J3APAK INTERCHURCH WORLD MOVEMENT OF NORTH AMERICA WORLD SURVEY CONFERENCE ATLANTIC CITY JANUARY 7 to 10, 1920 PRELIMINARY Statement and Budget for Japanese Empire PREPARED BY SURVEY DEPARTMENT-FOREIGN DIVISION T HIS Survey statement should be read in the light of the fact that it is preliminary only, and will be revised and enlarged as a result of the dis¬ cussions and recommendations of the World Survey Conference. The entire Survey as revised will early be brought together in two volumes, American and Foreign, to form the basis of the financial campaign to follow. The “Statistical Mirror” will make a third volume dealing with general church, missionary and stewardship data. INTERCHURCH WORLD MOVEMENT OF NORTH AMERICA WORLD SURVEY CONFERENCE ATLANTIC CITY JANUARY 7 to 10, 1920 PRELIMINARY Statement and Budget for Japanese Empire PREPARED BY SURVEY DEPARTMENT-FOREIGN DIVISION JAPANESE EMPIRE J APAN is at the cross-roads. One runs through the darkness of the outworn imperialism once domi¬ nated by materialistic atheism, which was over¬ thrown in the World War. The other leads to democracy animated by the spirit of Christianity. Japan is now a creditor nation. She is suffering from the inevitable clash between capital and labor, autocracy and socialism, luxury and poverty. Japan’s expansion involves the future welfare of Korea, Hokkaido, Saghalien and Formosa. Which shall rule: Christianity or atheistic materialism? Japan is literate and intelligent. Tokyo is one of the world’s greatest student centers. The students are turning away from the ancient cults, but not towards Christianity. Readjustment and reenforcement of Christian forces are among the most urgent needs of Japan. Union institutions of Christian learning would in time fur¬ nish Japan with her own evangelists and create a Japan¬ ese missionary church for her colonies and neighbors. Good Christian literature and above all, clean fiction are a great need to counteract the influences making for immorality. America introduced modern civilization into Japan. Will she make this civilization mean to her powerful Pacific neighbor all that it ought, all that it can be made to mean during the next five crucial years ? JAPAN J APAN has reached the cross-roads. Almost at the apogee of her growth and power along Western lines she must remodel her political and social structure. The issue in Japan is between Christian democracy and an outworn imperialism. Though heavily in debt at the opening of the World War, Japan is now a creditor nation, having loaned $800,000,000 to the allies. But capital and labor, autocracy and socialism, the extremes of luxury and poverty, are now insisting that Japan put her house in order. The Japanese are a prolific people, increasing at the rate of about 700,000 per year. Only 14 per cent, of Japan is arable, while 74 per cent, of her population are farmers. Japan cannot feed her people from her own soil, and her social and economic problems are acute. The white world is closed to Japan. She is colonizing Formosa, Hokkaido, Saghalien and Korea. But these fields cannot absorb her surplus population. In turning herself into a great manufacturing nation Japan is facing all the evils of Western materialism and industrialism. Her people are literate and intelligent. Ninety-eight per cent, of Japanese children are in national schools. Newspapers are plentiful. If Japan’s leaders exercise vision they will lead her people along paths blazed by Christianity. The hope of Christianity lies with the rising generation in Japan. Tokyo is one of the greatest student centers of the world. Japanese students are increasingly dis¬ satisfied with Shintoism and Buddhism. But the youth of Japan, the hope alike of the church and the nation, is drifting toward irreligion. The press is often scathing in its criticisms of the profligacy, immorality and laziness of the priests. Moral laxity is increasing, especially among the upper classes. Japan has reached the cross-roads! The problem for Christianity in the Japanese Empire is to enlist the vision and energy of 78,723,500 progressive Asiatics in the cause of Christian democracy. “The situation in Japan utters a call of unprecedented urgency. . . The word “spirituality” is heard on the lips of officials, educators and others far more frequently than ever before. . . This religious thirst makes it increasingly clear that Chris¬ tianity will some day come to its own as the only religious hope of the nation in its new needs.”