Why Japan?

Here are a few reasons why the Japanese people desperately need to know God's amazing love for them and why Japan needs more missionaries:

• The population is over 127 million, but less than 1% know Jesus. The main religion is a mix of Shinto & Buddhism.

• Out of 692 large cities, 86 only have 1 church, and 10 large cities have no church at all.

• There is approximately one church per 16,300 people in Japan.

• The average church attendance is around 35 people.

• Japan has fewer baptised Christians than some Muslim countries.

• Christians find it hard to find time to study the Bible and focus on God because of pressures from society to work hard, long hours with little rest.

• Many Christians tend not to share their faith with friends due to a cultural pressure of not wanting to offend.

• New Christians can face the risk of being disowned by family due to the pressure of ancestor worship, a tradition that has been passed down through many generations.

• Though Japan is materially well off, it is very spiritually poor.

• Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, due to factors such as unemployment, depression and social pressures. Almost 100 people commit suicide every day.

• Family breakdowns are very common with the divorce rate constantly increasing and marriage rate rapidly declining.

• There is a term known as 'Hikikomori' in Japan. This is used to describe the disturbingly common phenomenon where people isolate themselves in their homes or bedrooms for over six months, sometimes for many years due to various personal and social factors in their lives. Often hikikomori starts out as school refusals which makes the young person lack hope for the future and have low self-worth.

• According to a recent poll, around 11% of Japanese wish they had never been born, and 85% of young people wonder why they even exist. It's not uncommon to hear of young girls selling themselves to older men. If only they knew what God thought of them and how much He loves them.