Christianity in Japan
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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.
You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese. (February 2019) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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In 2022, there are 1.26 million Christians[1] in Japan down from 1.9 million[2] Christians in Japan in 2019.[3] In the early years of the 21st century, between less than 1 percent[4][5] and 1.5%[2] of the population claimed Christian belief or affiliation.
Although formally banned in 1612 and today critically portrayed as a foreign "religion of colonialism", Christianity has played a role in the shaping of the relationship between religion and the Japanese state for more than four centuries.[6] Most large Christian denominations, including Catholicism, Protestantism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Orthodox Christianity, are represented in Japan today.
Christian culture has a generally positive image in Japan.[7] 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.[8]