When Suicide Makes Sense?

By Chris Sadowitz

I was comfortably seated in US Air flight #804 when the title of an article in the May 25, 1998 Fortune magazine grabbed my attention, "When Suicide Makes Sense; In Japan Anything is Better Than Bankruptcy."

I thought to myself, Is taking one's own life EVER acceptable? What's wrong with a culture which descends to such depths of despair? And what's wrong with a church that simply looks on?

The article highlighted the financial woes of Japanese business men and the rash of suicides occurring in the face of bankruptcy. In Japan, bankruptcy brings daunting humiliations. Quoting from the article: "There is the dogeza, a meeting with creditors in which the ruined company owner sits on the floor, bows deeply, and begs forgiveness while his creditors scream abuse."

The divorce rate for those going through a financial loss is great because many in-laws who co-signed on the company's loans get sucked into the downfall.

Mafia-type mobsters called Yakuza often pretend to shore up the sinking company, only to show up later demanding and taking what they can. Rather than submit to these disgraces, many Japanese consider suicide because

• insurance companies will pay full death benefits, and
• the culture says death by one's own hand is the honorable, "face saving" way out of failure.

What is the response of believers in Christ when confronted with the plight of 125 million Japanese? This modern superpower has been overlooked by modern missionary movements. The decline of missionaries in Japan has created a giant "black hole" on the Pacific Rim. As we followed the call of God to Japan, North Americans repeatedly asked, "Why Japan?" Fellow pastors and friends urged us to go elsewhere, to more receptive pastures.

Perhaps we would have chosen another field of service were it not for the words from Romans 10:13-15, "For whoever will shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?" How will the Japanese believe? For 3,000 years Japan has had an unbroken culture of animistic idolatry, blinded to the truth. We hear about unreached tribes in the 10/40 window, but Japan is one of the largest monoethnic unreached cultures in the world.

"And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" Who will preach Christ to the Japanese? These questions from Romans 10 fueled our recruiting efforts as we visited Bible colleges and seminaries during furlough ministry in the United States. In all of our travels we found no one willing to give his life for the proclamation of the gospel in Japan.

We heard many "reasons" why few even attempt the daunting task of Japanese evangelization:

• "The language is too difficult" (the Moses excuse).
• "It's too expensive" (the Judas excuse).
• "The results are too small" (the excuse of those who do not understand God's timing).
• "There is no need" (the excuse of the ostrich Christian).

It never ceased to amaze us in our first term in Japan that, despite advancements in electronics and communications, people we met every week did not know who Jesus Christ was. One man said, "Thanks for sharing the Christmas story. I always thought Jesus Christ and Santa Claus were brothers." Another person remarked, " I thought Jesus was the main character in the Broadway play 'Jesus Christ Superstar.'" And another; " I never heard about Jesus dying for my sins." We, in the West, may have fallen into the trap of equating Japan's technological means to hear, with actual hearing and understanding. Just because the Japanese have communications ability does not mean they have heard the Good News.

Consider these points:

1. Now is the time for God to work in Japan. Religious freedom beckons with an open door, but the adversary is there in cults such as Jehovah's Witness, Mormons, and the Moonies. Hollywood movies, wicked cultural influences, and over eight million gods and spirits enslave people. The Korean church had a revival. When will Japan get her chance?
2. Japan is the key to reaching Asia. If the Japanese turn to Christ and use their economic wealth to reach the developing countries of Asia, they could support numerous national pastors and missionary efforts. Consider the work ethic of the Japanese and their ability to take an existing concept and hone it to near-perfection. If they turn to Christ and focus their energies in world evangelism, what new strategies might develop in missionary enterprises?
3. Japan is the last frontier. Just as in the days when the apostles proclaimed Jesus to those who had never heard, so it is today in the land of Japan. Temples and shrines of ancient religions dot the landscape. But Japan is waiting for pioneers to bring them the word of Life.
4. Japan is a modern country. The sacrifices of living in Japan are minimal compared to other Asian countries.

Japan is the land where Suicide Makes Sense. People are dying without Christ. Will YOU allow God to speak to you about serving Him in this land?

The Sadowitz family were accepted by ABWE in 1990 and continue to serve in Japan.

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