Japanese of Australia (PGID: PG007938)

The Japanese of Australia

The Japanese of Australia, numbering approximately 57,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are 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 mostly adhere to Shinbutsu-Shugo and Japanese is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Japanese

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: East Asian Peoples
Country: Australia
People Cluster: Japanese
Primary Language(s): Japanese (jpn)
Primary Religion(s): Shinbutsu-Shugo
Population: 57,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG007938
View on Joshua Project

Print Profile

Submit Updates

Pray for the Japanese of Australia

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

90%

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: Unreached yet Engaged

The Japanese are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Japanese:

Continue prayer and fasting for this group

Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Japanese of Australia

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6

Pray that those who have wandered far from God will be drawn back to Him, recognizing their need for a Savior and finding forgiveness and new life in Christ.

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Luke 13:3

Pray that the lost will repent and believe the gospel, for without it, they will perish.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
John 10:29

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will rejoice as they remember that they can never lose their salvation

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Pray that as people hear and believe the gospel, they will be faithful as they walk through trials and will have an opportunity to be a witness to others in this people group of the goodness of God.

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	119,530,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Japanese	Shinbutsu-Shugo
PG016892	Japanese	Brazil	1,750,000	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	57,500	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.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

People Groups of the World

Countries of the World

Languages of the World

Religions of the World

Advanced Dashboard

What are People Groups?

Using Peoplegroups.org

People Group Research

Definitions and FAQs

About Us

Maps

Research Data

Resource Links