Pray for Japan!

Area: Four large islands (Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu) and 3,000 small islands in NW Pacific. Mountainous; only 13% can be cultivated.

Population: 126,995,411

Government: parliamentary government

Capital City: Tokyo

Peoples: 34 people groups (68% unreached)

Official language: Japanese Languages: 16 (12 languages do not have a copy of the Bible in their language).

Religion: Largest Religion: Buddhist
Religion Pop %
Buddhist 88,376,107 69.59
New religion 28
Christians 1,955,729 1.54
Evangelicals 596,498 0.5

As you pray for Japan as they try to recover from a catastrophic earthquake, pray for the following challenges:

 Most of the population are into Shintoism – a uniquely Japanese form of religion which worships idols, ancient spirits and dead relatives!

 The birth rate in Japan is so low that the population is getting older and older (percentage of the aged in Japan’s population is faster than any other nation) and young people are a dying breed. This materialistic and individualistic generation is really challenging Japan’s older traditional values. Pray that this generation would continue to be increasingly open to hearing about God.

 A lack of a moral centre. Japan’s own leaders called it “a superpower without a moral compass”. This is most notable among young people, who struggle with particular challenges such as social phobia or social anxiety (Hikikomori), a suicide epidemic (over 30,000/year), bullying and teenage prostitution. High rates of suicide in other age groups and divorce also reflect this challenge.

Operation World, Japan. http://www.operationworld.org/japa#prayer. (accessed March 15, 2011).