tm wrote:

> The average person on the street (in Japan?) would not deny the
> existance of god.

Ken has kindly posted a relevant link which shows 27% of respondents "nationwide"
did not believe in a list of things associated with religious beliefs. (Pardon
reformatting) Also suggests 10.4% of respondents who do not understand are
agnostic.

http://21coe.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=96

Ｑ３．〔回答票３〕あなたは、次にあげるものは存在すると思いますか。いくつでもあげ
てください。
（Ｍ.Ａ.）
   １（ア）神                                                       ３５．６
   ２（イ）仏（ほとけ）                                        ３６．３
   ３（ウ）先祖の霊（れい）                                  ３６．３
   ４（エ）天国                                                    １２．１
   ５（オ）地獄                                                    １０．０
   ６（カ）あの世・来世（らいせ）                         １５．９
   ７（キ）生まれ変わり                                        １７．８
   ８（ク）お守りやお札などの存在するものはない    １３．０
   ９  存在するものはない                                      ２７．０
１０  わからない                                                  １０．４

Note Japanese as atheists or the number of them have nothing to do with what I
meant to post about, merely that they did not know (or perhaps even believe) in
what they claimed, Shinto, Buddhist, or otherwise. (It would seem the very few
Jehovah's Witnesses and Christians I have known - no idea what denomination - are
not as ignorant).

--
Husbands and parents are surprising their loved ones with a record number of
lifts, tucks and implants over the Christmas period. Breast enlargements or
"Christmas bells", as they are known among surgeons, are one of the most popular
operations.

"I am operating from morning to night," said Albert Hofmann, president of the
German Association for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. "People want to be able to
stand under the Christmas tree with their new car, new living room cabinet and
new breasts."

http://tinyurl.com/3na4e