Achieving a Global Church: A Report from Japan
A new book explores the diverse experiences and identities of Latter-day Saints in Japan
The book Unique But Not Different: Latter-day Saints in Japan, written by Shinji Takagi, Conran Grames, and Meagan Rainock, sheds light on the way Japanese members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practice their faith. Shinji Takagi, professor emeritus of economics in Osaka, Japan, has published dozens of works in LDS history and biblical studies. Conan Grames, an international lawyer who has lived in Japan for twenty years, has written and spoken extensively on the history of the church in Japan. Meagan Rainock is a researcher who focuses on the experiences of marginalized communities as they navigate social institutions. In conducting a comprehensive and systematic survey and producing this special book, Takagi, Grames, and Rainock honor the unprecedented opportunity to more fully understand and communicate the realities of life as a Latter-day Saint in Japan. Not only does their work advance our understanding of how Japanese members embrace their Christian identity and manage conflicts with a mainly non-Christian Japanese society, it also urges us to ponder how people all over the world can begin to do the same within their own host society and communities.
The data analyzed in this book came from a survey conducted by Rainock in 2021 that polled active Latter-day Saints in Japan via email and social media platforms. Even though the survey consisted of fifty-six substantial questions, the researchers were able to collect an impressive 440 to 530 responses (depending on the question). The survey questions included important aspects of LDS life in Japan including: personal and social profiles, personal conversion experiences, religious beliefs and practices, identity conflict, and broader challenges and opportunities for the church in Japan.
As indicated by their book’s title, Takagi, Grames, and Rainock present evidence that Japanese Latter-day Saints represent a wide spectrum of Japanese people, and that they are not outcasts or misfits isolated by religious beliefs and practices that conflict with the rest of society. They conclude that “Japanese society [allows] Latter-day Saints to be unique in their beliefs and practices but not different from other Japanese people in terms of how they relate to many aspects of Japanese culture” (xiii). This was evident through questions on the survey that gauged perception of social acceptance. For example, when asked on a scale from 1 to 5 if members feel comfortable practicing their beliefs even if they are different, the majority strongly agreed (5) and the average score was 4.5. In terms of general Japanese culture, it could be assumed that Latter-day Saints might feel in conflict with the major influence of Buddhism in Japan. However, authors note that “most Japanese Latter-day Saints have assumed a practical approach to institutional Buddhism, not as a religious practice, but as a cultural or social obligation devoid of any religious content” (99). Therefore, members in Japan are able to connect with their culture while also feeling comfortable practicing their unique religious beliefs.
Of course, on its surface, this book answers simple questions people may ask about Japanese Latter-day Saints. It contains statistics and facts such as basic demographic information, members’ level of education, their political beliefs, the percentage of the sample who are converts, and so on. I learned, for instance, that Latter-Day Saints in Japan tend to have larger families than the national average, tend to be more educated than the general population, and cover a wide swath of the political spectrum. Additionally, more than half of Japanese Latter-day Saints are converts to the faith. I also learned that as many as 31% of respondents in the survey indicate having prior exposure to Christianity (through knowledge of the Bible, Jesus Christ, another Christian church, LDS friends and associates, and/or media) before converting. Beyond these general patterns, this book also provides qualitative data—personal thoughts, feelings, and ideas regarding the church in Japan as it navigates a dynamic future.
This study provides knowledge valuable to various groups of people including scholars, missionaries, church leaders, and Japanese Latter-day Saints themselves. I was personally drawn to this book as I served a mission in Japan, am a Japanese training supervisor at the Missionary Training Center, and am currently studying linguistics and sociology in an effort to better understand the Japanese language and Japanese society.
Even if you have no obvious connections to Japan, I believe there's still something important this book offers. Namely, it illuminates individual and societal struggles that we all experience. For those who have ever thought they didn't fit in, who have felt uneasiness in joining a new community, or endured conflict between the various identities they hold within their lives, this book shows them and it shows you that you're not alone in these experiences.
One chapter in the book—completely devoted to identity conflict and how Japanese Latter-day Saints overcome it—shows that conflict may arise for a variety of reasons such as Buddhist or Shinto ceremonies, green tea, or Sunday gatherings. The authors found that “Latter-day Saints appear to have found accommodation for their unique religious practices through establishing long-term relationships” (116). Thus, their experiences teach us that we can retain our unique identities through connecting and building relationships with those who may seem different than us. Understanding, acceptance, and validation come through connecting with those we surround ourselves with each day, not through separation or isolation.
One thing I found interesting was that the quantitative data showed that active LDS members in Japan generally agree that they feel supported in their unique practices, don’t feel embarrassed to admit their membership in the church, and face less than occasional conflict in their families and workplaces. Perhaps most importantly, more than three-fourths of the respondents stated that they “believe wholeheartedly in all of the teachings of the LDS church” (76). Looking at this positive data, it might be tempting to overlook their everyday personal struggles and conflicts. However, when Takagi, Grames, and Rainock take the opportunity to share open-ended responses, we find that the members in Japan actually have a lot to say and ideas for how the church can adapt in Japan.
For example, “about half of the youth in Japan appear to drop out of activity in the church by the time they reach adulthood” (114) due to conflicts between seminary, church attendance, and Japan’s rigid and rigorous educational system. Perhaps greater flexibility could help accommodate these school requirements. Another example has to do with holiday observance. “Several respondents mentioned, as an example of lack of sensitivity to Japanese customs, [church] authorities’ seeming disregard for the importance of New Year’s celebrations in Japanese cultural life . . . A 66-year-old female respondent ‘always feels sick’ whenever she sees Japanese [church] leaders accepting the foreign tradition of Christmas celebration in preference to Japanese tradition” (140). These moments when cultural and religious expectations conflict for Japanese saints may be easily overlooked by the general tendency of Japanese people to give precedence to leaders over self in their hierarchical society. Although I don’t have the right answer for every person in every culture and situation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am in awe of the faith and commitment of the saints in Japan despite their unique challenges. It’s their responses that motivate me to better understand them and others in similar situations.
For me, this book became the catalyst for considering questions of a more difficult nature. For example, the authors propose that we consider how to best “meet the spiritual needs of a widely dispersed population” (155). More significantly, they ask how we might best strike a balance between adapting the gospel message to a Japanese context and retaining “what only the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can offer through its unique teachings” (143). Takagi, Grames, and Rainock admit that they are not qualified to answer these questions, and neither am I. However, I believe that by providing more cultural knowledge, evidence, and understanding, studies of this nature will be crucial to facilitating future conversations regarding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan and all around the world. As the church becomes increasingly global, its leaders, missionaries, and converts will have more and more reason to determine what is essentially doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and what is culturally variable; works such as Unique But Not Different will help to answer that question.
Through the responses and experiences of the nearly 600 Japanese Latter-day Saints who participated in the study, this book provides an assurance that it's not only possible to be both Japanese and a Latter-day Saint, but that there are hundreds who completely embrace and cherish these seemingly conflicting identities. Beyond that, it also offers valuable insights for Latter-day Saints from other cultures and countries where they may feel especially different in their religious beliefs and practices.
Whether you are a scholar, member, missionary, leader, or just a general learner, this book is a powerful primer on how we can all be more intentional in living according to our various identities.
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