Japan 1614 Ban On Christianity

In the 16th and 17th centuries, after initially welcoming missionaries from Portugal, Japan’s shoguns banned Christianity because they viewed the growing faith as a threat to political control and social unity. In 1614, they issued a formal ban that destroyed churches, persecuted converts, and outlawed Christian worship across the country. Authorities then expelled foreign missionaries and enforced the prohibition, forcing Japanese Christians to practice in secret or abandon the faith altogether.

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