Protestantism in Japan

Protestants in Japan constitute a religious minority of about 0.45% of total population or 600,000 people in 2020[1] (see Protestantism by country).

All major traditional Protestant denominations are present in the country, including Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, Anglicanism,[2] Methodists, Presbyterians,[3] Mennonites,[4] the Salvation Army and some others.

After the Meiji Restoration, significant new legislation relating to the freedom of religion was introduced in 1871, facilitating in September 1873, the arrival in Tokyo of Rev.

On 18 October, 1859, Dr. James Curtis Hepburn, a medical missionary associated with the American Presbyterian Mission, and his wife arrived in Yokohama, where they stayed in a Buddhist temple, Jobutsu-ji in Kanagawa Ward.

In May 1863, he opened another clinic in the Yokohama Foreign Settlement, specialized in optometry, but providing a wide range of medical services, including surgery.

[10] At this clinic, he gained fame for amputating the feet of the famous Kabuki actor, Sawamura Tanosuke III, due to gangrene.

Famed poet and novelist, Tōson Shimazaki, was a member of the first graduating class and wrote the school song.

The growth of Protestantism was slowed dramatically in the early 20th century because of pressure caused by criticism and the influence of the military government.

The post-World War II years have seen increasing activity by evangelicals, initially with American influence, and some growth occurred between 1945 and 1960.