Giving, Helping, Rebuilding: 125 Years of Service in Japan

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125 years ago, four missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints began to introduce to the people of Japan a plan of happiness founded upon the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.  Christ lived and taught the principles of neighborly love and active charity.  From those early beginnings, members of the Church across Japan have developed a sincere tradition of service to the communities in which they live.  They have consistently shown up when neighbors needed help: after disasters, during times of economic strain, and in the everyday challenges facing families and communities.

This commitment to neighborly love and active charity continues to evolve and grow alongside the nation’s changing needs. The Church and its members are increasingly seen as trusted and reliable partners in collaborative efforts to provide welfare assistance and humanitarian aid.

Love in Action: The Spiritual Foundation of Service

Church leaders have emphasized that service is rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ. As the First Presidency explained in the global Caring For Those in Need 2025 Report, “Every meal shared, every shelter built, every kindness offered becomes part of the Lord’s work.” 

Many acts of service do not appear in financial totals or volunteer statistics. Quiet, ongoing acts—such as visiting the elderly, helping families move, delivering meals, or checking in on neighbors—become a part of everyday life. For Latter-day Saints, and for many others, service is a defining expression of faith.

Alongside the local and personal efforts of its members, the Church also administers organized welfare assistance and global humanitarian aid. In 2025, the Church reported US $1.58 billion in humanitarian expenditures worldwide, supporting more than 3,500 projects in 196 countries and involving over 7 million hours of volunteer service. These figures primarily reflect large‑scale humanitarian initiatives and coordinated relief efforts, including support for 38 projects in Japan.

Funding for both welfare and humanitarian aid comes from voluntary donations made by Church members—including members in Japan. These include fast offerings, which are used to meet local and regional welfare needs, and humanitarian aid donations, which support emergency response and long‑term projects benefiting people regardless of religion or nationality.

Early Foundations of Service (1901–1940s)

After the arrival of the first missionaries in 1901, the Church’s youth organization—then known as the Mutual Improvement Association—was established in 1910, followed by Japan’s first Relief Society in 1917 (see Japan Chronology). From the beginning, local congregations became places where people could find connection, encouragement, and practical help.  Long before “humanitarian aid” was formalized, these small branches practiced mutual care.

During the period when the Japan Mission was closed (1924–1948), small groups of Japanese Latter‑day Saints continued meeting despite limited resources and formal Church structure. In these years, shared worship was accompanied by informal, practical assistance—an early expression of self‑reliance and mutual support that helped sustain members through times of hardship and uncertainty.

Following World War II, when the Church reestablished its mission in 1948, members and missionaries were active in grassroots postwar service. Free English classes, shared clothing, and neighborhood visits brought neighbors together and helped families manage scarcity and displacement. These were simple acts, but in the context of postwar rebuilding, they mattered deeply.

Over time, these personal and congregation‑based efforts were complemented—not replaced—by more coordinated systems of welfare, disaster response, and humanitarian aid.

Growing Networks of Support (1950s–1990s)

As Japan experienced rapid urbanization and social change, Church youth programs included service-oriented activities, family‑skills classes, and social gatherings that fostered stability and community. Likewise, the Relief Society played a key role in caring for women, children, and families through visiting, sharing resources, and practical assistance. These were early expressions of organized welfare at the local level.

The Church’s participation in the Japan World Exposition (Expo ’70) in Osaka significantly expanded opportunities for volunteer engagement and intercultural exchange, strengthening local relationships and expanding the Church’s ability to coordinate service.

From the 1980s onward, Church members became increasingly involved in disaster preparedness and response efforts—participating in emergency-readiness workshops, blood drives, distribution of daily necessities, and cleanup efforts.  Alongside government agencies and other organizations, these experiences helped build the capacity, trust, and coordination that would prove essential in future disasters.

Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (1995)

The 7.3 magnitude Great Hanshin‑Awaji Earthquake struck the Kobe region on January 17, 1995, killing more than 6,000 people and damaging or destroying hundreds of thousands of buildings. In what is often remembered as a turning point for volunteerism in Japan, many Church members joined civic groups and neighbors in distributing essential goods, debris removal, cleanup, and recovery efforts.

The video below shows the earthquake’s destruction and some of the assistance and recovery efforts.  Video images were provided by Kobe City and video editing was done by Tomoko Mizuno, a Church member who lives in Kobe.

Service during this period was largely local and member‑driven, reflecting a sincere desire to help amid overwhelming need. At the same time, the experience revealed the limits of informal volunteer response when disasters reached such scale, reinforcing the importance of coordination with local authorities and established relief organizations—lessons that would shape the Church’s later disaster‑response efforts.

Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (2011)

The 9.0‑magnitude Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, was one of the most devastating disasters in modern history, claiming more than 19,000 lives and causing an estimated US $235 billion in damage. In response, alongside local authorities and partner organizations, the Church committed over US $13 million to relief and recovery and distributed more than 250 tons of emergency supplies, including food, water, blankets, hygiene items, clothing, and fuel.