— E. F. Bell. 4 DESTRUCTIVE INDUSTRIALISM APAN is making tremendous efforts to build up her industrial life rapidly. Since the opening of the World War thousands of new factories have arisen in which the working hours are excessive. The strain upon workers is destructive. Of nearly 2,000,000 operatives, more than 600,000 are women, of whom 300,000 are girls of from ten to eighteen years! Many of these women work sixteen hours a day; only one or two rest days per month are JAPANESE EMPIRE A TRINITY OF EVILS HE cost of living is greater in Tokyo than in either New York or London. Increased suffering and great discontent mark Nippon’s new industrial world. Strikes are frequent. The rapid accumulation of wealth on the part of factory owners and their prodigal use of money in the haunts of vice tend to produce new class distinctions and class hatred such as old Japan never knew, and which are doing incalculable harm. allowed. The workers are often housed in company dormitories where sanitary conditions are most objectionable. After two years many of these women leave the factory broken in nealth. Multitudes fall victims to tuberculosis and their substitutes are sought from the rural districts. The stream of country people moving continuously to the industrial centers is working great damage to rural life. I N WHATEVER direction we look, we can scarcely fail to find evidences of the direct or indirect in¬ fluence of Christianity upon the civilization of Japan. —Clement Slum districts, formerly unknown to Japan, now exist in all her great industrial centers. These lend themselves readily to a great increase in social vice. Licensed prostitution, economically entrenched and officially protected, has its segregated section in every large town. In¬ temperance is on the increase. Here in Japan, says a recent authority, “the demand develops out of a growing sense of moral need, a grasping after a force to keep the state above the waters of demoralization, a hunger for power of the soul of the people to keep that soul true to its national ideals.” JAPANESE EMPIRE 5 (Comparison Map) This map is one of a series all drawn to the same scale for purposes of comparison as to area and population. The map of Pennsylvania serves as a unit of comparison and appears same size on each map of the series. 6 THE ONLY REMEDY T O MEET these new dangers there is posi¬ tively no moral force outside of Christian teaching. Thoughtful men, awake to the dan¬ ger, are asking that Christian teachers and preachers instruct the workers in religion and morality. Scores of factories now are welcom¬ ing the missionaries. Buddhism, awake to the situation, is putting forward its teachers and there is a danger that Christian missions, unless heavily reinforced, may lose their chance in many of these factories. Christianity is not losing in Japan, however; it is merely unable, with its present resources, to keep pace with the rapid growth in population. There are in Japan 110,069 Protestant com¬ municants; 75,983 Roman Catholics; and 36,618 belonging to the Orthodox Greek Church. The proportion of Protestant Christians is about one in every 500, while one in 250 belongs to some Christian community. Christianity has to combat the opposition of the intensely materialistic spirit of Mikadoism which exists as an anomaly in this twentieth century. But the military spirit is further reinforced in its opposition to Christianity as shown in the national sensitiveness of Japan at being re¬ garded as a mission field. Thus Shintoism, which may be called the state religion of Japan, is an abnormally strong JAPANESE EMPIRE enemy of Christianity. It is constantly pro¬ moted by the military element as well as by the educational department. But the Japanese are not religiously inclined. They crowd the matsuri, or religious festivals, as they would a picnic, while the youth of Japan seldom wor¬ ship in the temples. APPLICATION OF THE REMEDY T HE missionary program in Japan calls for a readjustment of territory to prevent the overlapping of areas and the waste of time in travel. United support is asked for a Christian university for men, the goal of Christian educa¬ tion for Japan. For this project, too great a task for any single denomination, the Christian cause has long waited. This institution should be followed by another comprising all the existing Protestant theo¬ logical schools in Japan, with a strong faculty and sufficient financial backing to make a divinity school second to none. An economic use of board funds cannot justify the continu¬ ance of eighteen theological schools for only 375 students as at present. One good school with provision for the teaching of denomina¬ tional polity, wherever found necessary, could do all the work and present to the unsaved world a united Christian front. AREA -SQUARE MILES 147,GIG JAPAN □ o Q7^ RQO UNITED STATES I ' I JAPAN TOTAL POPULATION AND PROTESTANT CHURCH MEMBERSHIP 57,500,000 110.069 UNITED STATES 105,255,000 POPULATION PER PROTESTANT MINISTERfOR ORDAINED MISSIONARY) japan «&»» UNITED STATES? 