Abstract

Religion has individual as well as societal functions. At the individual level, religion forms the foundation of spiritual health as an important dimension of human health. At the societal level, having a religion may also function as a ‘proof of righteousness’. Followers of a certain religion can use ‘religious affiliation’ as a guide in making choices on complex issues, because religion for them provides a ‘reliable’ source for the ‘right’ answers. They can also identify and be identified as the ‘righteous members’ of the society or community they live in. Religion and religious affiliation thus may be regarded as a ‘compass’ for making the right decisions in complex situations. This is where the Japanese society stands out differently, and therefore Japanese people may mistakenly be assumed not to be religious. The Japanese society commonly uses other ‘social’ mechanisms, not religion, to make those decisions, and therefore acts as a ‘secular’ society. The ‘ethics’ of the Japanese society is closely linked to its collective culture with peculiar virtues and values that are discussed here.