December 29, 1970  
December 29, 1970 - Brethren & Co-Workers Letter
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Herbert W Armstrong 

The WORLD TOMORROW
A WORLDWIDE BROADCAST

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
GARNER TED ARMSTRONG

Proclaim to the World the GOOD NEWS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW

Box 111, Pasadena, Calif. 91109

Publishing: The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of UNDERSTANDING

December 29, 1970

Dear Family of Co-Workers:

   I have just returned from Japan. I have a very wonderful ANNOUNCEMENT. In this great worldwide Work we have never yet reached Japan. I have now set the tentative date for going into Japan with very powerful IMPACT — next July 1st.

   Do you realize how IMPORTANT that country is? Industrially, in world trade, economically, in gross national product, it is THE NUMBER TWO NATION of the world, next to the United States.

   It has no military force of its own — but it could create one larger than the U.S.S.R. in very short order — it has the financial power.

   Japan is a very powerful country of 100 MILLION PEOPLE! They are a very aggressive people — of high educational standards.

   Let me tell you what a providential happening was required for me to be able to make this most important announcement to you. Ten years ago I was on a trip around the world with our overseas advertising agent from New York. He brought up the question of reaching the Japanese people.

   "That would take an absolute miracle," I explained. "There would not be one chance in a thousand million, without an absolute miracle. Here's what would have to happen: First, a native-born Japanese, an experienced radio speaker from Japan would have to enroll in Ambassador College, spend four years there and graduate. He would have to also understand English. He would have to be a converted man - as a believer in Jesus Christ, coming into the full TRUTH of the Bible, and the very same Gospel Jesus and the original apostles taught — the same as we teach. And such a man would have to just appear, without our searching him out, because we have no contacts there whatever, and no way whatever of finding such a man. It would have to be a miracle sent from God."

   But I actually believed it would happen, because Japan is TOO IMPORTANT a nation to overlook when we are commissioned to get the very same GOOD NEWS Jesus brought to the world, "into all the world, for a witness unto all nations."

   We have now gotten this vital message into all North America, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East including the Arab world, Russia and the Russian satellite countries, India, China, southeast Asia, northern, central, and southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies. ALL BUT JAPAN!

   Japan has about twice as many people as England. Several times more than Australia, New Zealand, Canada or South Africa. Half as many as the United States.

   Industrially and economically it has now gone ahead of Russia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy — or ANY other country on earth! It is now the second largest producer of automobiles, and number one in shipbuilding.

   Is the Almighty God back of this Work? Is this HIS Work?

   A few years ago a man from Japan was walking along South Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena. He saw the beautiful Ambassador College campus. He was impressed and asked to go through and see the campus and buildings. He enrolled at the English campus.

   Was he the man? No. But he wrote a friend in Japan about Ambassador College. We did not know this. We just knew he did not fill the qualifications.

   His friend came to Pasadena from Tokyo. He enrolled. He was a married man, but not too old to study and do university level work in America. After he had been here a while, I learned that he was an experienced speaker on Japanese radio stations. While studying at Ambassador he started doing part-time work translating our booklets into Japanese. We set him up with a Japanese secretary to assist in the translation.

   Now, at last, he is ready. At last we have sufficient literature translated to offer radio listeners in Japan. Now we are in position to publish a Japanese language edition of The PLAIN TRUTH or TOMORROW'S WORLD.

   But, most important, this man from Japan has been converted and baptized! He not only believes in Jesus, the Christ, he BELIEVES CHRIST — that is, with us, he believes what Christ SAID — His MESSAGE — the true Gospel — the GOOD NEWS of the KINGDOM OF GOD — of the soon coming world of PEACE — the WORLD TOMORROW!

   To do business in Japan, he explained to me some three or four years ago, one must first gain recognition AT THE TOP. Japanese custom makes it difficult if not impossible to make contacts any higher up than one already has made. This man, Osamu Gotoh, now head of the Japanese Department, teaching Japanese at the college here, comes from a family prominent in Japan. He already had a good acquaintance with Prince Mikasa, brother of the Emperor. He is the highest up the ladder of anyone to whom one might be presented in Japan. No one ever sees the Emperor or his son the Crown Prince except possibly a king, queen, or president. Prince Mikasa carries the social and ceremonial duties in Japan, such as Queen Elizabeth does in England.

   Japan has a parliamentary system of government, headed by the Prime Minister, who is chief Executive of the government, as the President is in the United States.

   A little over two years ago, I was luncheon guest of Prince Mikasa in Tokyo. After luncheon, he drove me through the very spacious and beautifully landscaped Imperial Palace grounds, and on leaving, presented me to his very lovely and charming wife (that's not newspaper reporter flattery — she is just that).

   Last September, on our trip around the world, we were dinner guests in Tokyo of the Prince, his wife and one of their daughters. On that trip Prince Mikasa had arranged for a special meeting of some sixty leading professors from leading universities in Japan, before whom I spoke.

   On the present visit to Tokyo, we visited the Prince and his Princess wife in their new palace, into which they had moved only last month — since our September visit.

   Highlight of this visit, however, was a forty-five minute meeting with the Prime Minister, Eisaku Sato, in his office. He gave me a message for the American people which will appear in The PLAIN TRUTH.

   While I was there, a week ago Sunday, the great riot occurred on Okinawa - a primarily Japanese island, now a U.S. military base. No private plane has ever landed there, but Prime Minister Sato made special request that I visit Okinawa, accompanied by a very prominent Japanese educator with whom I have become acquainted, and who accompanied me to Prime Minister Sato's office. This educator is the government's chief adviser in Okinawa matters, with a semi-government authority.

   So AT LAST the DOOR IS OPEN.

   I have set the tentative date to open the campaign in Japan for next July 1st. I say tentative, because there MUST OF NECESSITY BE A CONDITION.

   That condition is a matter of adequate funds. That is YOUR part. We will want to start using DOUBLE PAGE ADS in Reader's Digest, other advertising space in other magazines or newspapers, and open with The WORLD TOMORROW program, in Japanese, over radio.

   GOD HAS PERFORMED THE MIRACLE! He has opened all doors, to Japan. I can walk on through this door ONLY if you Co-Workers stand back of me in this.

   We are closing a very difficult year, financially. December has been the most difficult December in years. We have managed to come through. To keep our heads above water this year, we had to make many cutbacks. But beginning now we MUST again publish The PLAIN TRUTH and TOMORROW'S WORLD every month. We MUST go back on all radio stations DAILY instead of once a week, or the Work would go down hill.

   The spiritual HARVEST of this year has been TREMENDOUS — into the thousands in changed and converted lives.

   WHAT A WONDERFUL PRIVILEGE to have a part in such a wonderful Work where the living GOD is working, opening doors, performing miracles! After such a seemingly IMPOSSIBLE miracle has actually taken place are WE going to let down? N E V E R ! It will mean sacrifice for most of us this year. But NOTHING ELSE counts, now. This could even be our LAST YEAR, for this time, in this Work. World conditions are closing in FAST.

   Let's put our shoulders to the wheel this year and get on with GETTING THE JOB DONE while we may, for "the night is coming when NO MAN can work."

   I THANK YOU from the heart for YOUR part, and great shall be your reward!

With love, in Jesus' name,
Herbert W. Armstrong

Publication Date: December 29, 1970
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