Many people, both in the USA and here in Japan, ask us about why we have come to Japan.  In a sense, the answer is very simple - we came to Japan because we have a deep conviction that the Lord has called us to share His love in this land.  Yet, in another sense, this answer begs the question of why the Lord continues to send so many missionaries to Japan.  Ultimately, that is the Lord's business; yet we see that the Lord chooses to use His servants in conducting His business, and Jesus even tells the disciples that:

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15, NIV)

Given this verse, and others like it, it seems that God expects us to strive to understand what He is doing and why.  So, here are a few thoughts that I and others have had on the question of, "Why Japan?"

In recent years there has been considerable discussion in mission circles about the "10/40 window".  Simply put, the 10/40 window is the area lying between 10 and 40 degrees north latitude and stretching from North Africa to Japan.  This area is home to Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and atheism.  Half the world's population lives within the 10/40 window, including 80% of the "poorest of the poor" people in the world. The vast majority of the unreached people groups in the world also live there.  Yet, despite this huge need, only 20% of cross-cultural missionaries serve in the sixty countries of the 10/40 window.  This reality has led to an effort to refocus missions effort toward the 10/40 window.

There are many, many people suffering from extreme physical poverty in the 10/40 window and also in a few other countries outside the window.  The love of Jesus Christ constrains us to minister to these physical needs, and we should never minimize the importance of reaching out to bring food, sanitation, clean water, medicine, and education to the poor.  Yet, ultimately, spiritual poverty is even more serious than physical poverty.  Those who live and die without Christ are in dire need.  Regardless of whether they possess material wealth or not, they live in great poverty - spiritual poverty.

Japan is such a country.  There is little physical poverty, yet there is dire spiritual poverty.  Lying at the eastern edge of the 10/40 window, Japan is a country with material wealth, but without peace of the heart.  While comparisons can be abused, and measuring the number of Christians is a difficult task, the following numbers from Operation World, 21st Century edition do provide some insight.

Note that these numbers reflect the percent of the population that claims to be Christian - not the percent that an objective observer would consider Christian.  In fact, when we look closer at the numbers for Japan we find that the largest subgroup of the 1.56% who claim to be Christian are the "marginal groups" (0.61%), i.e. the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Unification Church (Moonies), the Latter Day Saints (Mormons), and similar groups that claim to be Christian but that the church as a whole considers non-Christian cults.

Looking still further, we find that of those who claim to be Protestants, only about half actually attend church services regularly.  Church attendance figures, perhaps, reflect better than any other measure the status of the Christian church in Japan - according to Operation Japan, only 0.21% of the Japanese population attends Protestant worship services.

Considering these facts, it is clear that Japan is, in spiritual terms, one of the most impoverished countries in the world, with 98% of the Japanese rejecting the idea of a Creator God completely, and only a tenth of the remaining 2% in regular attendance at a Bible-believing worship service.

Japan's dire spiritual poverty is, amazingly, accompanied by an openness that allows missionaries to enter the country with relative ease and to preach the gospel with a great deal of freedom.  Further, western missionaries entering Japan generally find a ready audience of people who are willing to discuss Christianity and listen to their testimonies.  English-teaching, in particular, builds many relationships that provide opportunities to share about Jesus, while at the same time offsetting at least part of the high cost of living.  This adds up to great opportunities for sharing the gospel in Japan. 

However, along with the opportunity comes a tremendous challenge.  Japanese people are generally willing to listen to missionaries share about the gospel, but few Japanese are willing to become Christians.  The emotional strains of sharing the gospel year after year while seeing very little visible fruit result in many missionaries going home in discouragement, sometimes even blaming themselves for the lack of response.  The intellectual challenge of becoming proficient in the Japanese language and attempting to understand the Japanese culture, both essential steps for effective witness, also prove trying for most, if not all, missionaries who come to Japan.  The spiritual challenges involved in living in a land where few believe in God are also a major issue.  But, for those who love a challenge, Japan is a great place to be.  The physical challenges are minimal when compared to many other countries, but the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual challenges are immense.

Some observers have remarked on the potential for Japan to someday become a major missionary sending country.  Although the church in Japan is tiny, some segments of the church are already involved in sending missionaries out to other countries, and, the logic goes, if more Japanese become Christians, this trickle of missionaries from Japan could become a broad river.  Japan is a wealthy country, and the Japanese church, if it grows, could afford to send many missionaries.  Further, Japanese businesses have paved the way into many countries, and Japanese tourists go everywhere in the world.  In fact, Japanese are welcome in many countries where western missionaries either cannot go, or are not safe due to political antagonism toward the west.  It makes sense to dream of Japan being a major missionary sending country someday, but until more effective ways are found to share the gospel inside Japan it is mostly just a dream.  But this is part of the excitement and challenge of working in Japan.

The spiritual needs are immense, the opportunities are unlimited, the challenges force us grow in our personal walks with the Lord, but most of all, because God called us to come here.

Karen's essay about our call to Japan, written in March 1994

• The 10/40 Window Brochure (AD2000)
• 10/40 Window Prayer and Educational Resources (Caleb Project)

• Apologetics for Japan (Gospelcom)
• Japan's Spiritual Needs (Life Ministries)
• Why Japan Needs Christian Schools (OCSM)