This spring, leaders, families, and friends of A3/Japan gathered once again for our annual retreat — a sacred space for reflection, renewal, and restoration. Amid the breathtaking backdrop of blooming wisteria, moss-laden trees, and sun-dappled streams, we explored the theme:
Hello, friends! This is Joe Handley here in Tokyo, Japan. You can see the hotel I'm at this evening with Family First Global and Ambassador Gregory Slayton.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
— James 1:7
Hello Everyone! It's inspiring being here at the Japanese garden at San Diego's Balboa Park.
February 3, 2023
Friends of Asian Access,
I am thrilled to announce today that Asian Access has a new name. I have been waiting a long time to tell you, and I have simply been bursting to get this out there!
February 3 (2.3.23) is the day we have targeted to share the news of the ministry's expansion which is also driving the moment for a new name for the organization. I think you'll agree it's a wonderful connection to the past and a bridge to the next era of ministry to which we're called. Stay tuned for this exciting news!
As we reflect on 2022 and prepare for 2023, several highlights come to mind:
This was the most encouraging Japan National Pastors’ Conference I remember in my 14 years with Asian Access.
The theme as set by Pastor Yoshiya Hari, Asian Access/Japan National Director, was “From 2020 to 2030” and Pastor Shinji Takita’s words captured it best:
Dear Family and Friends,
Joy to the World… This season is one giving us pause to reflect on the most important gift the world has ever seen: the Lord has come!
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth… — Psalm 98:4a
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
— 2 Corinthians 4:7
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Japan (MNN) — As the latest disaster in southern Japan triggers difficult memories, local Christians step in to help survivors.
A series of strong earthquakes shook Kumamoto, Japan, in April 2016. On July 28, 2026, a pair of earthquakes struck the same area – one with a magnitude above 7.0 on the Richter scale and one just below – followed by hundreds of aftershocks.
Japan (MNN) — Severe summer heat continues to threaten earthquake survivors in southern Japan. A3’s Robert Adair says, “Many are still without running water or electricity,” one week after a pair of high-magnitude earthquakes rocked Kyushu.
Japan (MNN) — The death toll from Tuesday’s twin tremors in Kyushu had risen to 34 at the time of publication and was expected to climb.
Japan (MNN) — Two major earthquakes rocked Japan’s Kyushu Island in quick succession yesterday.
We have over 2,400 followers on Facebook now! To celebrate 2k+ followers, we have a new page username & address.
A3 PAGE: https://facebook.com/A3Leaders
In addition to our company page, Asian Access has two other pages on Facebook:
March 11, 2026
By JOSEPH W. HANDLEY
Today marks another anniversary of the 3.11 triple disaster in Japan—the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis that devastated Tohoku in 2011.
By SUE PLUMB TAKAMOTO
Adjusting to life in Japan as missionaries is hard! For women, there are some particular challenges that make it difficult, including caring for family and children and the loss of community while in a bewildering life season.
by YOSHIYA HARI
National Director, A3 Japan
FOR MORE THAN FORTY YEARS, A3-JAPAN has walked alongside pastors and Christian leaders across our nation. We have prayed, learned, and labored together for the renewal of the church in one of the most spiritually challenging mission fields in the world.
While working on my master’s degree at Wheaton College, I took a course on relief and development. I had previously served in Japan and planned to be involved in church planting upon my return, and honestly I thought the course was irrelevant. I did the work but didn’t pay much attention. Then, following the March 11, 2011 disaster in Tohoku, my wife and I moved to Miyagi Prefecture to do relief and development work alongside a Japanese church.
By ROBERTA ADAIR
I pedalled as fast as I could with one hand on the handlebars and the other raised in a fist, yelling in Albanian, “You destroyer of beauty! You destroyer of beauty!” I had just watched a driver throw garbage out of his car window, and my bottled rage exploded – a vivid memory from 15 years ago of culture shock squirting out badly.
go2japan is proudly sponsored by a missional partnership for Japan . . .
