Ep. 23 - Religion in Japan (Part 4): Christianity, Resilience in the land of the Rising Sun

Christianity was introduced to Japan in the 1500s by European missionaries, from Portugal and Spain. At first, it spread quickly, with many Japanese converting to the new faith. However, the government soon saw Christianity as a threat to its power and traditional beliefs, so it banned the religion and persecuted Christians, forcing many to practice in secret. For hundreds of years, Christianity stayed underground, only re-emerging openly in the 1800s when Japan reopened to the world. Today, Christianity is a small minority religion in Japan, but it still influences parts of Japanese culture, especially in things like weddings and holidays like Christmas. Japan Reach - Reaching the Japanese people one relationship at a time.  www.japanreach.org