Mission

Japan’s Christian history carries the weight of the 16th-17th century Kirishitan persecution and the subsequent two-and-a-half centuries of national seclusion (sakoku) during which hidden Christians (隠れキリシタン, Kakure Kirishitan) practiced underground. ‘Mission’ also carries the modern reality that Japan is one of the least responsive mission fields per capita despite centuries of effort. Frame with awareness of both this historical weight and the risk of a ‘foreign import’ association (外国の宗教).