Why the Concept of "World Religion" Has Survived in Japan

On the Japanese Reception of Max Weber's Comparative Religion

Abstract

This chapter deals with a hitherto unnoticed fact that the concept of ‘world religion,’ which is outdated in many Western countries, is still popular in the Japanese academia and education field. Rather than simply arguing that Japanese scholars are ‘behind,’ I will attribute the fact to the academic/educational/social roles of comparative religion in Japan, which are different from those in Western countries, with a special focus upon Weberian legacies.