Pray for Japan
Learn about and pray for Japan in just 5 minutes per week!
Receive one email per week for 13 weeks about Japan’s history, geography, persecution profile, and largest unreached people groups.
WEEK 1
Prayercast
Pray along with a local believer for their nation.
WEEK 2
Operation World
Pray through Operation World's country profile.
WEEK 3
World Watch List
Pray through the country's persecution profile.
WEEKS 4-13
People Groups
Pray for the country's 10 largest unreached people groups.
Introduction
Japan is an island nation made up of four main islands – Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku – and 14,000 smaller islands! It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Japan to the west.
Even though Japan is completely open to Christian missionaries, the people have been largely resistant to the gospel. As it stands today, the Japanese are the second largest unreached people group in the world (behind the Shaikh of Bangladesh).
Japan faces numerous challenges – an aging population that is in decline, an economy that is stagnant, and the constant threat of typhoons and earthquakes.
Read on to learn how you can pray for Japan!
Fast Facts
Capital City: Tokyo
Population: 125,700,000 (98% unreached)
People Groups: 38
10/40 Window: Yes
Major People Groups: Japanese 98.5%
Religion: Buddhism 68%, Ethnic Religions 24%, Christianity 1.5%,
Language: Japanese
GDP Per Capita: $42,700
Literacy Rate: 100%
Did you know? Mongolia is the most sparsely populated sovereign nation in the world.
Pray for Japan’s unreached people groups
Japan is completely open to missionaries, yet it has the second-largest unreached people group in the world – the Japanese. Besides the Japanese, there are 25 other UPGs in Japan.
Below are the 11 largest unreached people groups in Japan:
| People Group | Population | Religion |
| Japanese | 118,468,000 | Buddhism |
| Okinawan, Ryukyuan | 1,159,000 | Ethnic Religions |
| Burakumin | 870,000 | Buddhism |
| Deaf | 248,000 | Buddhism |
| Eurasian | 123,000 | Buddhism |
| Punjabi | 69,000 | Islam |
| South Asian | 68,000 | Islam |
| Miyako, Ryukyuan | 65,000 | Buddhism |
| Persian | 49,000 | Islam |
| Judeo-Japanese | 49,000 | Ethnic Religions |
| Yaeyama | 45,000 | Buddhism |
What is the largest unreached people group in Japan?
The largest people group in Japan is the Japanese. With over 118 million people, the Japanese are the second largest UPG in the world.
How many people groups are in Japan?
There are 38 people groups in Japan - 16 follow Buddhism, 8 follow ethnic religions, 6 follow Islam, and 7 follow Christianity.
How many unreached people groups are in Japan?
Japan has 26 unreached people groups: 68% of Japan's population is Buddhist, 24% follows ethnic religions, and 5% are non-religious.
How to Pray for Japan
Here’s how you can pray for Japan…
- Pray that the Japanese would see that they can be Japanese and Christian.
- Pray God would soften the hearts of the elderly to be spiritually open to receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior.
- Pray for hope for people who are feeling hopeless and contemplating suicide. Pray that they would find their eternal hope in Jesus.
- Pray for the Christian community in Japan, for their spiritual growth and for opportunities to share their faith with others.
- Pray that the Japanese returning to Japan from abroad who have encountered Jesus would be used mightily by God to reach their people.
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.“
Pray for Japan
Learn about and pray for Japan in just 5 minutes per week!
Receive one email per week for 13 weeks about Japan’s history, geography, persecution profile, and largest unreached people groups.