In Japan, it is tricky to think about separation of church and state, because those have not been merged together in the familiar (to us) ways in the first place. Yes, Buddhism was used as a spiritual training of samurais, WWII officers, and now of corporate management. And some ministers and parliament members savour stirring East Asian commotion by visiting the Yasukuni Shinto shrine. But that does not look like typical (for Abrahamic religions?) manipulation by faith, social pressure to conform or mass psychosis. Japan is historically a very hierarchic society - was it ruled without an ample assortment of fantastic stories? What role did natural isolation and hazards play?