As emergency needs gave way to long‑term recovery, the Church focused on restoring livelihoods and community stability. An employment resource center was established in the Sendai area, and fishing communities received industrial ice‑making equipment, refrigerated storage, trucks, nets, and other supplies needed to rebuild livelihoods. About 22,000 volunteers contributed more than 175,000 hours of service through cleanup, rebuilding, and community support. Service also extended to cultural preservation, including assistance from missionaries in restoring the Yawata Shrine in Tagajō, Miyagi Prefecture.

One year later, Elder Dallin H. Oaks described the resilience and cooperation of survivors and volunteers as “an example for the whole world.” Together, these relief and recovery efforts helped shape a more holistic approach to humanitarian support—one that balances immediate aid with long‑term renewal. (See Japan’s Earthquake and Tsunami Response: One Year Later)

Noto Peninsula Earthquake (2024)

The 7.6 magnitude Noto Peninsula Earthquake struck north-central Japan on January 1, 2024, killing more than 700 people and causing extensive infrastructure damage, landslides, and long-term displacement, particularly in aging rural communities.

The Church’s response reflected lessons learned over decades, including the need to be informed by and collaborate with neighbors, local officials, and community organizations. The meetinghouse in Nanao quickly became a hub for distributing water, food, and emergency supplies. The Church also donated funds to the Japanese Red Cross Society to support professional medical response efforts.

Volunteers from the Kanazawa area and surrounding prefectures repeatedly traveled to the region to assist with evacuation center cleanup, meal preparation, debris removal, and local “Town Stroll” visits—listening to residents and responding to expressed needs.

Support also extended to the repair or safe demolition of damaged Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, carried out in partnership with local religious leaders and contractors. The Church provided financial support and volunteers helped remove debris, salvaged culturally significant materials, and stabilized structures central to cultural identity and community life. (See Reflecting on a Year of Support for Areas Affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake)

Partnering Across Sectors

Experiences spanning the Great Hanshin‑Awaji Earthquake in 1995, the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in 2011, and the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in 2024 reinforced a consistent lesson: while many needs can be met through individual acts of service, broader emergencies call for coordination, communication, and trusted partnerships.

Many of the Church’s more recent disaster‑response efforts in Japan have been strengthened through collaboration with the Japan Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (JVOAD), established in 2016. The Church became a full member in 2018. Through this network, government agencies, social welfare councils, nonprofit organizations, private companies, and faith communities work together to reduce duplication, address unmet needs, and ensure that volunteers, supplies, and financial resources are mobilized in ways that reflect local priorities and conditions.

Strengthening Families and Communities Nationwide

Beyond disaster response, Latter‑day Saints across Japan work with local nonprofits, welfare councils, and neighborhood groups to support families facing economic pressure or social vulnerability.  Church buildings routinely host community events, blood drives, mobile food pantries, and service projects with partner organizations such as Second Harvest Japan and the Refugee Assistance Association.

Monetary donations have supported practical needs, including laptops for single parents pursuing education or job training and backpacks for children beginning a new school year.  See highlights of recent activities on the Church’s Japan Humanitarian Assistance Facebook page.

The 2025 Tokyo Giving Machines

During the 2025 Christmas season, Tokyo hosted Japan’s first Giving Machines. These vending‑machine‑style kiosks allowed people passing by to “purchase” items such as meals, school supplies, and hygiene kits for people in need. 

The Church partnered with Second Harvest Japan, Good Neighbors Japan, Japan Association for Refugees, Japan Association for UNHCR, and CARE International Japan, covering all operational costs so that 100% of donations went directly to those partner organizations. With the support of over 400 volunteers, more than 8,200 people visited the machines, donating a total of more than ¥11 million (approximately $73,000). The Japan effort was part of the Church’s global Light the World Giving Machine campaign, which welcomed nearly 1 million visitors in 126 cities across 21 countries.

A 125‑Year Tradition of Caring

Looking back across more than a century in Japan, Latter‑day Saint service has taken many forms—from early acts of mutual support in small congregations to modern emergency response, community partnerships, and coordinated humanitarian networks. Even as Japanese society has made significant progress, meaningful challenges remain. Natural disasters, widening income disparities, aging communities, and the growth of vulnerable populations continue to shape the needs of families and neighborhoods across the country.

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints in Japan, service grows from everyday acts of care within homes, congregations, and local communities. These grassroots efforts are supported and extended by the Church as an organization, enabling broader cooperation and coordinated responses in times of need. Together, this long‑standing tradition of caring continues—grounded in faith, strengthened through collaboration, and guided by a simple principle taught by Jesus Christ: love and care for one another.

Editor’s Note:
In preparing this retrospective, the editors consulted historical materials created for the Church’s 100‑year anniversary in Japan (2001), along with later Newsroom articles and official Church records.