The Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century saw the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate and the modernization of Japan.

The 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack by the Aum Shinrikyo cult shocked Japan and led to increased scrutiny of religious groups.

During the Edo period, which lasted from the 17th to the mid-19th century, Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate and experienced a period of peace and stability.