It is now the most widely read Japanese Bible, by both
Catholics and
Protestants. It is used by Catholic churches,
Anglican/Episcopal churches, Lutheran churches, United Church of Christ churches and other churches. It is not used by the
Japanese Orthodox Church because they, although participated in the translation committee initially, later backed out and did not approve its use in the church. The other Japanese Bible translation often used is the , first published in 1970, mainly by the Evangelical Protestants. The , first published in 1955, is Japan's first effort to translate the Bible in compliance with the
modern Japanese writing system that went into effect right after
World War II and is now much less used. ==2018 Revision==