Japan and web evangelism

A missed mission opportunity

One of the ‘major modern mission misses’ (shall we call these ‘4Ms’?) of our time is the huge disparity between the highly-wired, tech-loving 127-million Japanese population, and the searing lack of online evangelism in the Japanese language. Many aspects of the Web are very popular in Japan...

Video clips and comics

YouTube popularity is exploding in Japan, comments the Christian Pacific Rim Media [http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PacificRimMediaNotes/~3/106671716/] blog:

“YouTube’s user base is growing more quickly in Japan than any of the other major websites, including Yahoo Japan, Amazon.co.jp or Wikipedia.org, according to the latest report by Internet research firm NetRatings Japan. Even though it does not have a separate Japanese-language version, YouTube recently achieved its 10 millionth Japanese visitor after just 14 months.

Implication: If more and more Japanese are going to YouTube and viewing videos, how could we use this low cost medium to reach Japanese?”

This film-making initiative[http://worshipandthearts.blogspot.com/2008/02/missions-filmmaking-converge-in-tokyo.html] seems strategic.

Also very important in Japan is the Manga-style [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga] comic and animation. So short animation clips in Manga style could be very significant. There are many Manga comics online in English [www.thewebcomiclist.com/browse.php?genre=2] and Japanese [www.japan-zone.com/modern/manga.shtml] as well as many Manga video clips. Rox35Media run an animation competition [http//comix35.gospelcom.net/Animation_Comp.html] for mobile devices, and also training around the world in Christian comic production, cartooning and now also animation. [www.ANIMAX35.org]

A Manga Bible [http//worshipandthearts.blogspot.com/2007/09/announcing-informational-meeting.html] has been published by New Life League Japan.

Blogging and social networking in Japan

Three new blogs start somewhere in the world, every second! Of course, similar numbers probably fade away too. The remarkable thing is that of the total of 70 million blogs, the largest language grouping [www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1620557.ece] is Japanese, with 37%. English is in second place, with Chinese third.

Mixi is a very popular [http://mashable.com/2006/07/08/mixi-japans-biggest-social-network] social networking site for young people, offering many ways to informally share faith. It’s a by-invitation network – how to use. [http://gaijinwomen.com] [More] [http://gaijinwomen.com] A member of Jesus LifeHouse Church (International church in Tokyo) is connecting with a mainstream audience through Mixi.

Learning English

Because Japanese are very keen to learn English, it may be possible offer one-to-one language help through secular mentoring systems such as MyLanguageExchange, [www.mylanguageexchange.com] Lingualearn. [www.lingualearn.co.uk/learners/ja/palchat.htm] World Friend. [www.worldfriend.net/e_home.html] or Epals. [www.epals.com] (Read how this has worked in Taiwan [www.assistnews.net/STORIES/2005/s05080037.htm ] using StudioClassroom.com.) There are also many online international penpal linkup schemes (either completely international, or Japan related). Be aware that these are often primarily dating schemes, and that people’s profiles or intent may not be as stated. However, if you take into account these strong caveats, you may be able to find someone (we highly recommend, only of your gender) who is purely looking for international friendship, and build a fruitful relationship. Such relational evangelism is bearing fruit. [www.mnnonline.org/article/11201]

International Chapel [www.icmjapan.org] is a lively international church which offers English lessons before the morning services.

The mobile revolution in Japan

Japan has one of the most sophisticated mobile phone systems in the world, and a majority of Japanese web users actually access the Internet using mobile devices. There are many opportunities for using mobile devices in outreach.

The challenge

These examples highlight the strategic significance of the Web for the gospel in Japan. It’s a computer-literate and prosperous country. Many Japanese cannot read English sufficiently well to use English-medium websites. And church growth has been depressingly minimal. [http://mnnonline.org/article/9898] Most Japanese have a benign indifference to the Christian message (although they just love church weddings), and statistically are unlikely to know a Christian personally, or see Christianity modelled within the community of a local fellowship. This lack of physical incarnational witness [www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07070178.htm] means that web outreach is especially vital because it is almost the only way that non-inquirers may ever build relationships with believers.

Japan is arguably as unreached as many Middle Eastern countries. Yet in the Middle East, there are many effective online outreach sites in English, French and Arabic (as well as satellite and radio broadcasting). Although Arab ministries do not like to disp;ay a high profile on this, be assured that incredible things are happening in this part of the world through the Web. But by contrast, there is not yet much web outreach in Japan. There are probably several reasons:

• a very small Christian population from whom web evangelists can be drawn. Japanese is a hard language for a non-Japanese [www.globalcompassion.com/japanlinks.htm] missionary to learn to speak well. It is vastly harder to learn to write well, and few cross-cultural mission workers achieve this. So hands-on web evangelism and mentoring in Japanese must be done in large part by Japanese national evangelists (though cross-cultural mission groups can play a big part in catalyzing, encouraging and resourcing web ministry). There is a big need for more workers in Japan. (See Ethnic Harvest [http://www.ethnicharvest.org/peoples/countries/japanese.htm] resource page – sources of Bibles, background to Japan, and recommended books and links about Japan.) Read these missionary blogs [www.missionary-blogs.com/japan-christian-missionary.html] and consider taking a short-term missions trip to Japan.
• perhaps the national Japanese church perceives itself as small and may lack confidence for innnovative outreach strategies.
• a lack of understanding of the Web as a medium, and how to apply and develop approaches including the bridge strategy, may inhibit web ministry startups.

Culture

There are many aspects of Japanese culture [www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/culture/culture.html] [1] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Japan] to understand (and use) in online evangelism. Japanese are much more reluctant than westerners to complete a web form, or otherwise make email contact with an unknown, un-named person via an outreach website. It is, perhaps, an issue of trust and good manners. They are more disposed to make contact with named individuals that they can identify with, on blogs or social networking sites. The design, structure, and follow-up protocol of any online outreach must be structured to take this into account.

