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JAPAN

GLANCE

AT A

USA

China

Japan

Germany

India

Japan is the 3rd largest economy in the world

São Paulo

Cairo

New York

Shanghai

Delhi

Tokyo

Mexico City

Mumbai

Beijing

Osaka

Tokyo is the most populated metro region in the world
Japan has the highest percentage of elderly in the world (28%)

日本

Nihon or Nippon is the country’s name in Japanese
Japan's main religions are Shinto and Buddhism

THE STATE OF THE GOSPEL IN JAPAN

Less than 1% of the 125.1 million pop. is Christian

No Church

Church

18 cities and 524 towns are without a church
1 out of 8 Protestant churches have no pastor

BRIEF CHRISTIAN HISTORY IN JAPAN

1587

Foreign missionaries banned

1614

Government ban on Christianity, widespread persecution of Christians until 1640

1859

Protestant missionaries arrive

1873

Government ban of Christianity lifted

1947

Religious freedom guaranteed by post-war constitution

1549

Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier arrives and growth follows

1853

US Commodore Matthew Perry demands that Japan opens its ports

1941

Government orders Protestant denominations to merge

1639 - 1853

Japan enters long period of national isolation

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