Geography & Population

Japan is an island nation off the eastern coast of China and the Korean Peninsula. It is about the size of California with a population of 128 million (compared to 304 million in the US). Japan is made up of four main islands (from north to south: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, & Kyushu) and many more (6848) smaller islands that extend as far south as Okinawa. Japan’s name is pronounced Nihon or Nippon and means sun-origin, which is why it is often called the “Land of the Rising Sun”. Most Japanese live in large cities, the biggest being Tokyo with a population of 12 million (10% of Japan’s total population).

Religions

When asked, most Japanese claim to be Buddhists (perhaps 90%), but most Japanese also worship at Shinto Shrines and participate in Shinto Festivals. Shintoism is an animistic religion (where people worship the spirits of nature and people) and was Japan’s original religion. Shintoism has no written teachings but was passed down through oral traditions. Shintoism stresses the importance of purification and remains part of daily life for many Japanese.

In the 6th century, Buddhism came to Japan from China and incorporated many Japanese Shinto traditions after arriving. For most Japanese, Shintoism primarily concerns this life, while Buddhism concerns life after death. Shinto rituals handle most matters related to this life: traditional Japanese weddings, purification for building construction, baby dedications, blessings for company work, and so forth. While a few people have Shinto funerals, most funerals are Buddhist. Even after the funeral, departed loved ones are worshiped at a Buddhist altar in the home and at the gravesite. So Buddhism and Shintoism are a very real part of Japanese daily life. In metropolitan areas, people tend to be less tied to family traditions, so they might not be as active in Shintoism or Buddhism. However, in more rural areas, people are much more traditional in their thinking, and Shintoism and Buddhism are still a very real part of their daily lives.

Missions

Though Christian missionaries have been in Japan for 150 years (Catholic came much earlier), sadly less than 1% of the Japanese profess to be Christians. No doubt one reason for this small number goes back to a period of over 200 years when Japan was closed to the outside world (from 1635 to 1858). During this time period, there was no religious freedom, and Japanese families were organized into groups associated with a particular Buddhist Temple. This was done so as to keep a constant check on the presence of any Christians. During this time, anyone thought to be a Christian would be severely persecuted. To this day, Christianity is instinctively shunned by many Japanese as a foreign and undesirable religion.

Sadly, most Japanese have not seriously considered the Bible or its message of salvation through Christ. This wonderful message of salvation through Jesus Christ is what we and other missionaries have given our lives to proclaim to the Japanese. While the percentage of believers remains low, we praise the Lord for those who have believed and live for the Lord. We pray that God will send more missionaries to this needy country. We thank you for your prayers and concern for us and for Japan.

For More Information…

Japan (Wikipedia)
Religions in Japan (Wikipedia)
Shintoism (Wikipedia)
Buddhism in Japan (Wikipedia)
Christianity in Japan (Wikipedia)