Why do so few Japanese people become Christians?

There are a number of challenges that exist within Japanese culture that make it difficult for people to commit to following Christ. One of the challenges is how deeply the pagan religions of Japan are connected to family life. For instance, a new Christian would no longer practice ancestor worship and others might interpret it as abandoning your living family and larger community. Women have been told by their husbands that they would divorce them if they were to become a Christian. Add in the fact that most people know very little about Christianity to begin with, and it makes for a steep uphill climb for anyone seeking to follow Christ. On the other hand, those who do become disciples are usually quite dedicated.

Is mission work in such a hard place worth it?

Some might consider missions in Japan an exercise in futility. They might conclude workers in Japan are just spending their life farming in a graveyard. Yet, throughout Scripture, God does some of his best work in graveyards. Sarah’s dead womb. Elijah’s dry bones. Jonah’s death sentence in the belly of the fish. Jesus’ dead body in the tomb. God wants to use us as part of his plan to bring life to the dead hearts of all people, including the Japanese, and if we don’t go, how will they hear (Romans 10:14–15)?

How is Christianity viewed by the general Japanese population?

In America, a twenty-year-old living at home might tell her mom, “I’m going to church,” when she’s really going shopping. But in Japan, she might say, “I’m going shopping,” when she’s really going to church. People aren’t killed for becoming Christian, but there is often opposition. While respect exists for Christian morals and for the now-secular schools started by missionaries long ago, becoming a Christian is still often viewed as being too “different” in a society that values conformity. A Japanese proverb says, “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” Therefore, the rich, educated, secular, nominally Buddhist-Shinto Japanese continue as the world’s second largest unreached people group.

The 2011 tsunami helped raise respect for Christianity. While hundreds of thousands of foreigners fled nuclear disaster, thousands of Christians came to serve. Many stayed or returned as missionaries. As God used the persecution in Acts to spread out the Christians and start new churches, He has used the tsunami to bring many to faith and start new churches where there were none.

What can churches outside Japan learn from the Japanese church?

First, the focus on the common good. A “common grace” virtue of Japanese culture is putting the group’s needs above one’s own, which sounds pretty biblical. Second, moderation. Even wealthy Japanese people often live modestly. Third, perseverance. Kingdom work is difficult and slow. Many well-educated ministers faithfully persevere for decades on small salaries.

Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
~ Psalm 25:4-5