Japan had huge publisher growth till the year 1998.
1998 - 222,912 publishers 3802 Congregations.
6 years passed.
2004 - 217,555 publishers (-5,357) 3,164 Congs. (-638)
What was the reason? "This generation of 1914" failed doctrine or the internet.
Japan closed 638 Congregations why??
by Witness 007 8 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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stan livedeath
money.
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Overrated
I worked for a Japanese/American Brother who just always talked about how superior the Japanese Brothers were compared to the American Brothers. Also, made general comparisons of Japanese and American people. In your face dude. I think their good and all races. People are waking up in Japan, like everywhere. It's all good!
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truth_b_known
There is an overall decline in religious people, particularly young people, in Japan.
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dropoffyourkeylee
A quick look at the population figures, for 1998-2021, approximately with rounding of numbers
Population -0.8%
JW publishers -2.4%
JW congregations -16.8%
Apparently the population of Japan peaked about 2009-2010 and has been declining ever since. The JW decline is outpacing the general population decline
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slimboyfat
Yes it’s a big drop in congregations in Japan. I think JW decline in Japan has been greater than the headline publisher numbers would suggest. It’s worth remembering the population of Japan itself is beginning to decline too, though not as fast as the decline in JW congregations.
Some other countries have had declining congregations in recent years, including Germany, US, and Mexico, but not as much as Japan.
Might be worth comparing South Korea too, which had a similar rise as Japan in the 1980s.
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asp59
Japan is like Africa country's. Much is base on family or societys rules. In Africa if your parents are jw you have to also. Japan is much abouth not losing face. If you are jw, your children have to be also. Have seen young japanese children post things on Facebook. They are just born in without any belive in org.
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BluesBrother
Looking at the 2021 report..for Japan Average Publishers were 212,911. They have 2959 congregations.
I can remember when Japan was held as the shining example. They had so many Pioneers, and the growth was extraordinary. We were told they never missed meetings and always were sat attentively before the opening song....
It got so that it became a congregation joke, we would groan if they mentioned Japan “ Oh no ,not them again “
How art the mighty fallen.
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