New Page 2

"Help for Foreign-Language Groups

"As a result of a strong Japanese economy, many workers speaking languages other than Japanese have moved into the country. These include Jehovah’s Witnesses. Japan is no longer a land where the native tongue of nearly everyone is Japanese. How could the foreign-language populations be helped spiritually?

"Prior to the 1980’s, there was a relatively small foreign-language population. Small isolated groups or congregations had been formed in Misawa, Tachikawa, and Okinawa for the benefit of the dependent wives and children of U.S. military personnel as well as other interested people.

"The largest of these was for the American military bases in Okinawa. In 1968, Karl and Evalyn Emerson, formerly missionaries in Korea, moved with their young son to assist the English-speaking population on Okinawa. They were later joined in this fruitful field by Bill and Mary Ives and Wayne and Penny Frazee from the 40th and 52nd classes of Gilead. Wayne, driving a tiny, dilapidated 360cc car around the sprawling Kadena Air Base, was particularly effective in working among the draftees because of his own military background. Together, Wayne and Penny were able to help about 100 persons to baptism during the 15 years they served in Okinawa. So effective was their ministry that the commanding officer of one base requested that they preach elsewhere. Why? "You are getting my best men," he complained.

"Though there was a constant shuffling of people in and out of the congregation, as assignments to other military bases were made, literally thousands of people have attended the meetings and hundreds have been helped to take their stand for Jehovah. The majority of these have continued to serve Jehovah upon returning to the United States. Some have become elders and ministerial servants. One of these, Nick Simonelli, later attended the 93rd class of Gilead, following in the footsteps of the one who studied with him. He is now serving in Ecuador with his wife.English-Language Territory in Japan

"Toward the close of the 1970’s, with the end of the Vietnam War, the English-language groups in Japan gradually flickered out. But early in the 1980’s, noting the number of English-speaking people around the U.S. Atsugi Naval Air Base, just a 15-minute drive from Bethel, James Mantz, Jr., invited his parents, who were then living in California, U.S.A., to step over into the Orient and help. (Compare Acts 16:9.) So in March 1981, at the ages of 62 and 59, James Mantz, Sr., and his wife, Ruth, moved to Sagamihara near the Atsugi base. "Our territory was anywhere we could find English-speaking people,"

"Recalls Ruth. "While doing street work, Ruth would often stop young American soldiers on bicycles with her hands spread out in order to show them the magazines," recalls a member of the Ebina Bethel family. Sadly, James Mantz, Sr., passed away shortly after arriving in Japan, but Ruth stayed in the area and helped a number of people to come into the truth. The small Sagamihara English group became a congregation in October 1985.

"As the Japanese economy grew stronger during the 1980’s, the number of aliens increased dramatically. Many thousands of Filipinos, South Americans, Africans, Chinese, and Koreans streamed into the country as guest workers. The Society took steps to extend spiritual help to these foreign workers. English-speaking Japanese pioneers, including many serving at Bethel, were assigned to give assistance. "When the Society started to take the lead in this," said one brother who had been with the English congregation for many years, "the increase immediately came in."

"By September 1, 1997, there were 18 English congregations, constituting a separate circuit. Help for the Brazilians. "Large numbers of Japanese whose parents or grandparents had emigrated to Brazil came back to Japan to work, but they understood neither Japanese nor English. In 1986, an ex-missionary couple, Kazuyuki and Nanako Kiritani, who had served in Brazil, moved to Yokohama, where a few Portuguese-speaking sisters and Bible students were located. This small group started to have a Watchtower Study along with an abbreviated Theocratic Ministry School once a month in Portuguese.

"In the spring of 1991, the Society invited three Brazilian elders, who were living in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Toyohashi, as well as Brother Kiritani, to discuss the development of the Portuguese field. In August 1991 four Portuguese groups began to operate. The branch had recruited willing Bethelites and started a Portuguese language class at Bethel. They eagerly learned the language and became a part of the foundation of the Portuguese groups. The newly formed groups soon became congregations, and within six years, there were 21 Portuguese-speaking congregations, these also forming their own circuit.

Spanish Field Opens

"In September 1987, the first meeting was held in Spanish to help eight sisters who had been associating with the Portuguese group until that time. Louis Delgado, a single brother from Peru, took the lead. In those days some of the sisters traveled six hours to attend the Spanish meetings, but the spiritual help they received made it worthwhile. Because of the language barrier, some who had married Japanese citizens for financial security were experiencing marital difficulties and also had a hard time expressing their feelings to the elders in the Japanese congregations.

"The field ministry for the Spanish group was also a challenge. In order to organize territories, they went to all the 29 stations of the Yamanote Line, the train line that loops central Tokyo, searching for Spanish names on the doors. Although tiring and time-consuming, this activity provided well-defined territory for them to work.

