Japan - Far East

Religion: Shintoism 83.9%, Buddhism 71.4%, Christianity 2%, other 7.8% (total exceeds 100% because many people belong to both Shintoism and Buddhism)

Population: 127,103,388

Capital: Tokyo

Language: Japanese

Major urban areas: Tokyo 37.2 million; Osaka-Kobe 11.5 million; Nagoya 3.3 million; Fukuoka-Kitakyushu 2.9 million; Sapporo 2.7 million; Sendai 2.4 million

Time difference: 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Ethnic groups: Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.6%

Government type: a parliamentary government with a constitutional monarchy

Literacy rate: 99%

Prayer Needs & Opportunities:
• Tohoku, northern Honshu (our Open Door spotlight) — 5 of 6 prefectures have only 3 independent Baptist churches.
• The major cities of Japan—Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya and others—have millions of people and very few independent Baptist churches or missionaries.
• Scores of cities with 100,000+ have no independent Baptist churches.
• We are praying for 10 families to help us reach Japan.

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Summary of Japan

In the Land of the Rising Sun, where the gods of Shintoism capture many minds and the temples of Buddhism capture many eyes, the Morning Star cries out through the voice of a small remnant of Christian believers that the King of Kings desires to bring life to the beautiful people of Japan. In a land where success has occurred through technological innovation and integration, most Japanese have blended Buddhism and Shintoism together to dictate the ritualistic practices of their lives. Interestingly, though, over 80% claim no personal religion.

In a land where 70-80% of the islands formed by volcanic activity are mountainous and uninhabitable, the gospel has not found a home in the vast majority of Japanese hearts. Only 1.56% of the 127 million people in Japan call themselves Christians.

But in the presence of this remnant, God has placed the seeds of hope. Natural disasters, economic struggles, an increasing rebelliousness among young people and the emergence of more antisocial cults has left many Japanese searching for answers in the midst of unfamiliar territory. For all of these, Jesus is the answer. He asks us to join Him through prayer as He seeks to reconcile the people of Japan to the God that created them.

(Used with permission from www.prayercast.com/japan.html.)
((Statistical information taken from CIA World Factbook))

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