The Legacies of State Shinto and Aum Shinrikyo on Japanese Religious Politics as seen Through the Unification Church

Abstract

State Shinto, and the Supreme Commander of the Allied Power’s dismantling of it left a legacy of religio-political tension in Japan that recurrently sparks controversies. This tension has often taken the form of conflicts over threats to the Japanese government’s secularism. The aim of this essay is to situate the current events regarding the Unification Church into its historical context in order to grant better understanding of why it has captivated international and domestic audiences so thoroughly.