It is important that we do not merely replicate western-style evangelism for Japan, or rely on much material which is a literal translation from English. Appropriate and effective evangelism is always contextualized. See God’s Fingerprints in Japan [http://akaministries.tripod.com/aloha/id2.html] and Create International’s podcast discussion [http://createit.podomatic.com/entry/2007-04-16T03_13_52-07_00] of this DVD.

At the same time, it is very significant how Japanese have an interest in aspects of western culture which are a bridge to the Gospel: Gospel Music [http://www.kirisuto.com/gospellegend] and Music of J.S.Bach. [http://trinitypastor.blogspot.com/2008/01/bach-evangelist.html]

Youth

Young people [http://www.globalcompassion.com/gallery01.htm] [1] [www.worldpress.org/Asia/1841.cfm] [2] [www.isop.ucla.edu/eas/newsfile/jpnyouth/991108-nw.htm] [3] [www.uky.edu/Centers/Asia/SECAAS/Seras/2005/Liu.htm] [4] [http://69.93.14.237/press_07_02_04.cfm] [5] [www.itofisher.com/mito/archives/mobileyouth.pdf] in Japan are highly interested in Western popular culture (music, films, fashion etc.) yet often do not have sufficiently good English to access such information. A Japanese-language bridge site (or page within an existing site) taking music or film as a start point, could be very strategic. Mobile usage among Japanese youth is very high and all-embracing.

The Web could be uniquely strategic in starting millions of Japanese on a spiritual journey, using social networking, video clips, bridge strategy topics within websites and blogs, and much more. There is huge potential, as this encouraging story demonstrates.

Some evangelistic sites

We rejoice that there are Japanese outreach sites available, yet they are so few compared with the need and potential:

• TruthMedia.com’s highly effective PowertoChange site is available in Japanese: Jinseiokaeruhiketsu.com [http://jinseiokaeruhiketsu.com]
• Narnia [http://narniajapan.com] – using the Narnia story as a starting point
• Knowing God Personally [http://jinseiokaeruhiketsu.com] – Four Spiritual Laws one-page presentation
• IBS offer PDF downloads of the Living Bible in Japanese [www.ibs.org/bibles/japanese/index.php] [Japanese interface] [http://sinai.mech.fukui-u.ac.jp/jap/LivBibleJIF.htm]
• Japanese/English online Bible [www.holybible.or.kr/B_NIV/cgi/bibleftxt.php?VR=NIV&VL=1&CN=1&CV=6&FR=H] NIV and Shinkaiyaku translations
• The JESUS Film [www.jesusfilm.org/languages/index.html] is available to watch as a streamed video
• The Hope video [www.thehope.jp] also available to watch streamed
• Who is Jesus, Really? [www.whoisjesus-really.com/japanese/default.htm] – Japanese version of CCCI site
• EveryStudent [www.studentinjapan.com/] – Japanese version of EveryStudent.com.
• Broadcast ministries have websites: FEBC Radio | [http://febcjp.com] Harvest Time TV [www.harvesttime.tv/] – the Web and broadcast ministry can enhance each other’s effectiveness. Email, chat and text messaging can all be used for building relationships with inquirers. Many listeners to the FEBC Japanese service actually use the Web rather than radio.
• Online trailer for new Japanese film addressing the felt needs of suicide and depression: Mujo No Kaze. [http://biolafilmjapan.wordpress.com]
• Christian Answers [www.christiananswers.net/japanese/home.html] – apologetics answers for inquirers, Japanese version of an English language ministry.
• Jesus Lifehouse [www.jesuslifehouse.com/] is the International Church in Tokyo.

Please send us information about other web outreach in Japanese.

Roadmap for Japan

We suggest these steps may be a way forward in developing effective web outreach ministry to Japan. It seems that there is a need for an informal partnership of web ministries and individuals working in Japanese? This could develop and share ideas and resources, and build networks with ministries and churches. Such a partnership might also build a website, not unlike this one, to increase the awareness of web evangelism among Japanese Christians and ministries working in Japan. (All our pages are available to translate or adapt.) A partnership, using a website and other means, might aim to:

• develop partnerships [www.visionsynergy.net/] among ministries (each of whom may have insufficient resources to do online ministry on their own). to create outreach websites, and build appropriate follow-up and mentoring networks for inquirers.
• recruit individual Japanese Christians for email mentoring of inquirers from ministry sites.
• encourage Japanese Christians to create their own seeker-friendly websites and blogs or social-networking pages, with a particular emphasis on reaching non-inquirers, using the bridge strategy.
• also help Japanese Christians to be involved in social networking on Mixi, or sharing faith in chat rooms.
• demonstrate the potential of video clips, particularly on secular video-sharing sites.
• highlight the potential for all aspects of mobile outreach.
• encourage churches to build seeker-friendly websites that can act as a shop window to those in their communities. There is probably a need for a CMS template church-site builder (similar to for example Church123.com) which would enable churches to easily build an attractive church site, and also guide them how to make it seeker-friendly rather than being ‘churchy’ and merely an insider resource for members.
• enable English-learning opportunities – teaching English has been the biggest factor in Japanese coming to faith.
• reaching Japenese studying or living abroad is also a key ministry undertaken by groups such as RJC. [http://rjcworld.blogspot.com/2006/06/japanese-web-evangelism.html]
• maybe Christian Japanese living in USA and elsewhere can be recruited for different web evangelism initiatives.

If you are involved in web evangelism to Japan or would like to be (perhaps even as a former missionary), or have news of Japanese web evangelism resources, please write to us. There are also many other countries, such as Russia and Ukraine, where there is very limited online evangelism.