The majority of Japanese adhere to Shintoism, a traditional Japanese religion focusing on rituals and worship at shrines. In 2021, around 48.6 percent of the total population of Japan participated in Shinto practices. Closely behind is Buddhism, with more than 46 percent of the population adhering to its practices. Most Japanese thus practice both religions. The original ShintoShintoism adherents worship spirits or gods at shrines, often publicly, through rituals and traditions. Shintoism is deeply ingrained in the Japanese culture and way of life, but the number of followers has been decreasing over the past years, as has the number of Japanese who are adhering to any kind of religion. Tradition seems to have to make way for modern attitudes and choices – still the number of people who call themselves Shinto adherents is quite high, even if they do not actively practice it. Everything zen in BuddhismWhile Shintoism seems to become a thing of the past, the number of Buddhists, on the other hand, has been stable over the last decade, and if anything, has only slightly decreased. Japan is, in fact, among the countries with the largest Buddhist communities, right after China, of course, and Thailand. This might be due to Buddhism being able to adapt much easier to modern times and its adherents’ everyday lives, as well as a better PR machine – Buddhism is, after all, also quite popular in the Western world.

This statistic presents the results of a survey on the perceived percentage of the Muslim population in Japan as of 2018. According to data published by Ipsos, Japanese respondents overestimated the proportion of Muslim population in their country. On average, the respondents thought that around four out of every 100 people in Japan were Muslims, when the actual share of Muslim population was less than one percent in Japan.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Japanese American Religious Federation

This survey was designed to solicit political, sociological, and economic information from people living in Japan. Respondents were queried on crime and the judicial system, and more specifically, on issues such as the death penalty, juvenile punishment, and whether respondents were victims of various crimes within the last year. Questions on family issues covered topics such as divorce, the health of respondents' marriages, the roles of each spouse, and issues involving children. Questions on finances included the state of respondents' finances during the last few years and compared to other Japanese families both past and present, whether the income tax rate was high, and the ease of improving one's standard of living in Japan. Political questions addressed government spending, the responsibility of the government, and whether respondents would vote for a female gubernatorial candidate. Also, respondents were asked to rate their political views on a scale from conservative (1) to progressive (5). In terms of health, questions were asked on the health of respondents and their spouses, the topic of euthanasia, donation cards, and the frequency of smoking and alcohol consumption. Quality of life questions addressed the frequency with which respondents read the newspaper and watched television, the amount of satisfaction respondents received from life, and how often respondents participated in leisure activities like fishing, jogging, and mahjong. Respondents were asked to give their opinions concerning extra-marital affairs, sexual relations between two adults of the same sex, pornography, and prostitution. Information gathered on religion included the extent of their participation in a particular religion, whether respondents believed in life after death, and views on burial. Respondents were polled for information regarding their social status and whether respondents were members of any groups including religious, trade, or social service organizations. Demographic information included age, sex, employment status, marital status, household income, and religious orientation.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Japanese American Religious Federation Housing Inc.

Tsu City(Tsu Shi)'s [Earning Power]Religion is 0.66 which is the 537th highest in Japan (by City). It also ranks 12th in Mie Prefecture. Transition Graphs and Comparison chart between Tsu City and Ibaraki City(Osaka) and MeguURo ku(Tokyo)(Closest City in Population) are available. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.

Okazaki City(Okazaki Shi)'s [Earning Power]Religion is 0.18 which is the 946th highest in Japan (by City). It also ranks 19th in Aichi Prefecture. Transition Graphs and Comparison chart between Okazaki City and ShinNAgawa ku(Tokyo) and Ichinomiya City(Aichi)(Closest City in Population) are available. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.

