A defining term in Japanese society is “doryoku,” which can be translated as “effort.” However, this word embodies an entire worldview that says that the more effort you put into something, the further you get and the better the results will be. People wish each other “ganbatte, ne!”, which means “do your best!”, not only before important events such as sports competitions, but also as a normal greeting in everyday life, such as on the way to school or at work. People look up to those who have shown great perseverance, such as company founders or great inventors.

However, the standards in Japanese society have shifted to such an extent that less attention is paid to actual results and efficiency and more to how hard someone tries. Long working hours are seen as evidence of a hard-working and self-sacrificing attitude, regardless of whether much is actually achieved.

This has many sad and harmful effects on Japanese society. Students are under constant pressure to perform, people suffer from overwork and stress in the workplace, and since the 1980s, overwork has even been declared a recognized cause of death – “karōshi,” death from overwork*. Marriages and families are also severely strained by the doryoku mindset, and many people generally have low self-esteem because they always think they could have tried a little harder.

This worldview does not stop at Japanese churches. It causes many Japanese Christians to project society’s expectations onto God and think that they owe it to God to work themselves to exhaustion, or even that they must work to earn His love and acceptance. We have also heard statements such as “only if I work in the church will I be blessed by God.”

Pray that Japanese Christians will understand that they are loved and accepted by God from the very beginning, and that all work for Him is simply a voluntary expression of our love for Him and for the world around us.

Pray that Japanese Christians will experience that Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden is light (Mat 11:28-30). Pray that they will become joyful co-workers in His mission, doing everything out of God’s strength and not their own, as Paul did (Col 1:29).

Giving 100% is a good thing. Therefore, please pray for a healthy attitude toward performance in Japanese society and that people will not define themselves solely by their work and perseverance.

*For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that karōshi is now recognized as a global problem and that there are many countries where it is far more prevalent than in Japan due to long working hours and inhumane working conditions (see Wikipedia).