My first participation.
Am I the only Japanese reading this site?
In answer to your question, AndersonsInfo has a really good point. BTW, I remember seeing you in bethel!
I'm a ex-bethlite and grew up off and on in Lloyd Barry's Cong.
My mother became a JW in the early 80's in the Japanese Congregation in LA.
80's & early 90's were a peak in coverting JW's in Japan. It basically lasted until the Financial Bubble burst in the early 90's.
Unlike the US, Japanese JW's were mostly wives. Wise husband never became interested and the mother usually forced the kids to be a JW. The kids usually gets baptized in elementary school.
But in Japan, parents don't drive them in and out of schools so the kids have a FREEDOM. So as they grow up in to Junior/High School, they start to realize how much fun the REAL WORLD is. So they draw away from the JWs. That's the biggest way to lose the Numbers.
The other main problem in Japan was the number of elders in the congregation. There's usually only 1-2 in a 70-80 people congregation. Most of them become Dictators and makes tons of rule in the congregation. I've met countless of Japanese JW's passing through NY Bethel tours having emotional problems, depression, autonomic imbalance and so on as a result of this.
So people gradually start to fade away and some find it's way out by being able to find these kind of site!
Another problem is that Japanese people love to judge others since most of them are perfectionists. So people accuse each other in the congregation for their misbehavior and so on. And lots of rumors and slanders.
After all, NORMAL people are usually never home since they have work, friends to see, things to do. People with mental problem are always home in Japan. These are the people who get caught by the JWs and they convert. As a result, so many WEIRD people are in the JWs and NORMAL people starts to realize something wrong in the congregation.
I'm glad there were so many WEIRD people in the Japanese congregation. After 25 long years, My family, my brother(also ex-bethelite)'s family and in-law, my parents(Elder & Long time pioneer) are all out of the CULT (except my sister). We finally came to a point that there should be more research and here we are!
Hurray!