Understanding Japan Through the Eyes of Christian Faith (Fifth Edition)

ABOUT THE FIFTH EDITION
 
Japan has changed, and it has changed a great deal since I wrote the first edition of Understanding Japan Through the Eyes of Christian Faith in 2006. It is difficult to keep up with the growing social, political, economic, and spiritual changes in the country. Japan's demographic decline, the increasing number of elderly in comparison to the number of working class, the increase of crimes committed by the elderly, the systematic discrimination against women, and the rise of maternal harassment, Matahara, are only a few concerns when we talk about Japan's rapid change.  Due to work stress and pressure of long working hours, Japan's productive population is not much interested in intimate relationships with their partners.
      Japan is shifting from a collectivist society to a more individualist society. This rise of individualism is creating many cultural and social changes. The morality and worldviews of the Japanese are changing. Individualist choices are also having demographic consequences, such as a serious decline in the birth rate. This declining birth rate affects the role of women in society. In this fifth edition, I have added relevant information regarding these changes in the appropriate chapters. I also have added some relevant information regarding the contribution of Christianity to  Japanese society.  Lastly, some of the relevant data and statistics from previous editions have been updated in this fifth edition.
      In the past years various organizations and individual missionaries have used Understanding Japan Through the Eyes of Christian Faith, and my hope is that it will continue to fulfill the purpose for which it was written.

In Understanding Japan through the Eyes of Christian Faith Samuel Lee skillfully examines various facets of the Japanese society and culture in relation to Christianity. The author elaborates the historical background of Christianity in Japan and describes the socio-cultural condition of the nation. Understanding Japan through the Eyes of Christian Faith is a handbook for missionaries, mission organizations, churches, Christian universities/colleges, seminaries and every Christian who is interested in reaching the Japanese people. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Samuel Lee holds Ph.D. in Intercultural Theology (Free University Amsterdam) and M.A. degree in Sociology of Non Western Societies (Leiden University). His research areas are Japanese culture & society, Christianity in Japan, sociology of religion and contextual theology. He is also the author of The Japanese & Christianity: Why is Christianity Not Widely Believed in Japan? (2014). Lee is president of Foundation University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. For further information about this book, visit:  projectjapan.org/pj/Understanding_Japan.html

Samuel Lee holds Ph.D. in Intercultural Theology (Free University Amsterdam) and M.A. degree in Sociology of Non Western Societies (Leiden University). His research areas are Japanese culture & society, Christianity in Japan, sociology of religion and contextual theology. Lee is member of Japan Evangelical Missionary Association (JEMA) and member of Netherlands Association of Japanese Studies. He is also the author of The Japanese & Christianity: Why is Christianity Not Widely Believed in Japan? (2014). Lee is president of Foundation University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.