While it is true that opinion is an essential element in military force, it is equally true that military force may generate opinion. Almost every European country has, at this moment, the religion which was that of its government in the late sixteenth century, and this must be attributed mainly to the control of persecution and propaganda by means of the armed forces in the several countries.
Source： Bertrand Russell: Power, 1938.
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The prevalence of particular religions in different countries is closely related to whether those countries experienced foreign domination in the past. For example, Christianity, specifically Catholicism, became the official religion of the Roman Empire and subsequently spread widely throughout Europe. In the modern era, it further expanded to Latin America and the Philippines through colonial rule by Catholic nations such as Spain and Portugal. In contrast, Britain played a major role in spreading Protestantism across the world as part of its imperial expansion.
Why, then, has Christianity not become widely accepted in Japan, despite Japan's alignment, or, if that sounds too strong, its close affinity, with the United States, a predominantly Christian nation?
Both Christianity and Islam originated in harsh natural environments, especially desert regions, where people were more inclined to accept the idea of a single, absolute deity. In contrast, Japan has long enjoyed a relatively mild climate and abundant water resources. In this favorable environment, the Japanese developed a worldview that combined reverence for nature with a sense of closeness to it, creating a cultural foundation that embraced many gods and spirits (yaoyorozu no kami). Within such a context, the monotheistic worldview based on the existence of one absolute god has been difficult to adopt, both spiritually and socially.
Furthermore, Japan has had the Emperor as a central figure in its national identity. Especially during the Meiji period, the emperor system, closely tied to State Shinto, played a key role in unifying the people. In this setting, the idea of placing Christ above the Emperor was politically and religiously unacceptable.
In recent years, more foreigners have become interested in learning about Japan, and Japanese television has aired many programs that celebrate the country. However, while this has helped promote understanding of Japanese culture on the surface, a deeper appreciation of the Japanese people's religious mindset and spiritual culture still seems to be lacking.
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