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By Kent Larsen
100 Years of Mormonism in Japan Celebrated
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
celebrated the 100th anniversary of missionary work in Japan on September
1st by unveiling two bronze commemorative plaques to be installed on the
base of the steeple of a new chapel. The chapel will be built not far from
the Japanese park where Elder Heber J. Grant, then a member of the Quorum of
the Twelve, dedicated Japan for the gospel in 1901. Since then Church
membership in Japan has grown, at first slowly, and then quickly after a
long hiatus, to include more than 110,000 members in 30 stakes and 20
districts.
The commemoration ceremony was presided over by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom,
President of the Asia North Area and by his counselors, Elder Yoshihiko
Kikuchi and Elder Gary S. Matsuda. The ceremony included remarks by Elder
Hallstrom in tribute to the early missionaries that started missionary work
in Japan, translated the Book of Mormon into Japanese and gained a few
converts. In addition to Elder Hallstrom's remarks, the benediction was
given by Sister Naruko Suzuki, daughter of the first woman convert in Japan.
Also attending the ceremony were the first stake presidency in Japan.
President Kenji Tanaka, Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi and Kenichi Sagara were
called as the first stake presidency in Japan in 1970, when there were about
12,500 church members in the country. All three men later served as mission
presidents, Presidents Tanaka and Sagara as Regional Representatives, while
Elder Kikuchi was the first native Japanese called as a General Authority.
Reports earlier this summer indicated that a group of American missionaries
who had served in Japan were chartering a plane to travel to Japan for the
centennial. In addition, a commemorative history book and video have been
produced in conjunction with the centennial.
After dedicating Japan for the preaching of the Gospel, Elder Grant went on
to get the Book of Mormon translated into Japanese in 1909. But in spite of
the missionaries' best efforts over 23 years, the mission was closed in
1924, after just 166 people had been baptized. The work had been hampered by
the difficulty of the Japanese language, which required missionaries to
spend 18 months studying before attempting to contact the people.
But even though the missionaries were withdrawn, the Japanese members
continued operating the Church, publishing a newsletter for a time and even
meeting through World War II. The Church did re-establish a Japanese mission
in 1937, but that mission was to the Japanese living in Hawaii, among whom
missionaries found many converts that later helped the Church in Japan.
Only in 1948, after World War II was missionary work resumed and many of the
original 166 converts were located and brought into the Church. By the late
1950s, a new mission president, President Paul Andrus had reorganized and
revitalized the mission, resulting in a large increase in the number of
baptisms. In 1970, the first stake was organized from the 12,500 Church
members in Japan and growth since then has continued at a relatively high rate.
Sources:
Centennial in Japan
LDS Church News 8Sep01 D6
By David B. Iwaasa: Church News contributor
Membership now 110,000
Stakes anchored growth
LDS Church News 8Sep01 D6
By David B. Iwaasa: Church News contributor
Japanese leaders emerged
See also:
A A History of the Church in Western Japan
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