Much of the country's cultural heritage comes from China, via Korea. The Japanese people, however, have fashioned their own culture in a distinct way. For example, Chinese writing characters were accepted in 405 A.D., but today the Japanese have their own character-based written language. Chinese Buddhism underwent the same kind of creative change. The end result is that Japan has a language and culture that is uniquely its own.
Japanese society is group oriented.
Loyalty to the group, and to one's superiors, is essential and takes precedence over personal feelings. The continued cultural respect for family traditions makes Christian outreach an especially challenging task in Japan. Only one percent of all Japanese are Christians, with less than 40,000 belonging to a Lutheran church. The continued cultural respect for family traditions makes Christian outreach an especially challenging task in Japan. Only one percent of all Japanese are Christians, with less than 40,000 belonging to a Lutheran church.