Editing Theocracy (section)

=== Japan ===
The Japanese people have historically venerated their  [[Emperor of Japan|emperor]] as the descendant of the [[Shinto]] sun-goddess [[Amaterasu]]. Through this line of descent, the emperor was seen as a living god who was the supreme leader of the Japanese people. This status only changed with the [[Occupation of Japan]] following the end of the [[Second World War]] in 1945: on 1 January 1946 Emperor [[Hirohito]], at the request of [[Douglas MacArthur]], [[Humanity Declaration|declared that he was not a living god]] in order for Japan to reorganize into a democratic nation.<ref>{{cite web |title=3-1 Emperor, Imperial Rescript Denying His Divinity (Professing His Humanity) |url= https://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/shiryo/03/056shoshi.html |website= National Diet Library |access-date=2 August 2020 |archive-date=13 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210513102943/https://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/shiryo/03/056shoshi.html |url-status=live }}</ref>