THE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM OF 1947 IN JAPAN: WAS IT POSSIBLE TO SEPARATE RELIGION FROM POLITICS?

In this article, the author conducts a critical analysis of a number of features of the constitutional reform of Japan in 1947 in the context of secularization in post-war Japan. The author defines the paradox of the implementation of the constitutional reform of Japan. The paradox lies in the coexistence of non-exclusive tendencies to separate religion from the state and politics on the one hand, and the manifestation of stable tendencies to preserve the traditional historical and cultural ties of Shintoism and government institutions on the other hand. Such trends accompanied the reform process without coming into conflict with it. Constitutional reform in Japan was formally successfully implemented, including in the context of secularization. Japanese society has become less religious, but the historical and cultural ties of the ruling elites of Japan with the religious sphere have not been interrupted. Moreover, in the late XX - early XXI centuries, the existence of such ties is not only not hidden by politicians, but in some cases is emphasized. Such a characterization of the results of the constitutional reform and the current situation can indicate a stable self-identification of the political elites of Japan, not only in the context of political popularity or economic efficiency, but also in the religious context.