The Tohoku district is located in the northeastern region of Honshu Island. It is twice the sze of the Kanto district. The population, however, is less thank 1/3 of Kanto, slightly smaller than Tokyo itself. Except for the larger cities such as Sendai and Koriyama, local industires cannt fully support the economy, thus, people in their prime of life leave home to work elsewhere. Agricultural villages are especially losing population, a trend which probably will contineu.
Fukushima is the only prefecture whose church per population ratio is better than |
the nationl average. Several postwar foreign missionary groups have done remarkable jpbs in starting churches in areas where population is declining. As their believers have moved to the urban areas, the mission groups have often assisted in starting churches there also. These Christians still carry heavy burdens for their Tohoku home towns. The Tohoku area first was touched by Catholic Kirishitan. Then in the Meiji era the Russian Orthodox Church did an amazing job of evangelism. Toholu has produced many capable church leaders. |