Jul 26: Japan
Japan
Nihon
Asia
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 377,801 sq kmA 3,000 km arc of four large islands (Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu) and 3,000 small islands in NW Pacific. Mountainous; only 13% can be cultivated.
Population: 126,995,411 Annual Growth: -0.07%
Capital: Tokyo
Urbanites: 66.8%
HDI Rank: 10 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 34 (68% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Japanese Languages: 16All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Buddhist| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 1,955,729 | 1.54 | -0.2 |
| Evangelicals | 596,498 | 0.5 | -0.4 |
| Buddhist | 88,376,107 | 69.59 |
Answer to Prayer
Creativity and cultural insight in ministry are reshaping the way church and mission are being done. Many new initiatives seek to connect with the heart of Japanese mentality and culture. After centuries of outreach from a predominantly Western outlook and extremely modest church growth, new approaches are welcome and even overdue.For an additional 2 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
Challenge for Prayer
The Church in Japan experienced growth between 1945 and 1960, but both Catholic and Protestant percentages have increased only marginally since then, with conversions only just exceeding backslidings. It is believed that half of those baptized in Japan leave their churches within two or three years. The decisive breakthrough has yet to come, so pray for:a) The United Church – a union of all Protestant churches formed under duress during WWII. Almost all compromised with Shinto and emperor worship, losing their spiritual vitality. After the war, many groups pulled out to form their own denominations. The United Church, and subsequently many other denominations, issued statements repenting of their participation in war and idol worship during the war. The ethos of repentence is widely held by Japanese Christians, and many believe that a truly national-level repentance for this sad episode is a key for spiritual breakthrough.
b) The growing evangelical witness. In 1950, evangelicals were 40% of Protestants and Independents; in 2010, they measured 67%. The Japan Evangelical Association (JEA) is one major coordinating body for the many denominations.
c) Quasi-Christian groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons have grown far faster than evangelicals or Catholics and are the largest and most visible “Christian” presence in many areas, numbering nearly as many as Protestants or Catholics. There are several agencies committed to helping JWs to faith in Christ, but overall, there is little ministry devoted to pointing these people toward biblical faith.
For an additional 13 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
