Continent:Asia

Capital:Tokyo

Population:123,103,479

Christian:1.5 %

Evangelical:0.5 %

Largest Religion:Buddhist

Largest Religion:69.6 %

People Groups:38

Least Reached People Groups:26

Unevangelized:28 %

Luke 10:2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Japan faces deep crises, hopelessness about the future, high suicide rates (over 30,000 annually), youth struggles with mistreatment and prostitution, social isolation, and economic decline.  Many claim no religion but remain tied to Buddhist, Shinto, and ancestor worship rituals, alongside numerous new occult-based religions.  Christianity, present for 500 years, is still seen as Western, and believers are a tiny, fragmented minority.  The ageing population and low birth rates pose huge social challenges but also create mission opportunities, especially in elderly care.  Young adults are most open to the gospel, but few commit to active faith

Prayer Points

1.   Hope, Healing, and Deliverance (Psalms 107:19-20 – Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress).

Pray for God to restore hope in Japanese society, especially among the youth, and to break spiritual strongholds of idolatry, ancestor worship, and occult practices.

2.  Church Growth and credibility (Acts 2:47 – Praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved) Ephesians 4:11-16

Pray that Christianity will be seen as a universal faith, and that the church will grow to critical mass, gaining social acceptance and influence.

3.  Unity and Effective Witness (1 Corinthians 1:10 – Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment).

Pray for unity among the fragmented Japanese Church to increase its effectiveness in evangelism and discipleship across all age groups

4.  Compassionate Outreach and Mission Opportunities (1 Peter 4:10 – Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, faithfully administering Gods grace in its various forms).

Pray that the Church will engage society through compassion and love, and that believers will seize mission opportunities in elderly care and among open-hearted young adults.