I visit your home page frequently and always find it informative. Some time back one of the sites listed the decline of JWs in many countries around the world including Japan. There was a comment made about wondering why the rapid growth in Japan had turned around so dramatically in recent years. I think I am qualified to offer some light on that matter. First of all, please realize that Japan is a country with TONS of new religions.
Many people think that Japanese are Buddhist.
Strictly speaking that is not true. They are mainly animists and agnostics with a Buddhist veneer. As Japanese families moved away from their home towns to the city and husbands went away to their companies from early morning to late at night, Japanese wives found themselves in a new environment with no friends and time on their hands. The lie persisted for many years with the pasted on smile and the strong sense of mission with housewives running around on their scooters telling the good news that the world is about to be destroyed. However, as time wore on the dirty laundry began to get exposed.