Prayer points

At the time of writing, the number of people dead and missing from Japan's March earthquake and tsunami stood at nearly 28,000, and likely to rise. Many in Japan - including those who have not lost loved ones or property - have experienced great grief, fear and insecurity, exacerbated by concerns over nuclear safety. Churches in the stricken area are small - typically around 20 members per church - but some have acted as distribution centres for aid and Christian relief organisation CRASH Japan has been organising Christian volunteers to work in the area. Please pray for recovery work. Nevertheless, Japan's greatest need remains spiritual. More people committed suicide in 2010 than are known to have died in the earthquake and tsunami combined. As the world's attention falls away from Japan, please continue to lift this nation up in prayer. (Japan Christian Link - May 2011)

The world looked on with horror at the unfolding triple calamities of earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis that hit Japan on March 11th 2011. Despite the devastation, the stoicism and dignity of the Japanese people has been remarkable – there were no riots, no looting, only orderly queues. In this current phase of the relief effort, pray for wise leadership from central government and good co-operation between local authorities and relief organisations. Pray for the involvement of Christians, both local and foreign, as they support those who are traumatised by all that they have experienced. Pray for the engineers at the Fukushima power station, some of whom are local Christians, in their ongoing work to stabilise the nuclear plant. (OMF - May 2011)

Pray for those living in rural areas in Japan. These regions retain greater adherence to Shinto and Buddhist traditions and local temples can have considerable influence in the community. There are fewer churches here than in the cities and those there are can be very small. The population is increasingly elderly as young people move away to find work. Pray for Christians in these areas, that they would find good ways to interact with the community and would actively seek to encourage one another. (Japan Christian Link - March 2011)

The Japanese are the world’s second largest unreached people group according to the newest edition of the prayer handbook Operation World, released this autumn. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:38) Ask the Lord to lead more mission-minded Christians into contact with Japanese people, whether in Japan or overseas (where Japanese people are often much more open to the gospel) and whether as traditional missionaries, or through secular jobs. (Japan Christian Link - November 2010)

Mid-August is the O-Bon holiday season in Japan when many Japanese return to their family homes and take part in ceremonies to remember their ancestors, whose spirits are said to return to the world at this time. Please pray for Christians and churches as they seek ways to honour the memory of the dead without compromising their faith. Pray too that during what is for many a rare break from work, Japanese people will be provoked to think more deeply about life and death and that they will want to know the truth about life after death. (Japan Christian Link - July 2010)

Japan is well known for its highly pressured school system and for an equally pressurised work environment involving long commutes and very long work hours. University years can provide a brief window in the lives of many Japanese when life is a little more relaxed. While off the treadmill, students manifest their freedom in their choice of dress, leisure activities and relationships. Pray for Christian workers, both missionary and local, who are finding creative ways to bring the gospel to bear on student culture through media, sport, dance, social networking, campus ministry and friendship evangelism. (OMF - July 2010)

Pray for outreach to workers in large cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Reaching working people is a particular challenge as the long hours rule out evening events and leave little energy for events at weekends. Some churches in places like Tokyo are starting to think of innovative ways to reach them, including whether it might be possible to run lunchtime events at companies. Pray for them as they do this, for good responses from companies, and for more churches to actively go out to people in the workplace rather than waiting for them to come to church. (Japan Christian Link - May 2010)

Violent youth crime has risen strikingly in recent years and the government, schools and others are seeking how to respond. Pressure to succeed at school and in society has led many to shut themselves away completely and withdraw from contact with others. Parents and teachers struggle to know how to communicate with them. Christian schools and universities exist throughout Japan, often set up many years ago, but now tend to lack much real Christian focus, exacerbated by a lack of committed Christian teachers. Please pray for Christians working in these and other schools and universities, that the schools, and individual Christians, would stand out as being positively different because of their Christian ethos. (Japan Christian Link - September 2009)