GHQ invited many Christian missionaries from the United States to Japan, through [[Douglas MacArthur|Douglas MacArthur's]] famous call for 1,000 missionaries. Missionaries arrived not only from traditional churches, but also from some modern denominations, such as [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]. The Jehovah's Witnesses missionaries were so successful that they have become the second largest Christian denomination in Japan, with over 210,000 members (the largest is [[Catholicism]] with about 500,000 members). In Japan, Jehovah's Witnesses tend to be considered a Christianity based Shinshūkyō, not only because they were founded in the 19th century (as were other major Shinshūkyō), but also because of their missionary practices, which involve door-to-door visiting and frequent meetings.
Despite the influx of Christian missionaries, the majority of Shinshūkyō are Buddhist- or Shinto-related sects. Major sects include [[Soka Gakkai]], [[Risshō Kōsei Kai]] and [[Shinnyo-en]]. Major goals of Shinshūkyō include spiritual healing, individual prosperity, and social harmony. Many also hold a belief in [[Apocalypticism]], that is in the imminent or at least its radical transformation.ref Most of those who joined Shinshūkyō in this period were women from lower middle-class backgrounds.ref