This survey was designed to solicit political, sociological, and economic information from people living in Japan. The data were collected between October 3 and November 3, 2006, using face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires. Respondents were asked to give employment information for themselves and their spouses, including industry, size of employer, number of hours worked, level of job satisfaction, and time spent commuting. Respondents were also queried regarding employment information and education level of their parents when the respondent was aged 15. Several questions were asked about household composition, the type of residence, the state of respondents' finances during the last few years and compared to other Japanese families both past and present, sources of financial support, the ease of improving one's standard of living in Japan, and the use of credit cards and consumer financing. Views were also sought on divorce, the roles of each spouse, issues involving children, the responsibility of the government, and taxation issues. In terms of health, questions were asked regarding the physical and mental health of respondents and their household members, the frequency of smoking and alcohol consumption, and their views on genetically modified foods. Quality of life questions addressed the amount of satisfaction respondents received from life, and how often they participated in sports, leisure, and volunteer activities. Additional topics covered were euthanasia, the use of technology, juvenile delinquency, car ownership and usage, their level of trust in various institutions, and whether respondents belonged to religious, trade, or social service organizations. Demographic variables include age, sex, education level, employment status, occupation, labor union membership, marital status, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), household income, perceived social status, political orientation, political party affiliation, and religious affiliation.

's Teachers and religious workers is 480person which is the 922nd highest in Japan (by City). It also ranks 50th in Tokyo Prefecture, with 0.23% share of the entire Tokyo. Transition Graphs and Comparison chart between ChiyYOda ku and Sodegaura City(Chiba) and Joso City(Ibaraki)(Closest City in Population) are available. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.

Takamatsu City(Takamatsu Shi)'s Teachers and religious workers is 8,960person which is the 42nd highest in Japan (by City). It also ranks 1st in Kagawa Prefecture, with 39.86% share of the entire Kagawa. Transition Graphs and Comparison chart between Takamatsu City and Machida City(Tokyo) and Toyota City(Aichi)(Closest City in Population) are available. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.

The billings of Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc. from clients in the education, medical service and religion sector amounted to approximately 13.4 billion Japanese yen in fiscal year 2022, down from around 14.1 billion yen in the previous year. The Japanese advertising and public relations company is headquartered in Tokyo.

Kusatsu City(Kusatsu Shi)'s Teachers and religious workers is 3,340person which is the 166th highest in Japan (by City). It also ranks 2nd in Shiga Prefecture, with 9.19% share of the entire Shiga. Transition Graphs and Comparison chart between Kusatsu City and Ome City(Tokyo) and Narita City(Chiba)(Closest City in Population) are available. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.

This survey, based on the General Social Survey in the United States, was designed to solicit political, sociological, and economic information from people living in Japan. Questions on crime and the judicial system queried respondents about the death penalty and the appropriateness of punishments given to juvenile and adult offenders, whether respondents had ever been punched or beaten, whether respondents had been victims of robberies within the last year, and whether there was an area, within one kilometer of their homes, where respondents were afraid to venture. Questions on family issues covered topics such as when divorce was the best course of action for those involved, the frequency that families dined together and performed household chores, the health of respondents' marriages, the roles of spouses within marriage, whether one or both spouses should change their surnames, the ideal number of children a couple should have, whether there was a sex preference for children, whether the respondents had pets and the benefits of pet ownership, where respondents would like to be buried, and whether in some cases, physical punishment of children by parents or teachers was acceptable. Questions on finances included items on the state of respondents' finances during the last few years, how their family's income compared to other Japanese families, how their family's income compared to that of Japanese families 15 years ago, whether the income tax rate was high, the amount of pension respondents would receive upon retirement, how respondents' families organized their finances, and the ease of improving one's standard of living in Japan. Political questions addressed whether the government should be responsible for the livelihood and medical care of the elderly, whether the government was usurping individual responsibilities, whether respondents would vote for a woman gubernatorial candidate, government spending, respondents' commitment and sense of belonging to the political process, and whether one of the government's duties was to reduce family income disparities. Also, respondents were asked to rate their political views on a scale from Conservative (1) to Progressive (5). In terms of health, information was solicited on the health of respondents and their spouses, whether a doctor should be able to painlessly end a patient's life if the patient's condition was terminal, whether respondents had signed organ donation cards, and the frequency of smoking, alcohol consumption, and sexual relations in the last 12 months. Quality of life questions addressed the frequency with which respondents read the newspaper, the average number of books respondents read per month, the average number of hours respondents watched television, whether respondents attended any job- or hobby-related classes, the amount of satisfaction respondents received from life, the frequency respondents went on trips lasting at least two days, and how often respondents participated in leisure activities like fishing, jogging, mahjong, etc. Respondents were asked to give their opinions concerning a married person having sexual relations with someone other than their spouse, sexual relations between two adults of the same sex, whether pornography leads to the breaking down of morals, whether the client, the teen, both, or neither party was responsible for teen prostitution, and whether pornography should be banned completely, not available to anyone under 18, or not be regulated at all. Information gathered on religion included whether respondents believed in life after death and whether they and/or their spouses followed a religion and the extent of their participation. Respondents were polled for information regarding their social status, whether it was desirable for three generations of family to share a home, whether men should learn to cook and care for themselves, the trustworthiness of most people, the general motivations of others, whether respondents were members of any groups like religious, trade, or social service organizations, and to what degree respondents utilized technology like computers, e-mail, and the Internet to perform daily life tasks. Demographic information includes age, sex, employment status, marital status, household income, and religious orientation.

