Japan's Supreme Court Says City's Gift of Site For Shrine Is Unconstitutional

Japan's Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the city of Sunagawa violated the Japanese Constitution when it allowed city-owned land to be used without charge as a site for a Shinto shrine. Article 20 of the Constitution bans religious organizations from receiving any privileges from the State and bars the government from engaging in religious activity. According to today's Japan Times , the Supreme Court's Grand Bench wrote: "It is inevitable that the general public would believe the local government supports a specific religion if it provides specific benefits to it." The Court remanded the case to the Sapporo High Court for it to fashion a remedy other than removal of the shrine.