CHRISTIAN
HISTORY
Situated off the east coast of Asia
in the northwest Pacific Ocean, Japan’s official history did not begin until the
eighth century. However, it is known that Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth century, and
prior to this, around the second or third century written language was introduced from
China. There is some evidence that the first Christians to come to Japan were groups of
Nestorians that arrived at the end of the second century through China and Korea from the
Middle East. It was supposedly the descendants of this group (known as the
"Keikyo") that initially responded so readily to the preaching of the first
foreign missionary to Japan, Jesuit leader Francisco Xavier (1549 -1551).1
So
great was the response to the preaching of the Gospel at this time that, by 1600, the
Christian community (known as the "Kirishitan") comprised the single largest
organized religious community in Japan.2 Approximately three million Japanese out of a total
population of 10 million were estimated to have become part of this movement -- a period
of time that has been dubbed, "The Christian Century."
However, a series of unfortunate events -- which included opposition
from the Buddhist hierarchy, competition among competing Catholic missionary groups, and
an increasing concern by the Japanese military government about the political ramifications
of allowing foreign religious groups to make inroads into the culture -- brought about the
beginning of persecution of Christians. Edicts making Christianity a forbidden religion
began to be enforced. This started a period of isolation for Japan where Christians were
systematically sought out. Although the official count of martyrs is only a few
thousand, possibly as many as one million believers are thought to have been killed or
tortured for their faith before U.S. naval commander Matthew Perry arrived in 1853 to
force Japan to open its ports to the outside world. This period of time is sometimes
referred to as "The Kirishitan Holocaust" and Christianity, as an organized
religion, virtually disappeared.
Missionaries were again allowed into the country after a commercial
treaty with the United States was signed in 1858 and Protestant Christianity began to
rapidly take root. However, the development of the relationship between the Emperor and
Shinto nationalism, anti-Western militancy, and the increasing influence of the Japanese
military ushered in further periods of persecution before and during World War II. Laws
that allowed religious freedom for the first time were passed only after the end of the
war. Since then, the Japanese Christian Church (including Roman Catholics, Orthodox and
Protestants in more than 120 denominations) has grown at a rate of about 4% per year to a
current estimate of just over 1,000,000 believers in approximately 8,800 churches.3 Currently, about one-third of all believers are
Evangelicals. The previous rapid growth of the Church, however, has never been recovered.
TECHNOLOGICAL
OPPORTUNITY
After the Occupation period (1945 -
1952) Japan began to develop its export industry and started importing modern technology,
making economic development the chief priority. By the early 1970s Japan had become a
leading producer of ships, cars, steel, and electronic equipment and began to play an
increasingly visible role in global affairs. As a result Japan has now become the nation
with the second highest GNP next to the U.S. and leads the world in industrial hi-tech
development and, particularly, in communications technology.
This high level of technological development makes Japan one of the
few non-Christian nations that has a high-quality mass media system securely in place.
Churches, in addition to using traditional media outlets, are now routinely utilizing
Internet web sites (currently over 100 ministry-related Japanese-language sites are
on-line) and other indigenously-produced multi-media or on-line resources in evangelism.
Christian software, CD-ROM and other multi-media or on-line resources, as well as
Christian radio and TV programs, are being produced regularly by a handful of full-time organizations to augment the outreach of the local church and
the edification of individual believers. Broadcasting in the country is sophisticated and
more than 99% of Japanese households have a color television set. This makes media
evangelism a prime instrument for pre-evangelism to the densely-packed population
(126
million in a land mass the approximate size of California). Currently, there are six radio
programs and four television programs that air regularly in Japan.
Although the Pacific Broadcasting Association’s presentation of
"The Light of the World" radio program has been heard continuously since 1952,
and nationwide 24-hour Christian programming through a cable radio system has been in
operation since 1989 ("Friendship Radio"),
television programming has been hampered in terms of wide-area broadcasting. Preaching or
interview format programs and high-quality animation have been available since the 1980s.
Current law, however, prohibits a religious entity from owning a broadcast facility, so
that means that producers of Christian programs are required to buy time on local stations
at the regular commercial rates. The costs for broadcasting to a national audience,
therefore, have been prohibitive.
Since
1986, however, Japan has been putting
communications
satellites into orbit. There are currently more than 20 in place and the next
scheduled launch set for the fall of 2003.4
The development of Japan's satellite television system5
began in earnest in early 1985 with the formation of three new satellite
operation companies. In July of 1987, Japan’s national public television network (NHK)
inaugurated channel BS1 to become the first to offer 24-hour-a-day satellite service programming to viewers. A brief
period of competition between two direct broadcast satellite (DBS) consumer services (SKYPerfecTV! and DirecTV)
resulted in a merger of the two in 2000. In addition, all terrestrial analog
broadcasts are scheduled to be converted to digital format by 2011. This
technology development has finally
given Christian broadcasters a way around the previous restrictions. Through an economical
equipment/service purchase package, DBS subscribers are now provided with a potential 200-plus
channels of television, audio, and data broadcasting. With this increase in
channels, satellite service providers are now hungry for programming diversity. As a
result, one of the most well-known Japanese-language Christian television series
("Harvest Time" -- seen regionally since 1986), began the country’s first
nationwide Christian broadcast on satellite in April of 1998 at the request of one of the
satellite programming providers. Other ministries have begun similar broadcasting
arrangements.