Abstract

The World Values Survey (www.worldvaluessurvey.org) is a global network of social scientists studying changing values and their impact on social and political life, led by an international team of scholars, with the WVS association and secretariat headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. The survey, which started in 1981, seeks to use the most rigorous, high-quality research designs in each country. The WVS consists of nationally representative surveys conducted in almost 100 countries which contain almost 90 percent of the world’s population, using a common questionnaire. The WVS is the largest non-commercial, cross-national, time series investigation of human beliefs and values ever executed, currently including interviews with almost 400,000 respondents. Moreover the WVS is the only academic study covering the full range of global variations, from very poor to very rich countries, in all of the world’s major cultural zones. The WVS seeks to help scientists and policy makers understand changes in the beliefs, values and motivations of people throughout the world. Thousands of political scientists, sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists and economists have used these data to analyze such topics as economic development, democratization, religion, gender equality, social capital, and subjective well-being. These data have also been widely used by government officials, journalists and students, and groups at the World Bank have analyzed the linkages between cultural factors and economic development.

Geographic coverage

The survey covers Japan.

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual

Universe

The WVS for Japan covern national population aged 18 and over, for both sexes.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Stratified multi-stage sampling Quota sampling. Sampled from the NRC nationwide omnibus survey panel, the NOS panel (private individuals aged 18 to 79 living in areas throughout Japan) using gender combined with age-group quotas which are set based on the results of the 2000 national census.

The sample size for Japan is N=1096 and includes national population aged 18 years and over for both sexes.

Mode of data collection

Mail Questionnaire [mail]

Research instrument

English and Japanese Questionnaires. Changes made vis-à-vis the original questionnaire in the Japanese version to facilitate local understanding. We hope that these modifications are acceptable. WVS question number or description of question: V34-43 , V125-130, V215-220, V222, V256, V258. Reason(s) not included: V34-43 : Japanese are not accustomed to being asked about what kind of neighbors they consider undersirable. V125-130 : Japanese respondents are not familiar with the concepts of V127 and V128. We omitted the questions V125-V130 as they are only meaningful when asked as a set of questions. V215-220 : Japanese respondents would have difficulty relating to this question because there are very few immigrants in Japan. V222 : there is very little variety in language in Japan where Japanese is spoken practically everywhere. V256 : As virtually 100% of respondents in Japan are Japanese, the entire sample can be coded 4 (East Asian). V258 : The survey will be conducted by mail only and in Japanese language only. V11-A Added for the sake of continuity as compared with last times questionnaire. V11-B Added for the sake of continuity with last times questionnaire. V47-A Added for the sake of continuity as compared with last times questionnaire. V49-A-K Added for the sake of continuity as compared with last times questionnaire. V56-A Added for the sake of continuity as compared with last times questionnaire. V57-A Added for the sake of continuity as compared with last times questionnaire. V60-A Added for the sake of continuity as compared with last times questionnaire. V60-B Added for the sake of continuity as compared with last times questionnaire. V123A-V123F Added for the sake of continuity as compared with last times questionnaire. V146 A local substitution: APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference) V179-V183 Changed. Interest in corporate social responsibility has grown in recent years. Also added the response option NPO / NGO as these organizations are increasingly active: 1. The government of the country / countries concerned 2. A regional organization 3. The United Nations 4. An NPO / NGO 5. A commercial enterprise

