Japan

The United Church of Christ in Japan

The United Church of Christ in Japan (UCCJ) comprises approximately 1,650 churches and preaching places across 17 districts from Hokkaido to Okinawa.

Each congregation engages in gospel-based mission through worship, Bible study, prayer, and community outreach.

The UCCJ is deeply committed to ecumenical relationships, maintaining covenants with churches in Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland, and the Korean Christian Church in Japan.

Current priorities include revitalizing evangelism—especially among youth—responding to declining attendance, and reaffirming its wartime responsibility through peace and reconciliation efforts.

The UCCJ actively supports humanitarian causes, such as aid for earthquake victims and refugees, and promotes interfaith dialogue and justice. It also fosters global mission engagement through reciprocal learning and missionary exchange.

Worship is open to all, and the church emphasizes inclusive participation, theological education, and social service.

The United Church of Christ in Japan (UCCJ) traces its roots to the arrival of Protestant missionaries in the mid-19th century, following Japan’s end to isolationist policies.

In 1872, the Church of Christ in Japan was founded in Yokohama, marking the beginning of Japanese Protestantism. Over time, various denominations—Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregationalist—flourished.

In 1941, under pressure from the wartime government’s Religious Organizations Act and inspired by the global ecumenical movement, over 30 denominations united to form one church.

After World War II, some churches left the union to re-establish their traditions, while others remained, forming the UCCJ under a shared confession of faith.

In 1968, the UCCJ merged with the United Church of Christ in Okinawa, creating its current form.

Today, it is Japan’s largest Protestant denomination, with around 160,000 members and 3,200 ministers, committed to gospel-centered mission, worship, education, and social service.