Japanese of Malaysia (PGID: PG020241)

PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Japanese of Malaysia

The Japanese of Malaysia, numbering approximately 17,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are described as an East Asian people whose culture reflects the interaction of indigenous traditions, East Asian influences, island geography, and long historical continuity. Their Japanese language serves as one of the strongest markers of national identity They are an Diaspora people, with Japanese as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Japanese people cluster of the East Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Shinbutsu-Shugo. They primarily speak Japanese.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Japanese

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: East Asian Peoples
Country: Malaysia
People Cluster: Japanese
Primary Language(s): Japanese (jpn)
Primary Religion(s): Shinbutsu-Shugo
Population: 17,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG020241
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Pray for the Japanese of Malaysia

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Pray Now!

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Shinbutsu-Shugo
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

60%

Shinbutsu-Shugo Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Japanese
Language Family: Japonic

100%

Japanese Speakers

Media Resources in Japanese:

Films:

Title	Link
JESUS	View Film
JESUS	View Film
Magdalena	View Film

3 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Japanese:

Bible Name (Translation)	Video	Audio	Text
Japanese Contemporary Bible	✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Japanese bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Japanese are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Japanese:

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people

Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting

Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Japanese of Malaysia

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:17

Pray that those who want to achieve salvation through their works will be unsettled in their pursuit and that, with a broken spirit and contrite heart, they will trust in Christ.

So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them
Matthew 4:24

Pray that the truth about the Lord will spread throughout the land so that many will have an opportunity to receive the good news and put their faith in Him.

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Romans 10:15

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be eager to proclaim the good news of peace, knowing that the Lord has called them to this task.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Pray that God will send and sustain believers to cross cultures and share the gospel with the lost. Ask that He will give them His heart for the lost and that many will believe in Him and not perish but have eternal life.

Japanese Across Countries (ROP3 - 104189) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

Engaged yet Unreached UUPG No Longer Unreached

CountryReligion

21 people groups

People Group ID	Name	Country	Population ▼	Strategic Progress Index	Language	Religion
PG007559	Japanese	Japan	119,580,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG016892	Japanese	Brazil	1,745,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Portuguese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG043285	Japanese	United States	1,530,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG007212	Japanese	China	172,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG033527	Japanese	Peru	168,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Spanish	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG043417	Japanese	Canada	82,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG007938	Japanese	Australia	57,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG010707	Japanese	Singapore	43,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG023934	Japanese	Argentina	41,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG042427	Japanese	Germany	25,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG000167	Japanese	France	24,500	Unengaged and Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG009626	Japanese	New Zealand	21,500	No Longer Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG023935	Japanese	Bolivia	21,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Spanish	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG020241	Japanese	Malaysia	17,000	No Longer Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG050602	Japanese	Hong Kong	10,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Japanese	Mahayana Buddhism
PG007521	Japanese	Taiwan	9,600	Unengaged and Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG042346	Japanese	Spain	2,400	Engaged yet Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG024840	Japanese	Panama	2,300	No Longer Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG022276	Japanese	Dominican Republic	2,300	Unengaged and Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG018356	Japanese	Micronesia	950	Unengaged and Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG000488	Japanese	Portugal	700	Unengaged and Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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