The Land of the Rising Sun
The light of Christ is beginning to dawn in this ancient country. Christians say they sense "a new beginning" as churches cooperate in prayer and evangelism, Paul Ariga of the All Japan Revival Mission told Religion Today. About 1,000 churches participated in the All Tokyo Revival Mission Sept. 18-27. Charismatic, evangelical, and Pentecostal congregations worked together to plan the event. Almost 20,000 "prayer warriors" -- some from other countries -- logged hours of prayers in preparation. About 1,000 people conducted evangelism outreaches in the months before the crusade. It was the first time that native Protestants of all denominations worked together. Workers delivered Christian literature to 3 million homes in Tokyo in preparation for the crusade. Well-known Christian writer Ayako Miura wrote the tract, called From Discouragement to Hope. Another 1 million tracts were distributed at street meetings in the city. The crusade drew more than 120,000 people to 24 meetings. About 56,000 non-Christians attended 10 evangelistic services at the Nihon Budokan, and almost 6,000 made first-time professions of faith in Jesus Christ, Ariga said. Two outreaches were held for women and children. About 60,000 Christians attended revival services intended to deepen their commitments to Christ and inspire them to spread their faith. The number of responses is high. About 2.5% of the population is Christian and most churches average 30 members, Operation World says. There are 3,000 Protestant churches in Tokyo, a city of 30 million, and 7,700 Protestant churches overall. Some cities and towns do not have a Christian church. Most Japanese claim no personal religion, but follow the customs of traditional religions including Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. About 100 New Age style offshoots of those religions spring up every year. Those influences, and their history of offenses during World War II and other eras, have created a "spiritual bondage" that hinders people from receiving God's grace, Ariga said. It takes the "spiritual warfare" of prayer, fasting, and confession of sins to break that bondage, he said. About 19,000 people have been praying for Tokyo since 1992. More than 1 million hours of prayer have been offered on behalf of the city in five years. To prepare for this year's crusade, leaders asked the people to add 377,750 hours -- one for every square mile of the city. About 3,000 people took part in a 40-day fasting chain prior to the event. Ariga and other leaders have visited other nations to confess Japan's sins against them. He has visited Australia, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan in the past two years to ask forgiveness for the country's brutal behavior in occupied territories. Christian leaders in each of those nations accepted his apology and pledged to mobilize people to pray 1 million hours for Japan. Reconciliation among Christians "breaks the bondage and the power of darkness and makes it easier for people to receive the message of Christ," Ariga said. "We drew so many people -- more than expected -- from all over the island." Before the revival, seven of Ariga's eight relatives in Tokyo were not Christians. "Now I have eight relatives in Tokyo who are believers -- that is the result of prayer." Baptist Press, May 1998 
Although the Japanese language version of the "JESUS" film was introduced in 1982, response to the film has been quite weak. For this reason Japan Campus Crusade for Christ requested that a newer version be produced which would have a greater appeal to the 98% of Japanese people who are not believers. The "premiere" showing was to a limited audience of specially invited guests, among them fifty leaders in the business and entertainment industries. The audience of 350 was the largest ever gathered in Japan to see this film. The response was very encouraging. At the dinner one of the top 3 media critics in the country spoke for 20 minutes on his analysis of the film. He said, "This film can be understood by the Japanese even though they have not had much background in Christianity. It was obvious this film wanted to show the compassion and tenderness of Jesus and His humanity. I recommend it highly." In the next several weeks, major media will be approached and we will attempt to secure contracts for television. One man who owns the largest business seminar company in the country said that his friend owns the top video distribution outlet in the country and he will twist his arm to make sure the "JESUS" film gets into all those stores. So we have made the first step, the rest is up to the Lord. The Religious Media Agency, October 1998
More than 1,000 believers from seven nations recently converged on the island of Kyushu to saturate the region with the love of Jesus. Every Home for Christ and Campus Crusade for Christ joined forces with Japanese believers from 81 churches for the Love Kyushu Project. More than 350,000 gospel booklets and audio messages were distributed home to home in over 200 towns and villages. Printed Bible-study materials and the JESUS film were offered to people who received Christ or wanted to learn more about the Gospel. At last count, over 300 people had responded. The Kyushu distribution, which continued into October, is still in the follow-up stages, with local believers visiting seekers and discipling new believers who are now attending area churches. Every Home for Christ launched its first Every Home Crusade in Japan in 1953. To date, more than 171 million EHC gospel booklets have been distributed throughout the nation, resulting in 393,824 responses to the Gospel. Pray for a growing harvest as believers continue sharing the Good News home to home. Every Home for Christ, October 1998 About 2,000 young people converged on Aoyama Gakuin, a university near one of Tokyo's major downtown areas, for the "Send Me" conference August 13-15. Sponsored by the Japanese Evangelical Association, this event is similar to the Urbana conference held in the U.S. every three years. Lively chorus singing launched each session, including original songs composed for the event. The highlight came in the evening sessions as Japanese speakers challenged young people to serve God anywhere He leads. Many raised their hands at the closing session to indicate a willing response to the Lord. Five Japanese missionaries from SIM who serve among Muslims in Tanzania, Niger and a country in South Asia held workshops presenting a broad portrait of what life is like on the mission field. In an age when the face of missions is increasingly non-Western, this groundbreaking event in Japan represents a trend in global missions as SIM missionaries now represent 36 nationalities with an increasing number coming from Southeast Asia. Many of the non-Western missionaries are also willing to serve in the most difficult fields where sharing Jesus may invoke heavy repercussions. SIM, September, 2003
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