I am often asked why I want to go to Japan. When people think of countries that need missionaries, Japan is often overlooked. Many will think of China because the Chinese government persecutes Christians, or many will think of Africa because of the poverty that is rampant there. But Japan has neither religious persecution, nor poverty. In fact they are among the wealthiest nations on the planet, and like the U.S. there are no restrictions on religion. One might assume that since there is no political obstacles to the gospel, and since the Japanese people don’t need any physical help, that there is not much need of missionaries. However this assumption could not be further from the truth.
China, with all it’s religious restrictions and persecutions finds that between 3% and 4% of its population is estimated to be Christian. This low percentage certainly illustrates the need for more Christians to go to China as missionaries, however Japan’s Christian population is far lower. Japan is estimated to be about 0.7% Christian. Given the difference in the size of the populations that means that China has roughly 50 times more Christians living in it in total than its island neighbor. In Japan there are 7 Christians to every 1,000 non-Christians. This means that the Christians in Japan are faced with a truly overwhelming task in reaching the lost in their country. Also this means that the Japanese people have little concept of who Christ is. The average Japanese person knows as much about Jesus Christ as the average American Christian knows about Buddha.
I’ve seen the spiritual void in Japan. I’ve walked the streets of Tokyo watching millions of people trudge through their lives with no hope and no purpose beyond their own comfort and survival. By and large the Japanese look to their own native religion as superstition, and their new god is materialism; the pursuit of wealth. Though Japan has one of the lowest murder rates in the world, tragically it has one of the highest suicide rates. However I have also witnessed the hope that Christ brings to these same people. I’ve been blessed to visit some of the churches in Japan, and see incredible difference Christ makes in their lives, and I’ve seen how God has used missionaries to be a large part of starting new churches and calling people to Himself through the proclamation of His gospel. Yet with only 0.7% of the population saved, there is much more work to be done in Japan, and many more people are needed to do this work. I believe that God is calling me to be a part of what He’s doing there, and that is why I am planning to go to Japan.