Japan At A Glance data: Operation World (21st edition), Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk, 2001 Area: 377,801 sq. km.; a 3000 km arc of four large islands and 3000 small islands in N.W. pacific; mountains; only 13% of the land can be cultivated Population: 127,714,220; 2.20% annual growth; 335 persons per sq. km. Official Language: Japanese (indigenous 99.3%, other .7%) Literacy: 100% Christian: 1.56% Bible Translations: 2 Bibles Missionaries To Japan: 3,500 in 245 agencies from 33 countries   Lutheran Brethren Ministries in Japan First LBWM missionary to Japan: 1949 Area: Centers in northen Honshu and reaches down to Sendai, Tokyo, and Yokohama. Church Statistics: 29 congregations, 30 pastors, 1,250 average Sunday attendance Schools: 1 Seminary Missionary Involvement: Church Planting, Church Leadership Training, Short-Term English Teaching Program Ministry Note: Japan is in many ways a bridge from the West to the East, the only nation that has been classified as both non-Western and modern. Yet there is a deep spiritual void, which is presently being addressed by an average of 100 new religions each year. The needs that the Church can speak to are many. The political world has been rocked by one political scandal after another. There is a lack of values among the nation's youth that has caught the attention of the national media. The economy has been hit hard, and the "graying of Japan" is a major concern. In the midst of these crying needs there is a spiritual hunger in the churches calling out for awakening. Pray that God's children in Japan would seek the Lord in a new way, and that God would bless His churches with a new vision for gospel-centered evangelism that speaks to the culture and offers hope to many who see no answers to the deep questions of the heart and spirit. Pray also that the Lord would soften the hearts of the Japanese people to receive the message of the gospel, giving them an understanding of their spiritual need and God's offer of love and forgiveness. Pray especially for spiritual awakening among breadwinning men, a minority in most churches.