Changes

As do most constitutional monarchies, Japan has a state religion, [[Shinto]], an extreme interpretation of which helped drive Japan's participation in [[World War II]].  However, as in other constitutional monarchies, political involvement with religion is mostly limited to [[lip service]], although symbolic gestures such as the annual wreath-laying ceremony at [[Yasukuni Shrine]] have occasionally antagonized Japan's neighbors.  Most imported religions are practiced in Japan without interference, and [[Buddhism]] has been accepted by a large portion of the population. The percentage of Japanese who are Christian, however, stands at 0.7%.<ref>https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ja.html</ref> Japan has also spawned its share of [[cults]], including the exceptionally lethal but fortunately short-lived [[Aum Shinrikyo]] movement of the early 1990's, which in 1994 became the first non-state organization to kill people with [[nerve gas]].

As do most constitutional monarchies, Japan has a state religion, [[Shinto]], an extreme interpretation of which helped drive Japan's participation in [[World War II]].  However, as in other constitutional monarchies, political involvement with religion is mostly limited to [[lip service]], although symbolic gestures such as the annual wreath-laying ceremony at [[Yasukuni Shrine]] have occasionally antagonized Japan's neighbors.  Most imported religions are practiced in Japan without interference, and [[Buddhism]] has been accepted by a large portion of the population. The percentage of Japanese who are Christian, however, stands at 0.7%.<ref>https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ja.html</ref> Japan has also spawned its share of [[cults]], including the exceptionally lethal but fortunately short-lived [[Aum Shinrikyo]] movement of the early 1990's, which in 1994 became the first non-state organization to kill people with [[nerve gas]].

[[Category:Asian Countries]]

[[Category:Asian Countries]]