Trained and funded workers remain shutout of Japan for lack of visa sponsors.

The Knock Project is a knocking on the doors-of-opportunity for visa sponsors in Japan. As doors open missionaries provided by ministries like Adventist Frontier Missions and Jesus For Asia will be enabled to go to work in the Lord’s harvest fields of Japan.

Problem. With a population of 123 million Japan is still one of the least worked fields in the world. Although Japan is a country with freedom of religion, missionaries and ministries looking for residency regularly meet closed doors to Japan because visa sponsorship opportunities are very few.

Resolution. The Knock Project is a systematic knock on the various doors-of-opportunity for visas to Japan. This includes:

• PREPARATION: Pray for wisdom and success
• 1: Research visa law in Japan
• 2: Select a board
• 3: Raise awareness and Identify Knock Project team members
  • Form a team of Japanese speakers, English speakers, and bi-lingual members residing in Japan and abroad
  • Establish project leaders for each initiative
  • Set and agree to priorities, deliverables, and timelines
  • Study and document Japan laws for business, immigration, and visas sponsorship
  • Partner with existing ministries to manage and allocate donations when received
• 4: Identify and leverage what already exists
  • Collaborate with the Japan Union of Seventh-day Adventists
  • Find Adventist business people in Japan and educate them of their potential to be a sponsor
  • Find missionaries and ministries in need of sponsor businesses
  • Connect sponsor businesses in Japan with existing “on-hold” missionaries and ministries
• 5: Strengthen what exists
  • Raise funds to buy existing businesses from non-Adventists in Japan and activate the business to be sponsors
  • Recruit investors to fund growth of existing Adventist businesses where growth is required for the business to be an active sponsor
• 6: Encourage new solutions
  • Identify aspiring missional business men and Invite experienced business men to advise business startups
  • Incubate businesses by inviting young Adventist professionals to form missional business startup teams as a ministry project
  • Encourage and support successful young Adventist business people to consider learning the Japanese language and laws to enter Japan and foreign missionaries.