Content preview - You need a premium account to view this content.

Japan 1962-1978

To the Building of the Tokyo Temple

When President Dwayne N. Andersen and his wife, Peggy, arrived in Japan to assume the reigns of leadership of the rapidly growing mission, he soon recognized that tremendous growth had taken place in the mission since he served there in the early 1950s. His first mission to Japan had been during the Mauss era. He had served as a counselor in the mission presidency and had directed the affairs of the LDS servicemen's organization. Because as a seventy he had accepted a call to serve as a special missionary for two years during the Korean conflict, he did not have enough time then to learn the Japanese language. Nevertheless, he had observed well the Japanese and the workings of the mission, and he had a good grasp of the responsibility held by the mission president.

When President Andersen reviewed the status of the mission with President Andrus, he learned that there were now close to seven thousand Japanese members, seven times the number when he left Japan in 1953. He also learned that although only ten or twelve branches had been added during that time, existing branches were much larger than before and were attempting to carry on the full program of the Church. The number of missionaries had grown, too, from 66 in 1953 to more than 180 in 1962. The magnitude of the growth and progress of the mission impressed President Andersen, but the very growth had created new challenges that needed considerable attention. By the end of President Andrus's period, there were sufficient members of the Church in Japan for leaders in Salt Lake City as well as in Japan to begin seriously contemplating the creation of a stake or stakes. But much would have to be done on many fronts before a stake could be organized. New modern chapels were sorely needed; more and better-trained priesthood leaders were required; and a group of solid families, of whom the husband and wife had been to the temple, would be desirable before a stake could be organized. It fell on President Andersen to move the Church forward in these areas and a number of others.

President Andersen arrived in Japan at a time of transition. The Korean area was divided off and made a separate mission at that time. And during the preceding months, the Church Missionary Committee had introduced the first uniform proselytizing plan that was used worldwide. Though this new plan was in use, some missionaries, recognizing they would soon be released, preferred not to expend the energy needed to learn the new discussions. This recalcitrance, along with some other problems, created some difficulty for President Andersen during the early months of his mission. Nevertheless, he worked to create a new spirit of enthusiasm (he fostered a program called PMA, or Positive Mental Attitude) and a heightened level of spirituality (he did this by example, by teaching, and by selecting senior elders and having them help new missionaries make the best possible adjustment to the pattern of missionary life). When President Andersen discussed success with his missionaries, he emphasized conversions rather than baptisms. "I felt that we shouldn't expand," said Andersen, "but should try to consolidate and build a strong foundation, and if they wanted more missionaries in Japan they should divide the mission and get more help, because one man just couldn't do it all." His greatest contribution was in consolidation, but he also stimulated considerable expansion.1