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Christianity in Japan is among the nation's minority religions in terms of individuals who state an explicit affiliation or faith. In 2022, there were 1.26 million Christians[1] in Japan.[2] In the early years of the 21st century, between less than 1 percent[3][4] and 1.5%[2] of the population claimed Christian belief or affiliation.
Although formally banned in 1612, Christianity has played a role in the shaping of the relationship between religion and the Japanese state for more than four centuries.[5] The largest Christian denominations, including Catholicism, Protestantism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Orthodox Christianity, are represented in Japan today.
Christian culture has a generally positive image in Japan.[6] The majority of Japanese people are, traditionally, of the Shinto or Buddhist faith. The majority of Japanese couples, about 60–70%, are wed in "nonreligious" Christian ceremonies. This makes Christian weddings the most influential aspect of Christianity in contemporary Japan.[7]
- ^ https://www.bunka.go.jp/tokei_hakusho_shuppan/hakusho_nenjihokokusho/shukyo_nenkan/pdf/94046801_01.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b 宗教年鑑 令和元年版 [Religious Yearbook 2019] (PDF) (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan. 2019. p. 35.
- ^ Heide Fehrenbach, Uta G. Poiger (2000). Transactions, transgressions, transformations: American culture in Western Europe and Japan. Berghahn Books. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-57181-108-0.
... followers of the Christian faith constitute only about a half percent of the Japanese population
- ^ Ishikawa Akito (22 November 2019), "A Little Faith: Christianity and the Japanese", Nippon.com. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ LeFebvre, Jesse (March 2021). "The Oppressor's Dilemma: How Japanese State Policy toward Religion Paved the Way for Christian Weddings". Journal of Religion in Japan. -1 (aop): 1–30.
- ^ "A Little Faith: Christianity and the Japanese". Nippon.com: Your Doorway to Japan. 22 November 2019.
Christian culture in general has a positive image.
- ^ LeFebvre, Jesse (2 November 2015). "Christian Wedding Ceremonies 'Nonreligiousness' in Contemporary Japan". Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 42 (2). doi:10.18874/jjrs.42.2.2015.185-203.