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

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.

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:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Japanese:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Japanese Contemporary Bible✓

1 entry

Or check out the Japanese bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
readLuke 15:7

Pray that God will convict the lost of their sin, give them an urgency to run to Him for forgiveness, and feel His welcoming arms around them when they turn to Him.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
readIsaiah 40:8

Pray that everyone has access to God's Word and that those who hear the good news will turn from their sins and put their faith in Jesus the Messiah.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
readIsaiah 26:3

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, the Lord will keep them in perfect peace as they trust in Him.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
readJames 5:16

Pray that believers whom God sends will confess their sins, pray for one another, and live in unity. Ask that they will model healthy Christian relationships for this people group.

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

Strategic Progress Index
All

21 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▲Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
JapaneseJapanesePortugal700Unengaged and UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseMicronesia950Unengaged and UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapanesePanama2,300No Longer UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseDominican Republic2,300Unengaged and UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseSpain2,400Engaged yet UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseTaiwan9,600Unengaged and UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseHong Kong10,000Unengaged and UnreachedJapaneseMahayana Buddhism
JapaneseJapaneseMalaysia17,000No Longer UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseBolivia21,000Unengaged and UnreachedSpanishShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseNew Zealand21,500No Longer UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseFrance24,500Unengaged and UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseGermany25,000Unengaged and UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseArgentina41,000Unengaged and UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseSingapore43,000Engaged yet UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseAustralia57,500Engaged yet UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseCanada82,500Engaged yet UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapanesePeru168,000Engaged yet UnreachedSpanishShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseChina172,000Unengaged and UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseUnited States1,530,000Engaged yet UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseBrazil1,750,000Engaged yet UnreachedPortugueseShinbutsu-Shugo
JapaneseJapaneseJapan119,530,000Engaged yet UnreachedJapaneseShinbutsu-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.

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