I still vividly remember March 11, 2011.

I was in Tel Aviv that morning. I woke up and turned on the television to watch the morning news — and there it was: the first reports of the earthquake and tsunami that had struck Japan. As I listened to the news and saw the images of destruction in the affected regions, my heart began to weep for the thousands of people who lost their lives that day.

 

At that time, I had just completed my Bible study and was taking my first steps as one of the young leaders of a Jewish Messianic ministry. On that day, God placed a strong call on my heart — and on the heart of my wife Victoria — to pray for Japan. That calling would later shape the entire direction of our ministry.

 

As I began to pray for Japan and its people, something remarkable happened: I started meeting Japanese believers in Yeshua (the Hebrew name of Jesus) — people who had visited Israel on pilgrimages to the Holy Land or as students. Because many young people in Israel love Japanese culture, we even began organizing Japanese cultural evenings at our evangelism center in the Tel Aviv area.

 

Then, in November 2017, I received an invitation to attend a gathering of ministry leaders supporting Israel in Japan. That invitation opened the door to my first visit — and my time in Japan left a deep and lasting impression on me. I had the opportunity to meet wonderful leaders in Japan and to build meaningful relationships with them. At the same time, I learned about the small but significant Jewish community in Japan — estimated today at around 3,000–4,000 people. It is made up mostly of young Israelis and Jewish people from the United States, Russia, and Israel, including business professionals and students who live here for short periods. There are also mixed families in which one of the spouses is Japanese and the other is Jewish.

 

During that first visit, I also met the Uchiyama family, who have faithfully served God’s vision for many years as pastors of the only Jewish Messianic congregation in Japan. This congregation is a place where those who deeply love the Messiah Yeshua come together — a community where Jewish and Japanese believers unite to worship the God of Israel.

 

This trip helped me understand the importance of ministering to the Jewish people living in Japan. As Christians, our faith is rooted in the people of Israel. God used the people of Israel to write and preserve the Scriptures, and Yeshua and all His disciples were Jewish. Yet, the reality is that the majority of the Jewish people have not yet come to the truth of Yeshua as Messiah. Sharing the good news of the Gospel with the people of Israel is part of the Great Commission entrusted to all believers — both Christians and Messianic Jews (Jewish followers of Jesus).

 

Moreover, ministry to the Jewish people outside of Israel can be even more fruitful. According to our statistics, more than 70% of first-generation Jewish believers came to faith in Yeshua while outside of Israel — often during a business trip or a simple tourist visit.

 

For us, this opens up a vast field for ministry. God’s promise to Abraham —

 

“And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
(Genesis 12:3, NASB)

— remains true today. God desires to bless us even more, and we open the gates of His blessings into our lives as we bless the descendants of Abraham.

 

As Chosen People Ministries Japan, our mission is to bring the good news of Yeshua to the Jewish people — and then to Japan — through prayer, teaching, and support based on the message of the New Testament. Our goal is to continue fulfilling the calling expressed in Romans 1:16.

 

We also carry a deep burden regarding anti-Semitism, which continues to raise its ugly head around the world. When God chose Abraham, Satan targeted him. When God chose the descendants of Shem to be a blessing to all nations, and when He gave the Bible and the Messiah to the world through Israel, Satan relentlessly attacked Abraham and his descendants. Anti-Semitism may manifest through people, but its source is spiritual — and as believers, we must stand against this enemy.

 

Sometimes our brothers and sisters are misled by false teaching and deception due to a lack of biblical understanding and a misunderstanding of the real situation in Israel. Missionaries involved in the work of CPM Japan actively serve in this field — spreading the truth about what is happening in Israel and sharing a message of love and dialogue.

 

In a world full of misinformation and confusion about Israel, CPM Japan is committed to answering questions and providing accurate, fact-based updates about current events and news related to Israel.

 

For our ministry in Japan to bear more fruit, we need the prayers, partnership, and cooperation of brothers, sisters, and churches — both inside and outside of Japan. We need your prayers and support, especially because the local Church in Japan represents only about 1% of the population, and the spiritual need is enormous.

 

Only when we become one body through the love of Messiah can we truly fulfill our mission — to serve both Jewish and Japanese people and to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world, making a lasting impact in people’s lives. There is great power in this unity — when Jews and Gentiles together unite in faith in the Messiah sent by God the Father, we will witness His mighty works of salvation and restoration:

 

“For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall…”
(Ephesians 2:14–16)

Blessings,

David Trubek

Director, Chosen People Ministries Japan