Despite the separation of church and state in Japan, an increasing number of local municipalities formed partnerships with religious institutions following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake to use their facilities as evacuation sites, a new survey showed.
Despite the separation of church and state in Japan, an increasing number of local municipalities formed partnerships with religious institutions following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake to use their facilities as evacuation sites, a new survey showed.
Such desperate measures by the municipal governments are a departure from their traditional hesitancy to work with religious groups under Article 20 of the Constitution, banning state organs from participating in religious activities.
A research team led by Keishin Inaba, an assistant professor of religious sociology at Osaka University’s graduate school, found that at least 303 local governments have agreements with Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and new religious groups to use their facilities as evacuation sites.
The number of religious facilities that will accommodate evacuees in cases of natural calamities totaled 2,401, the survey showed.
“Japanese religious organizations did not try to take advantage of the 2011 disaster to spread their faith among evacuees, and it became evident that such policy cooperation between the municipal governments and religious groups does not necessarily infringe on separation of politics and religion,” Inaba said.
The team conducted the nationwide survey through telephone and fax in July, covering a total of 1,916 cities, city wards, towns and villages. It received responses from 1,184 municipalities.
At least 303 municipal governments, or 16 percent of all municipalities, reported having agreements with local religious institutions to use a total of 2,401 facilities in the event of a natural disaster.
Of these, 95 municipalities have signed written disaster-countermeasure agreements with religious groups, which will allow them to use 399 facilities in cases of disaster.
Written agreements have been reached with 189 Buddhist temples, 27 facilities of new religion groups including Tenrikyo and Soka Gakkai, 26 Shinto shrines and six Christian churches.
The contracts typically mandate the use of such facilities as evacuation sites in a disaster, while some facilities will provide drinking water and serve as shelters for those who cannot promptly return home.
The number of religious facilities that have signed agreements with local governments has increased from 29 before the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami to 167. It is not known when the remaining facilities signed the pacts.
In addition, 62 municipalities said that they are considering signing such an agreement with religious organizations.