WHY JAPANESE RELIGIONS LOOK DIFFERENT - THE SOCIAL-ROLE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS IN JAPAN

This study proposes that many of the unique characteristics of the mod ern Japanese religious landscape are due to the limited social role th ese organizations currently play. Specifically, while churches in the U.S. and in many other countries provide a great many social services to their members, in Japan secular organizations and institutions are more likely to provide those same services. This relationship is studi ed using data from ''A Survey of Japanese Values and Behavior.'' Resul ts support the proposed set of hypotheses. Whereas studies conducted i n the U.S. consistently demonstrate the importance of religious affili ation for families, no such relationship exists for the Japanese respo ndents. Instead, the importance of occupational affiliation as a sourc e of social support for the Japanese is reflected in a correlation bet ween a lack of work involvement and increased religious organizational participation. Results suggest that studies of cross-national differe nces in religions must go beyond a comparison of rheologies and indivi dual religious behavior to include broader social structural differenc es.