V185 A local substitution: Orthodox replaced by A Christian religion (other than the above) V208 Changed. We would like to propose that the term domestic violence be used. This term is gender neutral and includes various forms of violence including inter-generational violence. (Includes violence committed by a wife against her husband, violence against children committed by parents, violence committed by a child against his/her parent.) V212-V213 Local substitutions: Japan and APEC inserted. V229, A1-7, B1-7 Added V231-V233 A local substitution: 1. The Liberal Democratic Party 2. The Democratic Party of Japan 3. New Komeito 4. The Japanese Communist Party 5. The Social Democratic Party of Japan 6. The Liberal League 7. Other political party 8. Dont support any political party 9. Dont know / cannot say

V233a Not to be asked as not relevant in Japan. V238 Modified. Same response options as last time used. V252 Modified. The word social class is not used. Response options that are typically used in Japan are used. The wording is the same as last time. V253 Changed because we consider that it is easier to obtain accurate responses if specific amounts are used. This change was also made for the sake of continuity as compared with last times questionnaire. V254 To be filled in by respondents. V255 A local substitution: 1. 13 major large cities 2. Cities with populations of 150,000 or more 3. Cities with populations from 50,000 to under 150,000 4. Cities with populations less than 50,000 5. Rural districts

V257 Local substitution: 1. Hokkaido, Tohoku region 2. Kanto region 3. Chubu and Hokuriku regions 4. Kinki region 5. Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu

Response rate

2000 - Total issued 1000 - Total questionnaires received

's Teachers and religious workers is 1,440person which is the 570th highest in Japan (by City). It also ranks 43rd in Osaka Prefecture, with 0.9% share of the entire Osaka. Transition Graphs and Comparison chart between Osaka Shi Suminoe ku and Kashihara City(Nara) and Koganei City(Tokyo)(Closest City in Population) are available. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.

Abstract

The World Values Survey (WVS) is an international research program devoted to the scientific and academic study of social, political, economic, religious and cultural values of people in the world. The project’s goal is to assess which impact values stability or change over time has on the social, political and economic development of countries and societies. The project grew out of the European Values Study and was started in 1981 by its Founder and first President (1981-2013) Professor Ronald Inglehart from the University of Michigan (USA) and his team, and since then has been operating in more than 120 world societies. The main research instrument of the project is a representative comparative social survey which is conducted globally every 5 years. Extensive geographical and thematic scope, free availability of survey data and project findings for broad public turned the WVS into one of the most authoritative and widely-used cross-national surveys in the social sciences. At the moment, WVS is the largest non-commercial cross-national empirical time-series investigation of human beliefs and values ever executed.

The project’s overall aim is to analyze people’s values, beliefs and norms in a comparative cross-national and over-time perspective. To reach this aim, project covers a broad scope of topics from the field of Sociology, Political Science, International Relations, Economics, Public Health, Demography, Anthropology, Social Psychology and etc. In addition, WVS is the only academic study which covers the whole scope of global variations, from very poor to very rich societies in all world’s main cultural zones.

The WVS combines two institutional components. From one side, WVS is a scientific program and social research infrastructure that explores people’s values and beliefs. At the same time, WVS comprises an international network of social scientists and researchers from 120 world countries and societies. All national teams and individual researchers involved into the implementation of the WVS constitute the community of Principal Investigators (PIs). All PIs are members of the WVS.

The WVS seeks to help scientists and policy makers understand changes in the beliefs, values and motivations of people throughout the world. Thousands of political scientists, sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists and economists have used these data to analyze such topics as economic development, democratization, religion, gender equality, social capital, and subjective well-being. The WVS findings have proved to be valuable for policy makers seeking to build civil society and stable political institutions in developing countries. The WVS data is also frequently used by governments around the world, scholars, students, journalists and international organizations such as the World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Headquarters in New York (USA). The WVS data has been used in thousands of scholarly publications and the findings have been reported in leading media such as Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Economist, the World Development Report, the World Happiness Report and the UN Human Development Report.

