Abstract

The goal of this dissertation is to examine how the Japanese Constitution contributed to the democratization of Japanese politics and society after World War II with special focus on religious freedom. Especially, this paper will focus on how the separation of church and state inspired religious groups of Buddhism and Christianity and political parties in Japan to prevent a return to the pre-World War II feudal government, sustained by state Shinto, and sustain a democratic system in post-war Japan. Furthermore, it will examine Japanese political and religious leaders' thoughts on the role freedom of religion plays for democracy in Japan. ;This thesis is based on the hypothesis that the separation of church and state is pivotal to the democratization of Japan in the post-war era. The following study methods were invoked. First, Chapters 1, 2 and 3 examine the literature on how the separation of church and state and other aspects of religious freedom in the Constitution were developed and applied to the Japanese society. In Chapters 5 and 6, a survey research was conducted to determine the views of religious and political leaders with respect to their thoughts on religious freedom and its importance to Japanese democracy. ;This paper led to the following conclusion. First, the majority of the Japanese do not understand democracy as provided in the Japanese Constitution. After World War II, the Japanese continued to base their behavior on ethno-centered Japanese feudalism. Second, a quasi-democracy exists in the minds of the majority of Japanese since they do not really believe in any religion or philosophy. They behave in a feudalistic way while discussing democracy with one other. This twisted Japanese character gives priority to injustice over justice. Third, so far, the Constitution of 1946 has been the pivotal document to stop wartime nationalism from fully reviving. Anti-nationalists have protected their religious freedom by defending the Constitution