The following report on “religion in the news” in Japan from late 2008 through 2009 is a partial translation of a report published in Japanese as 「現代日本における「宗教」と｢社会｣のあいだ──政治と宗教・宗教事件・不活動法人問題・裁判員制度からの眺望」 in the 2010 edition of『 現代宗教』, a journal published annually by the International Institute for the Study of Religion. It is based on the database of the Religious Information Research Center and on information culled from newspapers, journals, and specialized religious publications. As in previous years, the author has kindly consented to allow us to translate an abridged version of his report into English.