"During the day, groups of sisters would visit areas where many Colombian women lived. The women worked in bars that were usually operated by the yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. When a woman seemed to be making spiritual progress, the yakuza would intervene and transfer her to another location. One such Bible student, however, progressed to the point of realizing that she should change her job in order to be pleasing to Jehovah. This meant fleeing and hiding from the yakuza. With the help of her study conductor, she was eventually able to return to her own country.

"Thus, at the beginning of the 1990’s, when a large number of workers flowed into Japan from Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and other countries, Jehovah had a small Spanish group prepared to look after their spiritual needs. In 1991 a Spanish class was started for Bethelites who were willing to help. Within one year some were delivering public talks. In 1993 the first Spanish congregation was formed in the Tokyo area. By 1997, there were 13 flourishing Spanish congregations. These make up a separate foreign-language circuit.

Helping Those From Asia

"A significant number of Chinese were also streaming into Japan. Among them were thousands of students as well as descendants of Japanese children who had been left in China at the end of World War II. It was estimated that more than 300,000 Chinese were living in Japan, 200,000 of whom were in the greater Tokyo area. Lifting up their eyes and viewing the Chinese field, the brothers could see that it was white for harvesting, ‘but the workers were few.’—Matt. 9:37; John 4:35.

"Masayuki Yamamoto and his wife, Masako, had spent eight years in missionary service in Taiwan. In 1992, Chinese was taught to a number of Bethelites who were willing to help the Chinese-speaking population. Immediately, Masayuki contacted those who spoke some Chinese, and a Chinese group was started with 28 publishers. They were mostly Japanese pioneers who, though still struggling with their Chinese, were eager to help interested ones who spoke that language. Such zeal on the part of the Japanese Witnesses moved the hearts of the Chinese. One young woman received the book The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived from a brother who was studying at the same school she attended. She read the book in one week. This moved her to start attending all the meetings. She was amazed to see so many Japanese studying Chinese just so that they could share the good news with Chinese-speaking people. She and her younger brother progressed quickly, and within a year they were baptized. She was conducting her own Bible studies even before she was baptized.

"In May 1993 the first Chinese circuit assembly was held. There were 399 in attendance and 8 were baptized. Soon there were five Mandarin Chinese congregations functioning, as well as a Chinese book study group in a Japanese congregation.

Other Language Groups

"In the late 1980’s, Penn Pitorest and his wife, Phiksang, started to study the Bible. Both of them were refugees from Cambodia and had lost their parents in the massacre in their homeland. Progress was slow because there were practically no publications for study in Cambodian. But eventually they were baptized. Being concerned about the spiritual needs of fellow refugees from Cambodia, they endeavored to conduct Bible studies with them. Soon a small Cambodian group was formed. They received more help in 1994 when The Watchtower began to appear in Cambodian. Following that, ten brothers from Bethel began to study the language and were assigned to attend the Cambodian meetings.

"Although the largest foreign-language group in Japan is Korean, most of them understand Japanese, so for years there was no separate congregation for them. In time, however, it was pointed out that the Koreans living in Japan could grasp the truth quicker if they studied it in their native tongue. This led to the formation of a Korean group near Bethel in April 1996 and, later, a group in Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture.

"Not to be overlooked are the sign-language congregations. Many willing volunteers have learned Japanese sign language in order to help hearing-impaired people throughout the country. Since 1982 the Society has organized sign-language interpretation at certain district conventions. However, concerted efforts to help the hearing-impaired began in 1992, when sign-language congregations were formed in the cities of Fukuoka and Kumamoto. Sign-language videos have also been prepared. Now there are 11 congregations and 9 smaller groups throughout Japan that are actively helping hearing-impaired people.

"Thus Jehovah’s Witnesses in Japan have made a fine effort to reach out and assist the many language groups in the country to benefit from the good news in the language they understand best.

"Contributing to the Worldwide Need: It is a great privilege to be able to contribute now in various ways to the worldwide brotherhood. Having gained valuable printing experience, the Japan branch is able to assist neighboring branches with their printing needs. More than 9,000,000 copies of The Watchtower and Awake! are now produced each month at the Ebina factory in ten languages.

"The Japan branch is now printing books, Bibles, booklets, and brochures in 26 languages, including Chinese, Laotian, Sinhalese, Tamil (for Sri Lanka), Thai, and 11 Philippine languages—all in full color... In September 1993, for example, materials were sent to Japan for printing a special edition of the long-awaited Tagalog Bible that included the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures....The Bibles in Cebuano and Iloko followed soon thereafter. Deluxe binding of the Portuguese and Spanish Bibles is also now handled in the printery in Ebina.

"After the Translation Services department was established at the world headquarters in 1989, the Japan branch was invited to share in rendering assistance to translators throughout Asia and the Pacific regions. More than half of the world’s population lives here, but many of the people, speaking scores of languages, do not yet have Watch Tower publications available to them. Japanese brothers who have translation skills and who are familiar with computer equipment have been privileged to visit India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Lebanon, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Solomon Islands, Guam, and other lands, to help find, train, and organize teams of translators as well as to install software developed by the Society to assist translators."

1998 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Pages 147-153