East Asia

East Asia comprises China, Japan, the two Koreas, Mongolia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, a region combining ancient empires, age-old philosophies such as Confucianism and Buddhism, and some of today’s most advanced economies. It is also a region of profound contrasts, between the rapid growth of major cities and the extreme isolation of places such as North Korea.

China accounts for most of the region’s population and ethnic diversity, with hundreds of groups living under a government that closely monitors any religious activity. Japan, meanwhile, though open and developed, remains one of the world’s least evangelized countries, with a population largely connected to Shinto and Buddhism through family tradition rather than personal conviction.

There are 611 ethnic groups in the region in total, and 485 of them have yet to be reached with the gospel. Yet East Asia also has a remarkable exception: South Korea, where Christianity grew significantly throughout the twentieth century and which now sends missionaries around the world.

Praying for East Asia means praying for a region of extreme contrasts, between revival and enforced silence, asking that the gospel may continue to advance even where control is strictest.