Here are some interesting links on Japan :

CIA The World Factbook

The Free Encyclopedia Wikipedia

Japan is a fascinating country, a land of colour and contrasts, a blend of East and West. We find graceful and well-preserved temples coexisting side by side with modern buildings. Though the country has embraced the most modern technology and ideas, it has not lost its mystic soul. Its people remain governed by traditional social values and its system of etiquette and manners stemming from feudal days is still alive. The prominence given at all times and everywhere to the aesthetic is part of its uniqueness. For visitors, Japan exhibits the beauties of its land and the spirit of its people.

Japan's history has a cyclic character of opening and closure of its frontiers. In the 9th century, it broke off all relations with its neighbours and embarked on an era of isolation lasting for three centuries. During the 17th and 18th centuries, it again showed hostility to all foreign religions and secular influences, thus carrying out a determined policy of national seclusion. This period lasted 250 years until Emperor Meiji (1868-1912) led Japan from being an isolated, agriculturally based, feudal society to a modern state. However, World War Il left Japan in ruins. A new start was required and a re-examination of national values was undertaken at every level. The country has few natural resources; people are its greatest asset. New orientations, together with inherent qualities of Japanese society such as a sense of mutual responsibility, competitiveness, dedication, royalty and perseverance provided the structure for its future success. in less than half a century, Japan became a world financial power. In its policies concerning foreign affairs, it has adopted an attitude of international cooperation and the promotion of peace.

In this modern democracy, the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity but in reality, power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats and business executives. The archipelago of 127 million people remains pre-eminently an island nation with a great majority of its population consisting of ethnic Japanese. Japan's language and aspects of its culture set it apart from its neighbours on the East Asian mainland. It is the land of bonsai, Zen gardens and the delicate art of flower arrangement called ikebana.

New Challenges in Asia

After having responded to the call of the Church of China in 1909 and of the Church of the Philippines in 1920, our Foundress welcomed the invitation of the Church of Japan as another occasion of bringing the Good News to a non Christian land. The first departure took place in November 1926. Our pioneers worked for a few years in the southern part of the country, then moved north to Koriyama in 1930 and to Aizu Wakamatsu in 1934.

All seemed to augur a bright future for their ministries, when in 1941, the U.S.-Japanese War broke out. For two years, the Sisters lived in their convent of Aizu Wakamatsu under military supervision. In 1943, with the exchange of war prisoners, our Sisters returned to Canada. After the war, they came back to find Japan devastated and in ruins.

The official state religion, Shinto, was abolished. It was the start of a new era. That period saw the reconstruction of churches and a good increase in the number of schools, hospitals and charitable institutions run by different Christian groups. In 1949, the St. Francis Xavier School in Aizu Wakamatsu welcomed its first pupils. The following year, we opened a Kindergarten in Tokyo, then another school in Koriyama in 1958.

Seventy-five Years of Presence

After 75 years of presence in the Church of Japan, it is with joy and gratitude that the Sisters commit themselves to pursue their mission to work as Church, for the evangelization of the Japanese society in a multicultural globalized age, by proclaiming the Good News of Salvation to those who do not know Jesus Christ and by promoting missionary awareness among the Christians. They look for ways of assisting people to encounter Christ through their life witness and various apostolic works: Christian education, pastoral ministries, work among the emigrants, as well as involvement in social justice and environmental concerns. Although they are limited in number, they participate in the sending of missionaries to other countries. They accompany groups of ASMIC who wish to live the spirituality of thanksgiving bequeathed to our Institute by Délia Tétreault and are also involved in the Inter-Asia programme and activities existing between our missions of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines and Japan.

Text MIC MISSION NEWS (April-May-June 2002)
Louise Denis, m.i.c.