juridical Persons System

In Japan, a diverse range of religious activities are carried out by a variety of religious groups, including religious
associations of various sizes such as Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and Christian churches as well as comprehensive
religious groups—such as religious denominations, sects, and associations—that contain such individual religious groups.
Among these religious groups, approximately 183,000 are incorporated as religious juridical persons in accordance with theReligious Juridical Persons Law.
In order to ensure the freedom and autonomy of activities by religious groups on the basis of freedom of religion
guaranteed by Japan’s Constitution and principle of the separation of religion and politics, the religious juridical persons
system aims to secure a foundation for the administration of the property and organizational structure of religious groups by
granting them the status of corporate entities.

Number of Religious Juridical Persons

Number of Followers of Religious Organizations(as of December 31, 2002)
Minister of Education, Culture,Jurisdiction Sports,
Science and Technology Prefectural governor

Category Comprehensive religious Single religious
juridical persons

juridical persons(as of December 31, 2002)

Total

Religion
Shinto

138

83

221

Buddhism

157

248

403

Christianity

59

233

292

Other

30

64

94

Subtotal

384

626

1,010

Shinto784,984

84,991

Buddhism

11

77,226

77,237

Christianity

8

4,145

4,153

Other

1

15,242

15,243

Subtotal

27

181,597

181,624

Grand total

411

182,223

182,634

Shintoists
107,778,194（49.9％）

Others
10,713,248（5.0％）

Buddhists
95,555,343（44.2％）

Christians
1,917,070（0.9％）※The criteria for determining religious affiliation
varies with the religious group.

Under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology: any religious juridical person whose precinct
buildings are in multiple prefectures.
Under the jurisdiction of a prefectural governor: any religion juridical person whose precinct buildings are in only a single prefecture.

Types of Religious Juridical Persons
Comprehensive religious
juridical person

Affiliated religious
juridical persons

Single religious
juridical persons

Single religious juridical personsComprehensive religious juridical persons
Religious denominations, sects, or associations that
contain single religious juridical persons.
Single religious juridical persons
Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, Christianchurches, and other corporate religious entities
equipped with facilities for worship.
Affiliated religious juridical person:
A religious juridical person that is part of anotherreligious juridical person.
Single religious juridical person:
A religious juridical person that is not part ofanother religious juridical person.

932Administration of Religious Affairs

The Agency for Cultural Affairs carries out the following activities to ensure both the appropriate application of thereligious juridical persons system and the appropriate management and operation of religious juridical persons.

Authentication of religious juridical persons
As the competent authority stipulated in the Religious Juridical Persons Law, the Agency for Cultural Affairs
authenticates various aspects of religious juridical persons, including their incorporation, amendments to their rules ofincorporation, mergers, or voluntary dissolution.

Guidance for the management and operation of religious juridical persons
The Agency for Cultural Affairs also provides
guidance and advice on the administration ofreligious affairs at the prefectural level; holds training
courses for prefectural supervisory staff in charge ofreligious affairs; offers practical workshops and otherlectures for religious juridical persons; produces
manuals and videotapes, and so forth.
Moreover, the Agency for Cultural Affairs is also
striving to widely ensure that all religious juridical
persons comply with the new obligation—resultingfrom the partial amendment of the Religious
Juridical Persons Law in 1995—to submit copies of
their office documentation for review.

Collection and production of materials on religion
In addition to collecting statistical data
concerning religion, the Agency for Cultural Affairs
also compiles and publishes the annual ''Religion
Yearbook'' and other publications.

Religious Juridical Persons Council
To ensure the freedom of religion of religious juridical persons and duly consider their distinctive characteristics froma religious perspective, the Religious Juridical Persons Council was established as an advisory organ of the Minister ofEducation, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

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