3 The Administration of Religious Affairs

Early policy in the realm of religious affairs was administered by the Council of Shinto (Jingikan), which was established in June, 1868, as an organ of the newly created Grand Council, shortly after the new Meiji government issued the Order Separating Shintoism and Buddhism in April of that same year. The Council of Shinto was upgraded to a higher rank than the Grand Council in August, 1869, but downgraded to a depart-mental status in September, 1871, and replaced by the Department of Doctrinal Instruction (Kyobusho) 111 April, 1872. Through these organs, the government involved itself with religious problems. The Department of Doctrinal Instruction attempted to start an educational movement by appointing Shinto and Buddhist priests as instructors (kyodoshoku), but the movement never really got off the ground. The Department of Doctrinal Instruction was abolished in January, 1877, and religious administration was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Shinto Shrine and Buddhist Temple Bureau within the Department of Home Affairs. This Bureau was divided into two Bureaus for Shinto Shrines and for Religion in April, 1900.Even after religious administration was placed in the hands of the Ministry of Education in June, 1913, matters pertaining to Shinto shrines were regarded as separate and remained under the Bureau for Shinto Shrines within the Ministry of Home Affairs. This Bureau was upgraded in November, 1940, to the external Agency for Shinto Shrines (Jingiin) of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Given the complexities of handling affairs pertaining to 3number of religions, it had proved difficult to establish common laws or orders. However, the demand arose as early as 1899 for the passage of a religious bill and work was begun within the Ministry of Home Affairs on the drafting of a suitable law. But, due to the great diversity in opinions from the religious world, this bill was rejected by the Imperial Diet. After religious affairs had been transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, the Committee to Investigate the Religious System (Shukyoseido Chosakai) was set up in May, 1926, and on the basis of the Committee's recommendations a bill was drafted and enacted as the Religious Body Law, which was promulgated in April, 1939, and put in force in April, 1940. In the body of this legislation, various prescriptions of existing orders, regulations and the like, which had been issued quite independently of each other, were ordered and unified to create the core of religious administrative law for Japan. A particularly noteworthy aspect of this Law was that it reinforced governmental protection of religious bodies and for the first time granted legal status to Christianity. Despite the fact that this Law served to aid the position of religious bodies the existence of governmental control over religious organizations stimulated considerable criticism. The Law was canceled in December 1945 after the conclusion of the war.

The administration of religious affairs changed radically in the postwar period. During the prewar years, Shinto shrines were regarded as above the jurisdiction of religious administration, while all other religious bodies required official approval. In the postwar years, all religions were treated equally under Article20 of the new Constitution of Japan which guarantees freedom of religion and firmly emphasizes the principle of the separation of religion and politics. The Religious Juristic Person Order was promulgated in December, 1945, and later replaced by the Religious Juristic Person Law, which was promulgated in April,1951, and put in force at that time' the Council on Religious Juristic Persons was established by this Law.

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