In 1926, Junzo Akashi, a Japanese-American, was sent to Japan as the Society’s representative.

Unhappily, the branch overseer apostatized under the pressure. With a few loyal exceptions, such as the Ishii and Miura families, most of the Todaisha followed him in quitting Jehovah’s service. The failure of this group can be attributed also to their following a man, Junzo Akashi. He adopted the traditional Japanese custom of polygamy, even though he already had a wife.

But in 1947, Junzo Akashi notified the Watch Tower Society’s office in Brooklyn, New York, that he no longer agreed with Bible teachings.