3 new missions in Japan, Philippines Anew mission in Japan and two new missions in the Philippines have been announced by the First Presidency.

The Okinawa mission will be created in Japan and the San Pablo and Tacloban missions will be formed in the Philippines. The new missions will begin operation about July 1.With the new missions, Japan will have 10 missions and the Philippines, 11. The Churchwide total will be 246.

Japan was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel in 1901, but work was slow and intermittent until after World War II. Full-time missionaries and LDS servicemen introduced many people to the Church in the post-war era.

The Japan mission was divided in 1968, and new missions have been created regularly since then to reach the populous islands. Fifteen of the 23 stakes in Japan were created in the 1980s.

Work in the Philippines, one of the fastest growing areas in the Church, has increased rapidly during the past two decades. The first missionaries arrived in 1961, and the Philippine Mission was organized in 1967. That mission was divided in 1974, and other divisions quickly followed. Five of the 11 missions were created in the 1980s.

The number of stakes has also increased. The Philippines' first stake was formed in 1973, and 33 of the Philippines' 37 stakes were created in the 1980s.

Japan Okinanwa

The Japan Kobe Mission will be divided to create the Okinawa mission, which will include the island of Okinawa, located about 350 miles south of Japan, and smaller islands in the chain to the south. The new mission will have about 3,900 members in a stake and a district within a population of 1.4 million.

The Kobe mission, with a population of 11.9 million, will have 7,700 members in two stakes and a district.

Pres. Douglas Matsumori of the Kobe mission said the Okinawa stake is active in missionary work, and each ward has a strong mission leader. "The leaders get very excited about missionary work," he said. "Many in Okinawa join the Church as a family. This tends to be a pattern, and makes a pretty strong base."

On Okinawa, people are very friendly and they have some of the Polynesian Islands flavor and warmth, Pres. Matsumori said.

Missionaries encourage members to be involved in community programs, to meet people and prepare them for the gospel. "We call it `Ammon proselyting,' " he observed.

About a third of the missionaries are local. The remainder are mostly American missionaries who also work closely with the large contingent of American servicemen on the island. The LDS servicemen "are doing excellent work; they are truly member-missionaries," said Pres. Matsumori.

Philippines San Pablo

The Philippines Manila Mission will be divided to form the new San Pablo mission, which will have about 8,200 members in two stakes and two districts within a population of 5.7 million. The Manila mission will retain 14,700 members in five stakes and two districts within population of 5 million.

The new mission includes the Batangas, Laguna and part of Quezon provinces, and the Mindoro, Tablas and Sibuyan islands.

Pres. Donald L. Hilton of the Manila mission said the new mission is a fertile field for missionary work.

"The Filipinos are very ready. They are spiritual and they are listening to the gospel." Missionaries are laboring throughout the area, in the large suburban areas and in small villages.

Membership in the cities is more established, while the rural areas tend to have more recent converts. "Some of the new districts have leaders who are fairly new in the Church," said Pres. Hilton. "There is a lot of training that has to be done, but the leaders are anxious to learn. Missionaries who served in the area become very good priesthood leaders. They are an asset to the local unit."

Philippines Tacloban

The Philippines Cebu Mission will be divided to form the new Tacloban mission in the Samar and Leyte provinces. The new mission will have 4,500 members in five districts, and a population of 3.1 million. The Cebu mission will be left with 7,500 members in two stakes and one district within a population of 3.3 million.

Pres. C. Elliott Richards, who last year experienced a division of his mission when the Naga mission was created, said "the spirit is tremendous among missionaries." His mission ranges from 70 to 90 percent local missionaries.

Members are helpful, but missionaries still must tract door-to-door to find enough investigators. "Tracting is more productive here than in the United States," said Pres. Richards. He said people are receptive to the gospel message, but face stiff persecution if they begin hearing the missionary lessons.

The amount of commitment required by converts to join the Church really strengthens them, he said.

"We have young men in leadership positions who are eager to learn. We are grateful for couples serving in the Philippines, and for their shadow leadership.

"Now there will be an opportunity for wonderful growth of the Church here."