42 /nttrcfwrch Wor/dMo/emeot of North Amer/co JAPANESE EMPIRE The establishment of several separate Bible training schools for men and women, strategic¬ ally located, to take the place of the existing theological schools when consolidated in a union seminary, is greatly needed. These would help to restore lay preaching, and greatly assist an overworked ministry and missionary force. A recent survey shows that the present schools for training men and women are not meeting half the demand for workers. These schools apparently fail to command respect because they are low in grade and poor in equipment. THE OUTSTRETCHED HAND ISCOUNT ISHII has expressed Japan's friendship for the United States: “We trust you, we love you, and if you will let us we will walk at your side in loyal good-fellowship down all the coming years.” The Japanese are uniformly friendly towards America. Many of Japan's leaders are graduates of American 7 universities. Japan’s place at the Peace Table, as one of the five great nations, has insured her attitude in the future as one of friendship and respect for America and for Christian civiliza¬ tion. Historic facts, commercial relations and identical interests in the Pacific all tend to unite the two great wardens of the Pacific. HOSTAGES TO FORTUNE RESENT denominational work should be sustained and developed, but there should be established institutional churches, social centers, halls for the young and kindergartens after the general plan of the Tokyo Misaki Tabernacle. Generous cooperation with the Japanese in social uplift projects, where the leadership and advice of the missionary is always expected, should be freely accorded. Christian literature of the highest grade is an essential for the vast numbers of literati such as are found in Japan. Provision should be made for a systematic propaganda through newspaper evangelism, tract distribution, strong Christian books, and a morally pure fiction. Well-chosen missionaries in rural towns will be able to carry the gospel to the 74 per cent, of the people yet untouched. Five years of adequate support of such a pro¬ gram in Japan would turn the tide Christward. The findings of a field survey reveal the data for 1918 indicated on table herewith. Can we fail to lend every endeavor to meet these needs. The present psychological tendency, following the defeat of Prussian militarism in whose mold modern Japan was created, is decidedly democratic. This tendency, together with local conditions, offers to American Christianity the JAPANESE EMPIRE 9 greatest challenge ever given to a Christian people or to the Christian church. Japan offers to Christian America the hand of fellowship. She sincerely desires that fellow¬ ship. America must grasp that extended hand or fail in the Far East. ! Territory Area Sq. m. Present Population Communi¬ cants Other Adherents Total Prot. Christians 1918 Japan proper. 147,616 57,500,000 110,069 23,749 133,818 Formosa. 14,018 3,643,000 7,017 9,083 16,100 Saghalien (est.). 13,254 80,500 i Total for Japan. 174,888 61,223,500 117,086 32,832 149,918 Korea. 84,083 17,500,000 87,278 121,129 208,407 Total for the Japanese Empire. 258,971 78,723,500 204,364 153,961 358,325 In Japan 1918: Roman Catholic, 75,983; Greek, 36,618; total Catholic, 112,591. JAPANESE EMPIRE 11 Korea T HE historic “Land of the Morning Calm” has emerged from the mists of the past as the ward of the race she once helped to civilize. Korea’s 84,173 square miles of almost untouched resources are being developed into a new Asiatic potentiality under Japanese tutelage. In the remolding of Korea along Western lines Christianity must play an increasingly important part. “I recognize,” said Baron Saito, “the educational and social value of the Christian missionary body in Korea and look upon the missionaries as my friends and allies in what I am hoping to accomplish for the Korean people.” In Korea today the principle of Christian democracy is at stake. After fighting two costly wars to gain control of Korea, the Japanese are now interpreting Western civilization to 17,500,000 Koreans. It was through this homogeneous race that Japan in ancient times received the religion and culture of China. America must help Japan to give Korea the real spirit of Western institutions. A military regime has now happily been superseded by a civil administration, and the friends of both Japan and Korea are sanguine in their belief that the Japanese Govern¬ ment has seen the unwisdom of a harsh, oppressive policy towards the Koreans. Deep regret has been expressed over the occurrences of recent months by accepting the resignation of the former residency general and the chief officers of the adminis¬ tration. The government has appointed in their stead Baron Saito as residency AREA - SQUARE MILES KOREA 04.173 UNITED STATES C 2,973,890 TOTAL POPULATION AND PROTESTANT CHURCH MEMBERSHIP KOREA UNITED STATES 17.500,000 POPULATION PER PROTESTANT MINISTERfOR ORDAINED MISSIONARY) . 