"You're born a Shinto, get married a Christian and die a Buddhist" goes a Japanese adage. Seventy percent of Japanese claim they have "no religion" but 80 percent pray to a Shinto "kami" or Buddhist figure at least annually. Visiting temples and shrines is a recreational activity--done for luck rather than belief. The "real" god, at least the one the Japanese spend their time pursuing, is materialism. It's no wonder a 2008 Gallup poll showed little evidence of eternal hope in Japan.
Fake "Christian" weddings--including Bible-led ceremonies--are all the rage. Christmas--or rather, the "Santa-ized" version of it--is also observed. Yet less than 7 percent claim Christ as their Savior (though that is up from 1 percent just decades ago.) But it's hard to determine how pure that Christianity is because many Christians mix their deities by performing in Buddhist or Shinto ceremonies as well as Christian worship services.
Protestant Christians normally fall into two groups: (1) traditional and (2) indigenous. The first group represents mainline denominations, believes the Bible is inerrant and retains their western way of life rather than adapting to Japanese culture.
The latter group is characterized "a Christian movement." It began without a foreign intermediary and emphasized direct religious experiences. It has two subsets: (1) Bible believing, but still heavily influenced by Asian gods and (2) "Renewalist" (an umbrella term that covers both Pentecostals and charismatics).
Both groups owe a debt to Matthew Calbraith Perry. Perry, through the signing of an historical treaty, was responsible for seven Protestant Christians being allowed to enter Japan--a nation that had been closed to the world for over 200 years. From seven missionaries to almost 7 percent of Japanese claiming faith in Jesus Christ, Christianity has experienced a "slow-but-steady" growth--with the fastest growth in the last few decades.
Recently 5,000 Christians gathered for three days in Yokohama--worshipping, praising and thanking God for His providence in opening the doors for the Gospel to be preached in Japan.
BJapan
Playing a pivotal role in the celebration, BJapan used its media ability to create promotional videos for 23 para-church associations that, along with Back to the Bible, are working diligently to bring the Good News to Japan. Through satellite radio (the only Christian radio station in Japan), recruitment of pastors to record Gospel content for 800 pastor-less churches as well sponsorship of preaching seminars, BJapan continues to bring the same Good News--the news seven missionaries first brought to the shores of this once forgotten island over 150 years ago.
Get Involved
Find out more about BJapan or visit the bio page for Director Satoru Yanagitani.