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Among constitutional monarchies, Japan is likely to be supplanted as most populous by [[Thailand]] sometime during the twenty-first century.  This is as a result of Japan's low [[birth rate]] (in part a result of the nation's early legalization of [[abortion]]) and lack of desire to expand [[immigration]] (Japan is the most ethnically [[homogenous]] of the world's wealthy countries).  Ironically, the relative prosperity of Thailand is in large part due to heavy aid and investment by Japan.

Among constitutional monarchies, Japan is likely to be supplanted as most populous by [[Thailand]] sometime during the twenty-first century.  This is as a result of Japan's low [[birth rate]] (in part a result of the nation's early legalization of [[abortion]]) and lack of desire to expand [[immigration]] (Japan is the most ethnically [[homogenous]] of the world's wealthy countries).  Ironically, the relative prosperity of Thailand is in large part due to heavy aid and investment by Japan.

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>, a figure that was helped to stay low after the great purgings against Christians in the 1600's. 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]].

==References==

==References==