The World Values Survey Association is governed by the Executive Committee, the Scientific Advisory Committee, and the General Assembly, under the terms of the Constitution.

Strategic goals for the 7th wave included:

Expansion of territorial coverage from 60 countries in WVS-6 to 80 in WVS-7; Deepening collaboration within the international development community; Deepening collaboration within NGOs, academic institutions and research foundations; Updating the WVS-7 questionnaire with new topics & items covering new social phenomena and emerging processes of value change; Expanding the 7th wave WVS with data useful for monitoring the SDGs; Expanding capacity and resources for survey fieldwork in developing countries. The 7th wave continued monitoring cultural values, attitudes and beliefs towards gender, family, and religion; attitudes and experience of poverty; education, health, and security; social tolerance and trust; attitudes towards multilateral institutions; cultural differences and similarities between regions and societies. In addition, the WVS-7 questionnaire has been elaborated with the inclusion of such new topics as the issues of justice, moral principles, corruption, accountability and risk, migration, national security and global governance.

For more information on the history of the WVSA, visit https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSContents.jsp ›Who we are › History of the WVSA.

Geographic coverage

Japan.

The WVS has just completed wave 7 data that comprises 64 surveys conducted in 2017-2022. With 64 countries and societies around the world and more than 80,000 respondents, this is the latest resource made available for the research community.

The WVS-7 survey was launched in January 2017 with Bolivia becoming the first country to conduct WVS-7. In the course of 2017 and 2018, WVS-7 has been conducted in the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Andorra, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Turkey, Russia, Germany, Thailand, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria, Iraq and over dozen of other world countries. Geographic coverage has also been expanded to several new countries included into the WVS for the first time, such as Bolivia, Greece, Macao SAR, Maldives, Myanmar, Nicaragua, and Tajikistan.

Analysis unit

Household, Individual

Sampling procedure

The sample type preferable for using in the World Values Survey is a full probability sample of the population aged 18 years and older. A detailed description of the sampling methodology is provided in the country specific sample design documentation available for download from WVS.

A detailed description of the sampling methodology is provided in the Japan 2019 sample design documentation available for download from WVS and also from the Downloads section of the metadata.

Mode of data collection

Mail Questionnaire [mail]

Research instrument

The survey was fielded in the following language(s): Japanese. The questionnaire is available for download from the WVS website.

In 2024, the sales value of funeral services in Japan amounted to close to 610.9 billion Japanese yen, an increase compared to the previous fiscal year. There are several thousand funeral service businesses operating in Japan.  Modern funerals in Japan  The customs of Japanese funeral services vary depending on region, religion, and religious denomination. Most modern funeral services in Japan are, however, conducted with Buddhist rites. Although the connection of the Japanese citizens with Buddhist temples has become sparser with the times, it is still common to invite a priest from a temple to a funeral and receive a sutra reading and dharma name for the deceased family member. A modern Buddhist funeral usually starts with a wake in the evening of the first day. On the second day, a cremation is carried out after a funeral ceremony. It is most common to request companies that specialize in the funeral business to coordinate the services and hold a funeral at a funeral home. In this manner, families can complete the whole procedure of a funeral, also a cremation, in one place.  Expenses for a funeral  A bereaved family in Japan has plenty to manage when it comes to the financing of a funeral. If the family is willing to hold a usual funeral with Buddhist rites, costs for a funeral service, expenses for a ceremonial meal and reciprocal gift for attendees, and alms for a priest engaging at the funeral are required. Additionally, families that do not own a family grave or a family Buddhist altar would need to purchase those items anew. Due to its high financial requirements, it is with increasing frequency that families hold a one-day funeral without a wake or a funeral without a ceremony to minimize the costs. In order to reduce the financial burden and stress of the remaining family members, the end-of-life planning “shukatsu” has also gained popularity in the recent Japanese society.