Abstract
From primitive times until the present era, the historical development of Japan has, in large measure, been determined by the convergence of religion and politics. The earliest rulers of Japan, the chieftains of the Yamato clan, justified their right to rule on the basis of their claim to divine ancestry by tracing their lineage to the legendary Sun Goddess, Agnaterasu Omikami. The theocratic tradition continued from that time, the second or third century, until Emperor Hirohito renounced his divinity following Japan's defeat in World War II.