Crime Japan's shadow market for temples and shrines

When religion turns into a business.

Authorities are taking a closer look at the sale of religious corporations that operate temples and shrines across Japan, amid concerns that such transactions could be exploited for tax evasion and money laundering. Brokers have been openly advertising religious properties and corporate status for sale, with asking prices ranging from tens to hundreds of millions of yen.


One listing offered a newly established religious corporation in Sapporo for 60 million yen, noting that it could be left unattended after purchase. Another advertised the right to establish a new religious corporation for 15 million yen. The website displayed temples, shrines, and religious organisations from across Japan, many of which carried price tags in the tens of millions of yen. Some of the properties were located in the Tokai region.

A religious corporation in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, was listed for 300 million yen. Another in Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture, complete with land and buildings, was advertised for 200 million yen. The listing noted that a future Linear Shinkansen station could transform the area into a tourist destination and push up land prices. In total, the site offered around 150 religious corporations for sale, including temples, shrines and new religious organisations.

Religious corporations in Japan receive broad tax benefits. Income from donations and sales of amulets, as well as assets such as land and buildings, are generally tax-exempt, and corporations with annual income of up to 80 million yen are not required to file income and expenditure reports. [...] If misused, a religious corporation could be used for tax evasion or money laundering, because income or money obtained through illegal acts can be placed into the corporation as donations, making the trail difficult to trace and potentially allowing it to become tax-exempt.

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