Japan is an economic superpower and therefore one of the richest nations on earth. It has a population of 127 million. 35 million of those people live in greater Tokyo. Approximately 1% of Japanese are Christians, about half of whom are evangelicals. It is difficult to determine what percentage of Japanese people are Buddhists and Shinto. Most Japanese people are both. It is often said that 85-90% are Shinto and 75-80% are Buddhist. This is the relative mathematics of religious pluralism.

The low percentage of Christians in Japan makes it one of the most gospel deprived countries in east Asia, ranking it with North Korea, Mongolia, and Macao. One of the barriers to the gospel is the nation's drive toward social conformity sourced in its prior commitment to harmony over truth. These values of harmony and conformity are Confucian in origin, but have been intensified through contact with Japanese culture.

Japanese people feel almost irresistable pressure to be like everyone else in their group (family, company, school, etc.). Personal identity is formed within the group. To be outside the group is to be insignificant and perhaps non-existent, without any personal value.

Believing in Jesus Christ disrupts this societal harmony and is considered non-conformist because so few people in Japan are believers. New believers therefore face what is unthinkable for most Japanese people: exclusion from family, friends, and co-workers. This fear of being ostracized from their group prevents many Japanese people from believing the gospel.

Links to selelcted sites about Japan (all content is not necessarily endorsed):

Dale Little's photos of things Japanese

Japan Evangelical Missionary Association, networking all evangelical missionaries in Japan

Japan Church Planting Institute

Description of Japan by Overseas Missionary Fellowship

Joshua Project - On Japan1

Joshua Project - On Japan2

BBC News: Country profile of Japan

Country Study of Japan (Library of Congress) (thorough and academic)

Virtual Travel to Japan

Japan A-Z

Japan Vacation Guide

Japan Information Network

The Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts