Japan (MNN) — As the latest disaster in southern Japan triggers difficult memories, local Christians step in to help survivors.

Trauma resurfaces

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’s churches prepare to serve earthquake survivors.

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.

Hope fades for survivors in southern Japan as earthquake rescue efforts shift to recovery.

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.

Major earthquakes destroyed a mill and shopping mall in Japan. Christian ministries look to provide comfort and aid.

Japan (MNN) — Two major earthquakes rocked Japan’s Kyushu Island in quick succession yesterday.

The adjustment process for missionary women in Japan

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.

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.

Hearing From Ken, A3's Founder

It’s a deep joy to introduce this special reflection from Ken, the founder of A3.

Japan (MNN) — A powerful, 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck northeast Japan late Monday night, injuring at least 30 people. Although the quake was not massively destructive, people fear a second wave.

David Robison, a local missionary with Japan Evangelical Missions Society and a friend of A3, says, “Immediately after the earthquake, we started hearing the tsunami sirens going throughout the city.”

by SUE PLUMB TAKAMOTO

Challenges of Japanese culture and the unique role of community

These are the words of a female missionary:

"I want so much to belong. Sometimes I think I kind of belong and then I realize that I really don’t belong. The scary thing for me is that I don’t belong in America. I go back to America and I am totally out of it and I don’t feel like, in America, that I belong. So it’s like I don’t belong anywhere. . . . Oh, not belonging is the hardest thing to deal with in my 19 years here."

Analysis of the individual journeys of forty missionaries serving in Japan from sixteen different mission agencies has revealed noteworthy and often surprising adjustment patterns.¹ Unfortunately, it takes 7.8 years for the average missionary to adjust to Japan! The statistics are discouraging; in fact, many career missionaries end up only staying two terms, meaning they leave the field just as they are about to finally begin to feel more at home and able to move towards effective ministry.

By ROBERTA ADAIR

I grew up loving stories about how God called people, especially into missions or other “professional Christian” careers. Often these stories involved some mystical experience – a line-in-the-sand moment that served as a turning point in people’s lives. Of course, the more dramatic and exciting the story, the better. 

I am still inspired by many of these stories, broadening as I got older to include how people in a wide variety of vocations discovered their purpose or calling. But more recently, I find myself drawn to and admiring the “boring” ones.

by THE A3 JAPAN TEAM

From June 9–11, A3/Japan partnered with VisionSynergy to host a dynamic Catalyst Training workshop, equipping leaders across Japan to foster greater missionary collaboration. This training wasn’t just theoretical—it was birthed out of a shared vision that emerged during our time at the 4th Lausanne Congress (L4) and JCE7. At both gatherings, a key message rang loud and clear: mission cooperation is essential for the future of the global Church.

But the real question remains: How do we actually collaborate well in Japan’s mission context?

Reflections from the A3 2025 Spring Retreat

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:

A Report from the A3 Japan Conference in Tokyo

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.

A SERIES FROM HANNA ROSE:

Faith in the Land of the Rising Sun: Christianity Through Japanese Eyes

STORY #1: HIROSHI KAWASAKI

The wake of Japan’s Triple Disaster still has consequences

Japan (MNN) – In 2011, northeastern Japan was hit by a 9.0 earthquake. That earthquake then triggered a tsunami and a meltdown at a nuclear power plant. The resulting devastation became known as the Triple Disaster, and its impact is still felt in parts of Japan to this day.

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Servant Leader Newsletter
September 2024

by Andrew Ichimura 

Japan (MNN) — Typhoon Shanshan draws out anxieties in Japan after a series of natural disasters.

I know there are many things I have to learn since arriving in Japan a little over a month ago, but I didn't expect that my first lesson would be about faithfulness. Coming from a different country and worldview, I thought I understood faithfulness until I saw what it looked like here in Japan.