Japanese Christians express concern over militarism
July 12, 2005
By Linda Bloom*
NEW YORK (UMNS) — Sixty years after the end of World War II, some
Christians in Japan are concerned about the increasing militarization in
their country.
Besides promoting nationalism and passing more stringent laws on
wiretapping and military emergencies, Japanese politicians have targeted
Article 9 of the constitution for change, according to the Rev.
Toshimasha Yamamoto, chief executive of the National Christian Council
in Japan. The government also has sent its Self-Defense Force to Iraq.
“Article 9 holds that the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation,” he explained.
Yamamoto and his wife, the Rev. Claudia Genung, spoke about the peace
and social issues in Japan during a July 7 briefing at the United
Methodist Board of Global Ministries. The couple is assigned by the
board as missionaries to Japan.
The push toward nationalism has affected public education, Yamamoto
said, citing incidents in 2004 and 2005 when teachers and other school
staff who refused to sing or play the piano for Japan’s national anthem
were punished. New history textbooks also downplayed Japan’s past
wrongdoings.
Laws promoting the national anthem and flag violate articles in the
constitution guaranteeing freedom of thought and conscience and freedom
of religion, according to Yamamoto. Both the anthem and flag are symbols
of past imperial militarism, he said. “We Japanese invaded neighboring
countries and killed innocent citizens while singing the Kimigayo anthem
under the Hinomaru flag.”
In the past, Japanese Christians were forced to place the emperor above
God and to worship the emperor at Shinto shrines. “By doing so, we took
part in oppressing the peoples of Korea and other Asian and Pacific
countries,” he added. “We will never forget this history.”
The elimination of Article 9 in Japan’s constitution would accelerate
tensions and fears between Japan and the rest of Asia, Yamamoto
believes.
“It is widely pointed out that Article 9 has been accepted by Asians as
Japan’s promise to never again embark on military aggression overseas,”
he said. “It is life insurance for Asians.”
Although Christians represent only about 1 percent of the Japanese
population, the National Christian Council in Japan tries to make their
voice heard. Council members are the United Church of Christ, which
includes the Methodist Church; the Anglican/Episcopal Church; the
Evangelical Lutheran Church; two Baptist churches; and the Korean
Christian Church in Japan, as well as Christian-based organizations such
as the YMCA and YWCA.
Together with Buddhists and the small Muslim population, they have
formed an interfaith peace network to create awareness of proposed
changes to the constitution that threaten peace.
The council also relates to Christians in nearby countries and has been
sending food since 1995 to alleviate the famine in North Korea. “We have
a long tradition of an ecumenical network among the churches of
northeast Asia,” Yamamoto said.
The council’s newsletter, Japan Christian Activity News, has focused on
peace-related issues along with social justice activities, according to
Genung, who serves as editor.
A growing social concern in Japan is homelessness, affecting some 40,000
to 50,000 people. “It has doubled in the last seven years, according to
government statistics,” she said.
The church where Genung is a part-time pastor feeds 300 to 500 homeless
people on Saturdays in a downtown Tokyo park. They also distribute soap,
razors, shoes and tickets to a public bath.
The couple serves on the board of Second Harvest Japan, formerly known
as Food Bank Japan, which “tries to collect food that otherwise would be
discarded” and offers it to single mothers, the elderly and migrant
workers as well as the homeless.
More information is available at www.jca.apc.org/ncc-j/, the council’s Web site.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Audio Interviews
The Rev. Toshi Yamamoto: “We formed the interfaith peace network.”
The Rev. Claudia Genung Yamamoto: “In Japan there are 40-50,000 homeless.”
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Resources
National Christian Council in Japan
Second Harvest Japan
Global Connections, Japan
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