Chapter 2. Towards the Enrichment and Spread of Culture
�8 Administration of Religious Corporations
2. Authentication and the Religious Corporation System
The freedom of individuals or groups to conduct religious activities and to organize religious bodies is stipulated in the Japanese Constitution. In order to establish a religious corporation, however, certain legal conditions and procedures are required, in that only religious organizations that comply with the provisions of the Religious Juridical Persons Law can become religious corporations.
The Religious Juridical Persons Law defines two types of religious organizations. One category includes "shrines, temples, churches, and monasteries having establishments for worship and other similar organizations" whose main purposes are to disseminate religious teachings, conduct ceremonies and functions, and educate and nurture believers; while the other category is defined as "denominations, sects, associations, churches, orders, and dioceses or districts, which comprehend organizations of the above category, and other similar organizations". These religious organizations can be designated as religious corporations only after they have provided regulations stipulating their basic rules of management, have been authenticated by the respective competent authorities (the first category by the prefectural governor and the second category mainly by the Ministry of Education. Science and Culture) and have been registered. Alterations in the regulations of recognized religious corporations and the merger or dissolution of religious corporations must be authenticated by the relevant authorities.
