Japan (MNN) — As the latest disaster in southern Japan triggers difficult memories, local Christians step in to help survivors.

Trauma resurfaces

A series of strong earthquakes shook Kumamoto, Japan, in April 2016. On July 28, 2026, a pair of earthquakes struck the same area – one with a magnitude above 7.0 on the Richter scale and one just below – followed by hundreds of aftershocks.

“[It’s been] 10 years since the last major earthquake in this area,” A3’s Robert Adair says.

“They’ve just come through a really hard season, and here it’s happening again.”

A Kumamoto University study found elevated levels of psychological distress, insomnia, and PTSD risk among survivors five years after the 2016 disaster. Then the earthquakes in late July reopened old wounds.

	A disaster relief work team helps churches rebuild.

“Japanese people are resilient. Japan has excellent systems to handle disasters like this, but it’s taking them back to 10 years ago,” Adair explains.

“A lot of the visual scars of that earthquake had been repaired, and then for another earthquake of this magnitude to happen was really shocking for people.”

How Christians are responding

A network of Japanese pastors trained by A3 is meeting spiritual needs in the aftermath. Instead of proclaiming the Gospel to strangers, believers build on established friendships.

When “some sort of event (disaster) like this happens, it’s a natural place for Jesus to come into the conversation,” Adair says,

“Christians are being naturally identified as the people of Jesus, and the way that their actions give integrity to the Gospel allows them to speak into people’s lives.”

A3 partners with local church networks to empower ministry plans, working alongside leaders who are meeting community needs. Learn more about A3’s approach.

Three Ways to Pray

Pray that traumatized earthquake survivors will meet the Prince of Peace.

“Please be praying that the people in Kumamoto would encounter Jesus in the midst of this disaster, whether through long-term friendships that local people have with Christians in their area, or volunteers from the outside,” Adair requests.

Pray that Japanese Christians will continue reaching across denominational lines to help earthquake survivors. “[Pray] that they would work together, and they’d be able to clearly discern what the actual needs are on the ground,” Adair says.

Finally, pray “that it would be the local people on the ground who are driving the conversation of what sort of response is needed following this earthquake,” he adds.

Listen to the broadcast (story begins at 2:40)

Direct Link: https://a3leaders.org/images/audio/mnn/4-5min-Aug21-2026.mp3

Call to Action

• Pray that traumatized earthquake survivors will meet the Prince of Peace.
• Pray for unity and discernment for the Church in Japan.
• Pray that relief and recovery efforts will be directed by local leaders.

More Information

• This story by Katey Hearth was originally published on 21-Aug-2026 by Mission Network News:
  https://www.mnnonline.org/news/japanese-christians-help-earthquake-survivors-find-hope/

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