The Japanese and Christianity: Why are there so few believers in Japan?

As we know, Christianity is now the most widespread religion in the world. The number of believers is estimated at about 2.4 billion, or 32% of the world’s population, but in Japan Christians are a tiny minority. Compared to neighboring South Korea, where they are about 29%, in Japan Christians are only 0.8% of the population. In other words, over 99% of Japanese are not Christians.

Does this mean that the Japanese don’t feel good about Christianity? Not at all! On the contrary, we can say that in the everyday life of the Japanese, Christianity touches many cultural aspects. Children know the name of Jesus Christ, of course, and in schools they learn about Christianity-related cultural and historical issues and personalities, such as Martin Luther, Dostoyevsky, or Mother Teresa. Growing up, the Japanese show an interest in Christian art and music, and they willingly visit local churches and cathedrals during their trips abroad. Christmas as a “holiday” is celebrated by so many people of all genders and ages, and many couples marry in a Christian rite, even if they are not believers. Christian culture is generally viewed positively.

Despite all this, the vast majority of Japanese are indifferent to the “Christian faith. It is not that they are critical of Christianity, having been well acquainted with Christian thought and teaching – they are simply not interested. There are many educational institutions that were founded by missionaries and believers. According to one study, if we consider all levels of the educational system from kindergarten to university, we find that one in ten Japanese has ever attended a Christian or Christian-inspired educational institution in their lifetime, but this does not help to increase the number of believers. Of the small number of Christians who do exist in Japan, about 60% are Protestants and about 40% are Catholics, with many Japanese who are not Christians unable to explain the differences between the two and showing no interest in the matter. The Japanese are thus interested in “Christianity without the New Testament.