Posted January 10, 2010

Tomohisa had reached a coveted status in Japan’s vertically-ordered society: medical doctor. Along with the status came wealth, which he used to buy the affection of women…and lots of booze. His selfishness blinded... [Read More]

Posted December 2, 2011

When the warning sirens went off, residents in a south Sendai neighborhood fled to the local school. Together with panicked children still in class they climbed to the rooftop. Some 600 altogether... [Read More]

Japanese Get "Bach" Hope

Posted September 21, 2011

Who would have thought Bach would be involved in 21st century mission work in Japan? I have frequently read with interest of the strong connection between classical music (particularly J.S. Bach) and Japanese interest... [Read More]

Tsunami Ground Zero

Posted April 7, 2011

I still haven't returned from tsunami ground zero. That is to say, although I've been back several days already, the reality of the scene is still with me. The incredible amounts of mud in once beautiful homes... [Read More]

"Nice Try, Kevin" File

Posted February 9, 2011

This one goes into the "Nice try, Kevin" file. I just thought it was a nice-looking bunch of flowers in the storefront and, on the spur of the moment, decided Kaori deserved to enjoy them. Chrysanthemums, however, are... [Read More]

The Gulliver Complex

Posted November 9, 2007

I'm a giant again. Well, not really. But it sure feels like it again since returning from the States. The first sign was bumping my head in the shuttle bus from the airport. By habit, I normally duck my head through any... [Read More]

Foreigners Don't Get the Point

Posted January 31, 2010

I'm standing in line at a drugstore with other shoppers. The woman in front of me has just pulled out a business card file. Hurriedly she flips through at least a hundred or more cards searching for the right one. It's a... [Read More]

More Powerful than Bombs

Posted July 5, 2008

Fuchida grew up loving his native Japan and hating the United States, which treated Asian immigrants harshly in the first half of the twentieth century. Fuchida attended a military academy, joined Japan's... [Read More]

Ready?

Posted September 14, 2010

I'd been putting it off. Although I knew it was important, taking inventory of our earthquake and disaster gear just wasn't getting done. Japan rests along the "ring of fire" in the Pacific ocean, a stretch of area that is... [Read More]

150 Years Later

Posted March 17, 2009

This spring marks the 150th anniversary of Protestant Christianity in Japan. The first protestant missionaries set foot in the port of Yokohama back in 1859. Now they were real church planters -- overcoming all... [Read More]

Rambling Notes from Japan

Here are some blog posts that we hope will make you feel a part of things, and help you understand how to pray better for us and Japan. Please see our external blog in Blogger, if this page does not display correctly.

Life Worth Little in Wealthy Japan

May 3, 2012 01:06 | Culture, Suicide | Permalink

Sobering news out of Tokyo today. The Cabinet Office reported results of a survey that 1 out of 4 Japanese has considered suicide. Yes, 25% of Japanese think of killing themselves. For the last dozen years, Japan has trended toward a higher and higher rate of suicide, surpassing 30,000 cases every year. That's one person every 15 minutes! Many are group suicides. Japan's suicide rate is nearly triple that of the USA! Countless cases go unreported because of the family shame factor involved.

As missionaries, we try to keep tabs on social trends. This one is particularly saddening to us. We are reminded of it every time a Tokyo train we're aboard abruptly stops with the chilling announcement of a "jishin jiko" (someone has jumped). Why are so many Japanese contemplating this tragic decision to end their lives?

Many reasons are pointed out: the current economic malaise, the breakdown of the family, the pressure-cooker education system, the high amount of undiagnosed mental illness, the bankruptcy and debt problems, the bullying problem in schools, the Asian collectivism and peer pressure, the 311 disasters...

I think, however, that these factors could be overcome if it were not for lack of one thing, no, two things: caring relationships and knowledge of a caring God. Yes, for all their affluence, Japanese find themselves with this stark lack. Counseling is not provided; Christ is not known.

Mother Teresa put it well: “The greatest disease...is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.” The Japanese claim a belief in 8 million gods, but not one of them offers a personal relationship, not one is close and real to them, not one has loved them with a cross.

Prime Minister Kan vowed efforts to curb suicides, saying, "What we need is a society in which nobody feels abandoned." With all respect to the prime minister, what Japan truly needs is a knowledge of a personal God that never abandons his children, and a church that loves them as Christ. This is our mission. No, God's mission with us and you!

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