According
to recent reports, Japan is expected to lead all growth in DBS satellite
services in Asia with 15 million subscribers by the end of the decade.6
Since the popularity of satellite broadcasting is showing every
indication of significantly increasing in the near future, the formation of the first
24-hour Christian TV satellite network or cable service seems very near. And, because the
current producers are small ministry operations, a significant opportunity now exists for
international cooperative efforts to help provide quality Christian programming for
satellite airtime that seems sure to increase in Japan.
SPIRITUAL
CHALLENGE
Despite these great technological
advances and the encouragement for Christian communicators, Japan remains one of the
world’s most spiritually needy nations, having perhaps the highest concentration of
missionaries (over 2,300) compared to the number of believers (less than 1% of the
population). In addition, major divisions between Charismatic, Evangelical, and mainline
Christian churches make for little communication or cooperation between them in the task
of evangelism to the mostly Buddhist and/or Shinto majority. Though missiologists have
identified numerous obstacles within the culture itself, the major hindrance is believed
to be at the spiritual level. Japan’s culture has been virtually uninterrupted for
3,000 years and Paganism is deeply rooted into the fabric of the nation. The demonic
territorial spirits over the country have had their way and they are not prepared to allow
Christianity more than a token presence.7 Because of the increasing recognition of this, a
current major focus among many in the national leadership is the need for revival in the
Church and spiritual unity among believers. Strong intercession is requested.
The most likely strategy for Christian communicators to take seems
to be one of serving both as proclaimers of the Gospel through the new media opportunities
(the traditional role), and also as facilitators in helping the national Church engage in
militant spiritual warfare and intercession (an enhanced role as "watchman").
Media resources then become a means of informing and alerting believers to demonic
strongholds that need to be cast down before the Gospel message can take root in the
hearts of the people "…whose minds the god of this age has blinded" (II
Cor. 4:3-4, NKJV).
PRAYER
POINTS 8
- Japan is in the midst of a major economic
crisis, the outcome of which will affect millions of people. Pray for God to use this time
of hardship to open the hearts of Japanese people to the gospel.
- Japan is deeply devoted to material
prosperity and the development of business and technology. These are false gods who have
betrayed the Japanese people. Pray for revelation to the hearts and minds of the leaders
of the nation so that they will turn to the one true God.
- Intercede for the youth of Japan; they
are the key to reaching the rest of the nation. Ask our Father to draw them to Himself as
they turn from the values and ways of their parents' generation.
- The Japanese tend to see Christianity as
a Western religion because many Japanese churches have adopted Western styles of worship
and ministry. Pray for the Holy Spirit to inspire the hearts of Japanese Christians with
indigenous forms of worship.
- Ask the Lord to open the eyes of
Christian leaders in Japan to the blessing of servant leadership.
- Lift up this powerful nation; ask God to
send revival to Japan. May His Spirit sweep the nation with a move of God that will impact
the entire country and result in the conversion of millions of people.
The demographic
information above is current as
of March, 2004.
(Sources: Operation:Japan, Edition 2000 [below], Christian Yearbook
2005,
Tokyo: Christian Shimbun Co., 2004).
1 "The Kirishitan Holocaust." The Keikyo Institute.
2003. Online.
Available: http://keikyo.com/keikyo/index.html.
2 Drummond, Richard Henry. A History of Christianity in Japan.
Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1971.
3 Droullard, Brent. "Christian History in
Japan." Operation Japan,
Edition 2000: Japan in Focus, a Handbook For Prayer, p. 14. Tokyo: Operation Japan Publishing Committee and Japan Evangelical Missionary
Association, 2000.
4
"SUPERBIRD:
Providing Space Communications Services," Space Communication
Corporation:
http://www.superbird.co.jp/english/superbird/a2.html.
( See also,
"Satellite Control Center SATCO DX 4." Satellite
Communications Data Exchange, Ltd., Munich, Germany: http://www.satcodx4.com/eng/
).
5"From
Analog to Digital...Satellite TV Progresses," SARJAM Communications,
Ltd. 2003. Online. Available: http://www.sarjam.com/sate1.html.
6
"Japan DBS Subscribers (1998-2009)." Asia
2000 The DBS Data Book: Trends, Opportunities and Challenges, p. 82.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.: The Carmel Group, 2000 ( http://www.carmelgroup.com
).
7 Wagner, C. Peter, ed. "The Visible and the Invisible." Breaking
Strongholds in Your City, p. 68. Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books, 1993.
8 McClung,
Floyd, ed. "Japan." Light the Window: Praying Through the Nations of the
10/40 Window, p. 29. Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 1999.
Last File Update: 01/25/06
Protestant: 7,765