150.250 KOREA UNITED STATES s 42 /nterchurch Wor/dMovement of North Amer/ca GO 28 12 JAPANESE EMPIRE general. The baron is a liberal-minded man who, upon his inauguration, called together a large body of missionaries and stated to them his determination to introduce extensive reforms and exert his power for the elevation and satisfaction of the Korean people. Civil instead of military police have been introduced, and new privileges have been extended to the Koreans. Korea's chief hope lies with a new, democratic Japan. The Korea of tomorrow will reflect the Japan of today. Thus the missionary problem of Korea is the missionary problem of Japan. A new Christian heart for Japan means a new future for Korea. (Comparison Map) This map is one of a series all drawn to the same scale for purposes of comparison as to area and population. The map of Pennsylvania serves as a unit of comparison and appears same size on each map of the series. JAPANESE EMPIRE 13 CHRISTIAN ACHIEVEMENTS SURVEY of Christian achievements in Korea reveals the following facts: EDUCATIONAL CONDITIONS Number of schools Pupils Government. 551 72,739 Private: Mission. 792 29,997 Secular. 578 31,000 Totals.1,921 133,736 Of 2,000,000 children of school age, about one in fifteen have school opportunities. There is no overlapping in the work of the missionary forces at present in Korea. Missionary Forces in Korea Men Women Presbyterian Church in U. S. A. (N.) 56 26 Methodist Episcopal Church. 18 32 Presbyterian Church in U. S. (S.).. 29 16 Methodist Episcopal Church, South 15 18 Presbyterian Church (Canada). 16 13 Presbyterian Church (Australia). .. 12 14 Salvation Army. 11 6 Seventh Day Adventists. 7 3 The S. P. G. (England). 15 12 Oriental Missionary Society. 6 1 Totals. 185 141 Our assets in Korea are: a mission force of 326, distributed in thirty-five stations (with two in Manchuria); 2,950 churches, of which 2,700 have buildings. There are 93,350 communi¬ cants, and 32,000 enrolled probationers. To serve this large and growing organization, there are 250 ordained Koreans, 1,000 salaried evangelists and 1,500 Christian teachers. At present there are twenty-three hospitals treating a thousand patients daily; but the medical mission in Korea should be reinforced. Up to date seventy Christian physicians have graduated from Severance Medical College, but the ratio in Korea still stands at one medical missionary to 345,000 Koreans. CHRISTIAN REENFORCEMENTS I T IS proposed to increase these agencies. There should be 330 new missionaries; 200 of them for direct evangelistic work. The native Korean staff calls for 1,130 Korean evangelists and 1,130 school teachers. Funds are required for higher education, medical training, social settlements for the growing industrial problem, and for Christian literature and propaganda. These high-spirited Korean people have proved themselves both friendly and tractable to mis¬ sionaries. Christianity must not fail them in their hour of trial. Christianity must change the heart of Korea’s wardens. THE IMMEDIATE DUTY ALREADY Christian missionaries have won the confidence of the Koreans. It remains for the Christian church to cooperate with the public-spirited leaders of Japan who entertain a larger vision and a more humane policy for Korea. In this field of 17,500,000 Koreans there are also 350,000 Japanese and 18,000 Chinese and Europeans. The problem is to show Korea that Christianity is as willing to promote evangelism as to protect democracy. Given to ancestor-worship and a decadent Buddhism that veneers an underlying structure of Shamanism or idolatry and priest¬ craft, the Koreans are ready to accept the Christian gospel. The linguistic and literature problems are not so acute in Korea as in China since Korea possesses a simple alphabetical system of writing. 4 INTERCHORCH WORLD MOVEMENT OF NORTH AMERICA ORGANIZATION OF THE SURVEY DEPARTMENT DIVISIONS FOREIGN BRANCHES Fields SECTIONS —Africa — China — India —Japanese Empire — Malaysia, Siam — Indo-China, Oceania —Philippine Islands —Latin America —Europe — Near East Mission Agencies Coordination —Evangelistic —Educational —Medical — Social and Industrial —Literature .—Field Occupancy —Field Conditions —Graphics — Statistics — Editorial —Research and Library SURVEY DEPARTMENT HOME MISSIONS r— Fields Agencies — Coordination — Cities — New York Metropolitan _ —Town and Country ” —Yvest Indies —Alaska —Hawaii — Migrant Groups — Cities — New York Metropolitan —Town and Countrv —Negro Americans —New Americans —Spanish-speaking Peoples —Orientals in the U. S. —American Indian —Migrant Groups H Organization Relations •Research and Library —Lantern Slides — Graphics —Publicity Statistics Industrial Relations Denominational and Independent Institutions C Colleges Universities AMERICAN EDUCATION Tax-Supported Institutions —State Universities — Municipal Universities —State Agricultural Colleges —State Normal Schools H Theological Seminaries —1 Secondary Schools ~ E Theological Seminaries College Biblical Departments Religious Training Schools Coordination E Comity and Cooperation Field Standard* and Norm* AMERICAN Religious Education AMERICAN Hospitals and Homes i— Home Local Church E Architecture Curriculum Teachers E Muaic Pageantry Non-church Organization* E Editorial Statistics and Tabulation Schedule*