This page explains the definitions of religious corporations and religious organizations in Japan.
In short, a religious corporation is a religious organization that has obtained corporate status.
There are also many religious organizations that have not obtained corporate status.
Since the end of World War II in 1945, the principle of separation of religion and state has been enshrined in the Constitution, and the government has been involved only in the area of corporate status.
As a result, the actual number of religious organizations in Japan today is known only to God.
So how is a “religious organization” defined?
According to the Religious Corporations Act, a “religious organization” is defined as follows (Article 2):
A “religious organization” refers to groups whose primary purpose is to spread religious doctrine, conduct rituals and ceremonies, and educate and nurture believers, as listed below:
- Shrines, temples, churches, monasteries, and other similar groups that maintain facilities for worship
- Denominations, sects, religious orders, churches, dioceses, and other similar groups that encompass the organizations listed above
(Source: Agency for Cultural Affairs)
Thus, the requirements include spreading doctrine, conducting rituals, educating believers, and maintaining facilities for worship.
Based on these definitions, religious organizations are generally classified into three types.
Religious organizations that fall under definition (1) — shrines, temples, churches, monasteries, etc. — are classified as affiliated religious corporations. Religious organizations that fall under definition (2) — denominations, sects, religious orders, dioceses, etc. — are classified as comprehensive religious corporations.
Simply put, both are “religious corporations,” but:
Religious organizations that do not belong to any umbrella group are classified as independent religious corporations. They are “standing alone” religious corporations.
Thus, religious corporations in Japan are mainly classified into three categories, based on whether they belong to another religious organization or not.
Whether a religious organization obtains corporate status is voluntary, so many religious organizations exist without corporate status.
In principle, the government only tracks religious organizations that have obtained corporate status. However, there is an exception: “Other Comprehensive Religious Organizations.”
These are organizations that themselves do not have corporate status, but whose affiliated groups have obtained corporate status.
As of December 31, 2018, statistics recorded 76 such organizations.
For details, see the page “List of Other Comprehensive Religious Corporations.”
