MISSIONS IN

Japan

God is moving in Japan

The State of Missions in Japan

Missions in Japan reflect one of the world’s largest populations with very little evangelical presence despite complete religious freedom and long missionary history. Japan reopened to foreign residence in 1859, allowing Protestant missionaries to establish work in treaty ports. 26 UPGs remain, totaling about 120,003,000 unreached people; Japanese is the largest listed group.

  • 123M POPULATION
  • 2.2% CHRISTIANS
  • 99% LITERACY
  • 26 UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS
  • Japanese LARGEST UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP
  • 120M UNREACHED POPULATION
  • Tokyo CAPITAL CITY
  • Tokyo Yokohama Osaka LARGEST CITIES
  • Japanese Yen CURRENCY
  • Temperate overall, from snowy northern winters to humid subtropical south, with monsoons, typhoons, and. CLIMATE
  • Japanese PRIMARY LANGUAGES
  • Buddhism LARGEST UNREACHED RELIGION

Explore Japan

By Project
God Is at Work. You’re Invited Into the Story.

God Is at Work. You’re Invited Into the Story.

Around the world, God is moving through ordinary people who pray, give, go, and serve. Hold the Rope helps you discover the stories—and find your place in them. Read More

Explore by Category

Bible Translation The Japanese Bible is readily available.
Church Planting Church planting in Japan should develop mature local leaders and sustainable congregations.
Disaster Relief Church planting remains urgent among Somali, coastal Muslim.
Education Church planting remains urgent among Somali, coastal Muslim.
Gospel Access Japan has 26 UPGs and about 120 million unreached Japanese, making it one of the world's largest unreached populations.
Human Trafficking Church planting remains urgent among Somali, coastal Muslim.
Medical Missions Church planting remains urgent among Somali, coastal Muslim.
Orphans & Vulnerable Children Church planting remains urgent among Somali, coastal Muslim.
Persecuted Church Religious freedom is strong; cultural indifference, social conformity.
Poverty & Justice Churches can serve isolated elderly people, single parents, and disaster-affected groups through durable local ties.
Unreached People Groups Millions still have little or no access to the gospel in their language and culture.

Active Projects across Japan

Resources for Your Journey (Coming Soon)

  • Prayer
    Guides
  • Mission
    Strategies
  • Research &
    Reports
  • Training &
    Equipping
  • Videos &
    Podcasts
  • Missions
    Agencies

A History of God's Faithfulness in Japan

Japan’s evangelical missions history explains much of its present church landscape. Protestant missionaries returned when Japan reopened in 1859; Japanese leaders formed churches after the ban on Christianity ended in 1873, while postwar missions expanded education, Bible work, and church planting. Over time, responsibility moved increasingly toward local pastors, evangelists, teachers, and congregations.

  1. Early Beginnings

    Japan reopened to foreign residence in 1859, allowing Protestant missionaries to establish work in treaty ports.

  2. 1900s

    Christianity remained officially banned until 1873, but Japanese students and early converts formed influential Christian groups.

  3. Independence Era

    Japanese pastors sought increasingly independent national churches as education, publishing, and social ministries expanded.

  4. Modern Movement

    World War II disrupted church life, followed by a major postwar missionary influx and renewed church planting.

  5. Today

    Japan remains one of the world's least-reached developed nations despite more than 150 years of sustained evangelical witness.

Hold The Rope app

Be a part of what God is doing in Japan

PRAY ENGAGE GIVE GO

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

Download the App

Grab your rope

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
I'm not a robot(Required)
Newsletter