About the People

The Kansai (meaning “west of the border”) region of Japan lies in the southern part of Honshu, Japan’s main island. Prefectures in Kansai include Kyoto, Shiga, Osaka, Nara, Mie, Wakayama and Hyogo. The Kansai region is home to 22.7 million of Japan’s more than 126 million people. For many centuries, the Kansai region served as Japan’s cultural and political center, with many samurai castles and a majority of the country’s national treasures. In fact, it is said that Japanese civilization had its beginnings in the Kansai region.

Kyoto, in the center of Kansai, was Japan’s capital from 794 to 1869. Nara served as Japan’s capital from 710 to 784. Kansai is said to remain Japan’s spiritual capital, complete with Zen gardens, Buddhist temples, and torii gates that mark the entrances to Shinto shrines. The Kansai region also has the greatest number of international schools outside of Yokohama and Tokyo.

Nearly three-fourths of Japan consists of forests and mountains; the Kansai region has many rugged mountains, the broad Osaka plain, Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan, the Tottori Sand Dunes, and the coastal cliffs that rim the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. Japan’s climate varies greatly from north to south, producing both deep snowbanks and the celebrated cherry blossoms for which Japan is famous. However, for all the beauty of this country, Japan has a high suicide rate (more than 30,000 a year).

Fewer than one percent of Japanese are Christian. A syncretism of Shintoism and Buddhism remains the predominant religion but seems to be a form rather than a genuine belief for many Japanese, according to polls. The younger generation faces a different working environment than their parents and typically values individualism more than the older generation. In addition, a number of young people never leave home, are unemployed, and do not pay taxes, placing a burden on the government as it deliberates on how to provide for an increasingly elderly and declining population.

About the Project

Two missionary units are needed to serve in a variety of capacities. Suicide, the leading cause of death for people under age 30, points to a loss of meaning, hope and identity. Other social phenomena indicate that Japan faces a crisis among the young. Come minister to this wealthy but impoverished generation.

People-Group Facts

• Population: 22.7 million of Japan’s 126 million people
• Language: Japanese
• Religion: Shintoism/Buddhism