As a result of the hakkio-ichiu (the whole world under one roof) policy, 300,000 Japanese troops invaded northeast China in 1932. Until 1945 they occupied a vast territory, which they renamed Manchkuo. Their rule was a reign of terror. "Undisciplined soldiers looted, raped and killed as they desired. Thousands of Chinese girls were gang raped, then killed for sport. The only safe place was with foreigners. When soldiers were about, mission schools, hospitals and homes were jammed with Chinese women and girls." Due to the sudden defeat and withdrawal of the Japanese forces, many orphans and women were left behind in China.
Despite having adapted to Chinese language and culture, some Japanese in China have stubbornly retained their ethnic identity and have longed to return to their homeland. Yu Kita Otosaka, a mother of four who returned to Japan in 1974, said, "I must not forget how well the Chinese people treated me, though I had fleas and lice all over but I always wanted to come back to this homeland."
All displaced Japanese were forced to learn Mandarin in order to survive in China. Consequently, many of their children are now unable to speak Japanese.
After the war ended, most of the Japanese women who were left behind married Chinese men and settled down to raise children, with many of their traditional Japanese customs being abandoned.
The belief of most Japanese in China is a mixture of Mahayana Buddhism and ancestor worship. Many others, because of the influence of communism, are now atheists.
There are no known Christians among the Japanese in China, although the recent revival among the Han Chinese in Heilongjiang Province may have touched the lives of some displaced Japanese. Living in Chinese communities for several decades, at least one-fourth of the Japanese in China are estimated to have heard the gospel. The Japanese Bible is unavailable in China, but most can no longer read the Japanese script anyway.
Without the guidance of Christ, these people will be lost in this life and the life to come. They need someone to go to them as Christ-bearers.
Pray for the spiritual blindness and bondage to the evil one to be removed so the Japanese can understand and respond to Christ.
Pray for the Lord to provide for their physical and spiritual needs as a testimony of his power and love.
Pray that the Japanese people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings.
Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.
Scripture Prayers for the Japanese in China.
Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Global Prayer Digest: 2009-07-25 |
People Name General | Japanese |
People Name in Country | Japanese |
Pronunciation |
jae-puh-NEEZ
|
Alternate Names | Ko; Nihonjin; Nikkei; Wa; Wajin; Yamato; जपानीस |
Population this Country | 6,900 |
Population all Countries | 119,869,000 |
Total Countries | 48 |
Indigenous | No |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 12322 |
ROP3 Code | 104189 |
Country | China | ||
Region | Asia, Northeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 16 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | There is no single cohesive Japanese community or village in China. They are scattered throughout towns and villages in what was formerly called Manchuria, now the northeastern Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Country | China |
Region | Asia, Northeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 16 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | There is no single cohesive Japanese community or village in China. They are scattered throughout towns and villages in what was formerly called Manchuria, now the northeastern Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning.. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Primary Religion: | Buddhism |
Religion Subdivision: | Mahayana |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
60.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
15.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
25.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Japanese (6,900 speakers) |
Language Code | jpn Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Western Japanese |
Dialect Code | 11097 Global Recordings Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Japanese (6,900 speakers) |
Language Code | jpn Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Western Japanese |
Dialect Code | 11097 Global Recordings Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Japanese |
Primary Language: Japanese
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1837-1992) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1879-1993) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1883-2018) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Trung Nguyễn Xuân - Pixabay |
Map Source | Bethany World Prayer Center |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |