Japan
Evangelical
Association

Japan Update

Autumn 2015 Number 70

Church leaders gathered at the founding general assembly of the Japan Evangelical Association in 1968

A Review of the Origin of Evangelicals in Japan
upon the 70th Anniversary of the End of World War II

InsideThe Origin of Evangelicals in
Japan

1-2

Story of a Hiroshima A-bomb
Survivor

3

JEA Statement on the 70th
Anniversary of WWII
Toward JCE6:

4-5

Diaspora Ministry

5News and Notes

6-7

Testimony7

Prayer/Editorial

8

Upon the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, I believeevangelicals in Japan face two challenges.
On the one hand, evangelicals must establish how they view the Bible and how
they understand the gospel. On the other
hand, they must face the challenge to thethe sovereignty of Christ as the head of
the Church. In response to the former
challenge, evangelicals are endeavoring
to assert their conviction in the canonicityof the divinely inspired Bible and fundamental doctrines. They are also in pursuitof holistic mission and the maturity of thechurch. In regard to the second challenge,in the face of emerging neo-nationalism
and historical revisionism convenient toJapan, evangelicals must prove that theyfear God and stand solely on the word of
Christ.
On August 15, 1945, the leaders of theUnited Church of Christ in Japan (“Kyodan”) were gathered in the Kanda Nishikicho office in downtown Tokyo, which had
survived the air raid. They listened to theEmperor’s radio address in which he announced his acceptance of the Potsdam
Declaration, and then held a prayer meeting to respectfully submit themselves tothe Emperor’s edict. Two days later, they

Yoichi
Yamaguchi

JEA Theological
Commission member
Professor,
Tokyo Christian
University

agreed upon the establishment of Japanesereligious studies as an academic discipline, and dedication to the evangelizationof Japan. Theology had ceased to be thename of a discipline, but rather, “Japanesereligious studies.” In 1942, the Kyodan
had declared the Greater East Asian War a“holy war” in its “Guidelines for Wartime
Evangelism” (“the Guidelines”). A passage
in the Guidelines reads, “Considering thefact that the Kyodan was founded immediately prior to the outbreak of the current
World War, we believe that the Kyodan
has been called by our heavenly Father tosupport the Emperor’s dominion and to
overcome the national emergency.” Item 3of the Guidelines says, “Work toward theestablishment of Japanese Christianity andto achieve the missions of the Kyodan.”Action item number 8 of the Guidelines
urges Christians to “Explore deeply Japanese religious studies toward the establish-

http://jeanet.org/

History
ment of Japanese Christianity.” This derived from Article
7 of the “Kyodan Code of Living,” stipulated in 1941.
Article 7 reads, “Each and every person shall stand firmon their faith through submitting themselves to the way of
the imperial nation, and shall do their best to support andprotect the fortune of the imperial household.” As you see,during the years leading to the end of World War II, thecanonicity of the Bible was compromised and there was a
failure to explicitly profess the sovereignty of Christ.
The year 1947 saw 12 ministers who had left or would
soon leave the Kyodan begin discussion of how to spreadthe gospel in postwar Japan. The 12 ministers included
Tsugio Tsutada of the Immanuel General Mission, Rinichi Funaki of the Gospel Mission, Takaoki Tokiwa andTakeshi Matsuo of the Reformed Church, Masaichi Matsuda of the Japan Alliance Christ Church, Shigetoshi
Taniguchi of the Brotherhood of Christ Church (later,of the Church of God Mission), Shintaro Hasegawa andPhilip Foxwell of the Bible Presbyterian Church, and Seiki
Kumano of the Baptist Church. Although the Reformed
Church and the Baptist Church opted out, the others
jointly founded the Japan Protestant Convention on May
12, 1948, in order to pursue partnerships among churches
standing on biblical faith.
In 1959, evangelical groups participated together in theJapan Protestant Centennial, a biblical faith movementin celebration of the centennial of Protestant missions inJapan. This movement resulted in the establishment of apartnership, with a statement of faith to the effect that “Webelieve in the Bible, the fully inspired and inerrant word ofGod, our sole standard of faith and life.” The members of
the central executive committee of the movement included
Chairman W. McKillen of the Reformed Church, Vice
Chairman Akiji Kurumada of the Holiness Church, and J.
Schwab of TEAM. Let me highlight a passage from theConvention Statement of the Japan Protestant Centennial.
“In accordance with the Holy Scripture, which we believe is the infallible Word of the only true God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and the Sovereign Rulerof Human history, we, meeting together, to celebrate thefirst century of Protestant missions in Japan make thisresolution as our testimony for the coming second century
of Protestant missions here.
1. During the past 100 years, we as Christians in many
respects came short of the Scriptural command to put
away all idolatry in our life as individuals and as a nation.
As we reflect on this before God we deeply repent of oursin.
2. In accordance with the Holy Scripture, we acknowledge that the State and the Church are two different andlegitimate orders, both under the sovereignty of God. We
support the present national constitution, recognizing that
it is in accord with Biblical principle in safeguarding ourfundamental human rights of freedom of religion on the2

principle of separation of religion and state.
3. In consideration of the past in our country when theprinciple of separation of religion and state was neglected
and the freedom of religion was severely oppressed, we
will endeavor with all our might to guard against the mistake of introducing any elements of pagan religion into
any state-related affairs and seek to eliminate all suchelements. Specifically, since the Ise Shrine is religious,
two matters of great importance are: 1) That it should notreceive any special treatment from the State on the groundor title of having an intimate relationship to the Imperial family, of being a ‘spiritual center’ for the Japanesepeople, or for the sake of the age-old ‘beautiful custom’of ancestor worship; 2) That there shall be no compulsion
upon the Japanese in connection with it.
For the sake of maintaining the true relationship between State and religion that is involved in the three articles above, we pledge to ‘fight this good fight of faith’
unitedly on the basis of our common belief in the Bible.”
The Japan Protestant Centennial continued beyond theConvention, and served as a catalyst for the formation ofOpening night of Tokyo JPC(from October 1959 issue of Japan Harvest)

the Japan Protestant Conference (JPC) in 1960. The JPC
instituted two task forces: the Bible Translation Committee and the Ise Jingu Management Committee. The former
produced the Shinkaiyaku Bible in 1969, while the latterpromoted protest against the state patronage of the Yasukuni Shrine.
When we review the history of postwar evangelicals inJapan, we see in their origin regret for their involvementin WWII and repentance of such involvement. Evangelicals embraced the value of the unity of churches, from themerger of a wide spectrum of churches from the Reformed
to the Holiness churches under the Kyodan. In the postwar
era, evangelical churches promoted interdenominational
partnerships under the sovereignty of Christ. They worked
to be a church obedient only to the word of Christ. Theirideals came to fruition in 1968 with the foundation of theJapan Evangelical Association (JEA).

History

Living in the Shadow of Death after Exposure to Radiation:
I Was Four Kilometers from Ground Zero in Hiroshima
Christian Shimbun article translated by Tomoko Kato
At the August 2015 Kirisuto-sha Heiwa no Tsudoi(Christians’ Gathering for Peace) in Hiroshima, Kimiko
Ono shared in detail about her experiences immediately
after the atom bomb was dropped and the days following.
Ono and her family originally lived close to the centerof Hiroshima in Teramachi, near the Aioi Bridge. Fourmonths before the bombing, they were evacuated to a relative’s house to avoid American air raids.
On August 6, 1945, she was in her school classroom (ona summer school day). It was there, at the Kokumin Gakko(National School for Children aged 6 to 14), located four
kilometers from ground zero, that Ono was exposed to radiation.
She shared some of her memories: “Suddenly, we saw
the glow from the flash, and heard the enormous sound of
the explosion. All the windows were shattered. We werethrown into a panic. When the teachers tried to guide us
to the air-raid shelter, I was upset because my shoes had
disappeared from the shoebox. I also remember one of theteachers had a little red stain on her blouse, which kept
spreading bigger and bigger.”At the school ground overlooking the city, people werelooking up at the sky. “I looked up at the sky too, and saw
that it was grey. Below the sky, reaching down to the town,
I saw an orangish ball of fire, along with an ominouslooking cloud of red, black, and grey. We silently walked
back home through the rice fields. It was dark, like night.
I thought it was the end of the world. I was scared, as thepiles of rice straw looked like badgers or foxes. Largeraindrops fell and changed into ashes on our skin. After I
parted from my friends and rushed alone down the hill toour house, I wailed. I never will forget how I felt at thattime.”
A number of people evacuated from the city center tothe house where Ono was living. She continued: “Until
midnight I heard the confused whispers and laments of thepeople who took refuge in our house. I had three thirteenyear-old cousins. All three were working on tatemonosokai (building evacuation)1 in the center of Hiroshimacity with the gakuto-doin (student mobilization)2 and diedas a result of the A-bomb. One of my cousins, Takako, fledhome from the town, but died five days after the bomb was
dropped. We didn’t know anything about radiation then,so people said she had inhaled some kind of gas. Anothercousin, Tomiko, was wounded and taken to Ninoshima.
The third, Tetsuko was taken to Kanawajima, and then to
Ninoshima. It seems that both Tomiko and Tetsuko diedthree days after the A-bombing. Some years later, their elder sister visited the families of the deceased of Yamanaka
Koto Jogakkou (Yamanaka Girls’ High School) and published a collection of the records and the memorial articlesof the girls who lost their lives because of the A-Bomb.”
When Ono’s cousin was looking for Tomiko, he happened upon a soldier walking along the railway. He recog-

nized him as a friend and brought him home. Ono clearly
remembers seeing this soldier, who was burned all over
his body, lying on the engawa (a narrow wooden deck thatfaces a garden). The soldier’s face was too swollen to talk.
Ono recalled: “One day we saw him trying to stand up to
go to the toilet. My mother may have thought he would notlive long, so she got
a peach from somewhere, and put apiece into his mouth.
He nodded to show
his appreciation.”
At that time, “Whodied today?” was thedaily conversation
topic, as smoke andKimiko Ono
odors continuously
floated over the hill from the temporary crematorium.
Ono reflected on former classmates: “I lost many of myclassmates who lived in the Teramachi area. Seventeen
years later, when I went to a city hospital to give birth to
my child, I met the mother of one of my classmates. She
told me her daughter was hospitalized because of leukemia. Even after that long period, many people were still
suffering as a result of the bomb. I was not able to go see
her.”
Toward the end of her talk, Ono extended an appeal: “InPeace Memorial Park, the cenotaph says “Let all the souls
here rest in peace. For we shall not repeat the evil.” Howdeeply do we understand this phrase? We have to get ridof these Satan-like atom bombs. Let’s make peace together
and walk with Jesus Christ!”[notes]1. tatemono-sokai (building evacuation)
The purpose of tatemono-sokai was to tear down buildings
to make firebreaks and prevent fire from spreading to adjacent buildings. On August 6, 1945, there was an extensive
tatemono-sokai going on in Hiroshima to make firebreaks,
which would split the town between the north and thesouth. Mainly students aged 13 or 14 years old were engaged in this project and this resulted in their being sacrificed in the atom bomb explosion. Of the 7,200 students
who were killed by the A-bomb, 82% were working in thetatemono-sokai.
2. gakuto-doin (student mobilization)
Toward the end of World War II (after 1943), in order tocover the serious labor shortage, junior high or high school
students were mobilized to work on war industry productlines or other low-skilled labor jobs instead of studying at
school.

3

Statement

JEA Statement on the 70th Anniversary of the End of World War II
We, the Japan Evangelical Association (JEA), in the presenceof the Lord God and of Christ Jesus who will judge the living
and the dead, in view of his appearance and his kingdom, as
we face the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and as
we testify of the Gospel to Japan and to the world, in order tobecome agents of peace, issue the following statement:
Following World War II, when we, evangelical churches
in Japan, who believe the Holy Scripture to be the infallible
Word of God, came together, we faced two axes of confrontation. First, a confrontation against liberal theology that
denied the canonicity of the Bible and fundamental doctrines.
Second, a confrontation against Japanese nationalism thatespoused State Shinto emperor worship, and oppressed faithconfessing only Christ as Lord.
The Resolution of the Japan Protestant Centennial in 1959
stated:“In accordance with the Holy Scripture, which we believe
is the infallible Word of the only true God, the Creator of theheavens and the earth and the Sovereign Ruler of Human history, we ... make this resolution as our testimony...
1. During the past 100 years, we as Christians in many
respects came short of the Scriptural command to put away
all idolatry in our life as individuals and as a nation. As wereflect on this before God we deeply repent of our sin.
2. In accordance with the Holy Scripture, we acknowledge
that the State and the Church are two different and legitimate
orders, both under the sovereignty of God. We support thepresent national constitution, recognizing that it is in accord
with Biblical principle in safeguarding our fundamental human rights of freedom of religion on the principle of separation of religion and state.
3. In consideration of the past in our country when theprinciple of separation of religion and state was neglected
and the freedom of religion was severely oppressed, we will
endeavor with all our might to guard against the mistake ofintroducing any elements of pagan religion into any staterelated affairs and seek to eliminate all such elements...
For the sake of maintaining the true relationship between
State and religion that is involved in the three articles above,
we pledge to ‘fight this good fight of faith’ unitedly on the basis of our common belief in the Bible.”
The Japan Protestant Conference (JPC), which came out of
this movement and would become one of the three foundingorganizations of JEA, was established in 1960 and instituted
two task forces: the Bible Translation Committee and the Ise
Shrine Management Committee. The former committee gavebirth in 1961 to the New Japanese Bible Publishing Association, resulting in the publication of the New Japanese Bible(Shinkaiyaku Seisho) in 1970. The latter gave rise in 1967 toprotests against state patronage of Yasukuni Shrine, which
continue today. Proceeding from these, the JEA was founded
in 1968 under the common belief that “the Holy Scripture is
the infallible Word of God in its entirety and only authoritative standard for our faith and life.” (JEA Bylaws, Chapter 3,
Article 1.)
In 1995, we, the members of the JEA, issued “The JEA
Statement on the 50th Anniversary of the End of World War
II” and expressed our repentance and apology for the sins/
crimes of the church: that we gave in to nationalism based onemperor-centered historiography and committed the sin of

4

idolatry—at the same time participating in invasions and theinfliction of suffering upon Asian countries while pursuingemperor-centered nationalism. In 2005, in “The JEA Statement on the 60th Anniversary of the End of the World War
II,” we quoted from the 2000 “Okinawa Declaration” of the
4th Japan Congress on Evangelism and expressed our resolve
to profess the Gospel and become peacemakers wherever weare as messengers of the Gospel of reconciliation. Although
we have undertaken various endeavors in each of our circumstances in the past ten years, we must confess that we havecome up short as we examine the fruit that has resulted fromputting these statements into practice. We openly admit ourinadequate response and reaffirm our repentance and commitment to these statements.
As we face this 70th anniversary, it is increasingly moredifficult to hear firsthand testimony describing Japan’s wartime activities. As a result, historical revisionism sympathetic
to Japan is experiencing an increase in popularity, while ethnic discrimination such as hate speech, is expressed openly
toward people of other Asian countries. There are alarming
signs of threats to freedom of religion and thought, as well as
incidents that pave the way toward a revival of State Shinto
emperor worship, such as constraints related to the national
flag and anthem, as well as the habitual Shinto shrine worship of some cabinet members. Following events such as therailroading into law of the Act on the Protection of Specially
Designated Secrets (SDS), issues related to U.S. militarybases in Okinawa, the lifting of the ban on the exercise of
the right to collective defense (solely by Cabinet decision),and national security related bills being deliberated in the
National Diet, once again within the Christian community inJapan there are movements resembling the prewar era that
advocate a form of “Japanese Christianity” that goes alongwith nationalism based on emperor-centered historiography.
Under these circumstances, we, the JEA, will pass on to thenext generation the history of sins/crimes during World War
II and the repentance of the Japanese church. Engraving upon
our hearts the origin of evangelical churches coming together
in postwar Japan, we will resist all the forces that threaten the
dignity and life of human beings who are created in God’s
image and that invoke hostility and conflict. We will strive
to tell and live out the love of God manifested in the cross ofJesus Christ so that peace and reconciliation through that divine love will be realized in our family, local community, andsociety. We will profess the canonicity of the Bible and sovereignity of Christ to State and society and defend freedomof religion and thought. We will point to the true relationshipbetween State and church by practicing our faith to follow
the lordship of Jesus Christ alone. We express our commitment to stand together with those who are oppressed, sociallyvulnerable, and marginalized, and to promote peace throughliving out the Gospel of reconciliation in addressing issues
that hinder reconciliation with neighboring countries, as wellas to work together in solidarity with Asian and Global Biblebelieving churches to fill the world with the Gospel.
“See, a king will reign in righteousness / and rulers willrule with justice.” Isaiah 32:1
June 3rd, 2015
The 30th General Assembly of the JEAJEA Chairman: Takao Nakadai
Moderator of the General Assembly: Toshie Umeda

ReportRestoring the Evangelical DNA of Confronting Nationalism
Kenichi Shinagawa, JEA General Secretary

On October 17th, 1940, 20,000 Christians gathered at
Aoyama Gakuin University to commemorate the 2,600th
Imperial year of the Emperor's reign and to celebrate theunification of Christian denominations under the Nihon
Kirisuto Kyodan. The gathering issued a statement thatdeclared loyalty to the Emperor and a willingness to takepart in the nationalistic agenda to rule over neighboring
Asian countries.
My grandfather served on the committee for this event
as a young pastor in his thirties. From an insider document
I inherited, I can sense the enthusiasm that under this surge
in nationalism, Christianity was finally being acceptedby Japanese society. This sentiment paved the way forchurches in Japan to commit the idolatry of worshiping theemperor and to participate in invasion and the inflictionof suffering upon neighoring countries during WorldWar II. The rhetoric was that worshiping the emperor
was not idolatry, because “Shinto is a tradition and not areligion.” Many church leaders who compromized theirfaith and gave in to emperor-worshiping nationalism werequite evangelical in their ministry. Yet the force of social
conformity and the deep-rooted DNA of nationalism
within them won them over.
Our evangelical forefathers of the postwar era saw thedanger of this deep-rooted DNA of emperor-worshiping
nationalism in churches in Japan and clearly stated, “Forthe sake of maintaining the true relationship between Stateand religion ... we pledge to ‘fight this good fight of faith’
unitedly on the basis of our common belief in the Bible.”
After 70 years, we now see another uprising within
the Christian community in Japan of emperor-centerednationalism accompanied with an aspiration for “Japanese
Christianity” similar to the prewar era. The JEA Statementon the 70th Anniversary of WWII aims to restore backto our evangelical community the DNA of confronting
Japanese nationalism so that we evangelicals in Japan
will not compromise our faith, but act as catalysts for true
peace and reconciliation in the coming years.

Toward JCE6: Diaspora Ministry

Toshio Nagai, JCE6 Programing Committee, J.Clay Mission Network
The term “diaspora ministry” first appeared at the Fourth
Japan Congress on Evangelism (JCE4) held in Okinawa
in 2000. I still remember the session entitled, “The Era of
Diaspora.” Japanese churches became aware of diaspora
ministry at this time.
The word “diaspora” was originally used to describe
scattered Jewish people, but gradually it has become amore familiar word with a broader meaning among Japanese Christians. Globally, this word is now understood as“people on the move.” In Japan, it has two major meanings. The first is “returnees to Japan” and the second is“people from other countries.”
It is said that those who have gone overseas and become
Jesus followers (or seekers) have difficulty adjusting tochurches in Japan. Sadly, some local churches still tend
to think of returnees as “people from a different world,”
lacking in common Japanese sense and proper Christiantraining. On the other hand, returnees feel they are notwelcomed by Christians in local Japanese churches. This
becomes a vicious circle, as both sides feel hurt and misunderstood. However, now is the time for returnees tobring more awareness about the amazing things God is doing all over the world.
More than two million foreign people live in Japan.
Some churches welcome Christian foreigners as membersof the body of Christ, but most churches have very limited
experience with Christians from other countries. On theother hand, people in churches in Japan that worship in
languages other than Japanese have a hard time in various
areas, such as passing their Christian faith on to children
who have been born in Japan and speak fluent Japanese.
Some mission organizations, as well as individual Chris-tians who have a heart for the diaspora in Japan, havefocused on reaching out to returnees. Also, various gatherings on this topic have been held during the past few years.
Some issues related to this area were presented and discussed in sessions at the Missions Forum led by the JEA
Missions Committee. Since JCE4, there have been several
conferences focusing on the diaspora, including three All
Nations Returnees Conferences (ANRC 2009, 2010, and2012) and a Global Returnees Conference (2015). Also, in
recent years topics such as international marriages, business as mission, and overseas Japanese churches are often
mentioned by Christian media and at mission conferences.
JCE6 has a heart for the diaspora community. The planning committee has already started inviting ministers who
serve Japanese churches overseas and will invite such
ministers and leaders as participants to all sessions. Also,
following the conference, on September 30 and October
1, 2016, a gathering will be held for these Japanese ministers. God is providing this opportunity for pastors in Japanto listen to their fellow ministers who are preaching thegood news to Japanese people overseas. I hope this will
be a new beginning of our journey together as the global
body of Christ.
The steering committee has also started having open
gatherings for foreign ministers serving in Japan. We needto have a better understanding of their ministries and acknowledge them as coworkers in Christ. I hope and praythat the coming JCE6 will serve as the opportunity God
has given to churches to start walking in a spirit of unity—
as a team working with diaspora people both domesticallyand internationally. People are moving all around thisglobe. Shall we also be moved by God’s heart of mission?

5NEWS and NOTESEvangelical Perspective on Nuclear Weapons – WEA
Leaders Visit Hiroshima & Nagasaki
In early August, newly appointed WEA(World Evangelical Alliance) general secretary Efraim Tendero and WEA
Nuclear Weapon Task Force leader Tyler Stevenson visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki along with general secretary
Kenichi Shinagawa of JEA. They attended numerous 70thmemorial events, visited museums/historical sites and met
with atomic bomb survivors.
Secretary
Te n d e r o c o m mented, “It wassignificant forme to actually
see where atomic
bomb blasted
and feel the reality of people’s
suffering. Now I
Bishop Efraim Tendero(left) and Tyler Stevenson understand how
inhumane nuclear weapons are and I feel we evangelicals need to address this issue.” Stevenson added, “WEA
hasn’t clearly stated a position on nuclear weapons yet.
This visit is a good starting point to engage in this pressing issue with an evangelical perspective. ”“While salvation of souls, of course, is at the centerof Christ’s Gospel, it also includes how we live out that
Gospel. As salt of the earth and light of the world, weevangelicals have the responsibility to promote peace andcontribute to the quality of life of people.” said Secretary
Tendero who had led holistic ministries in the Philippines.
One unique evangelical perspective is the understandingof nuclear weapon issue as an idolatry, since people prostrate before man-made weapons. “We can not overlook thefact that people believe in nuclear deterrence rather than
God for keeping peace in this world. The transforming
power of the cross of Jesus Christ is needed to change thisparadigm of terror,” said Stevenson.
Youth Gathering 50+20 – Japanese Churches
70 years after the World War II
On September 19, 2015, the Japan Evangelical Association (JEA)
held a gathering
named, “50 + 20:
What Happened
70 Ye a r s A g o ?
W h a t D i d We
Confess 50 Years
Later? What Has
Been Happening
Around Us forT h e s e P a s t 20
Hi-b.a. worship teamYears?” at Ochanomizu Christian Center, Tokyo. Coincidentally, despite fierce opposition, early in the morning of
the same day the recent controversial security bills weresteamrolled through the House of Councillors.

“Faith during the War was serious and pure but distorted
in the opposite direction of God’s will,” said Professor
Yoichi Yamaguchi of Tokyo Christian University after his
morning speech in which he read the will of a Christian
student who died as kamikaze pilot.
Yamaguchi continued: “Japanese churches accepted
idolatry as national ritual, called World War II a “Holy
War,” and actively cooperated in supporting the War.
Fifty years later, we confessed our sins. But since then,historical revisionism has spread. Now Japan has shifted
its stance by adopting a new law which allows the useof force to settle international disputes, even though it isagainst our Constitution.” Yamaguchi quoted Matthew
26:52: “Live by the sword, die by the sword” and encouraged the audience by saying: “Jesus submitted himself tothe cross for reconciliation. Let’s get the unconstitutionallaws invalidated and make peace on the earth.”
Masaru Asaoka (Pastor of Tokumaru Christ Church,
Japan Alliance Christ Church) shared Psalm 19:2 in his
evening message: “Day after day they pour forth speech,
and night after night they display knowledge.” He said, “At
the 50 year memorial, everyone
suddenly began apologizing andrepenting, which was not convincing to me. We must express
what we really repent of with
our own words. I am against the
security bills as they do not takelives seriously. Christians cannot be silent, as Jesus died on the
cross and now we have learned
how important lives are.” Asaoka
ended by saying, “As churches,
Rev. Asaoka
we must decide that we will nevertake part in wars. Today, we are sheep for the slaughter.
However, this is a start for us to walk with Jesus.”
Six group discussions were held between the messages,
and two gospel singers and one band led worship concerts.
More than 300 people—the majority of them youth—
gathered and shared God’s blessings.

Symposium on Partnership Between Churches andChristian Schools
The last of the six symposium series on the “Holistic
Mission in Japan,” hosted by the Japan Lausanne Committee, was held on November 7, 2015 at Ochanomizu Christian Center in Tokyo. The topic of “Partnership Between
Christian Schools and Local Churches” was explored,with reference to Part IIF of the Cape Town Commitment“Partnering in the body of Christ for unity in mission.”
Local churches suffer from the scarce presence of children and youth, while Christian schools account for over
10% of private schools in Japan. Four speakers discussed
how local churches can effectively partner with Christianschools.
In his keynote speech, Paul Tsuchido Shew, Aoyama
Gakuin University, deplored how some of his students

Summaries translated from selected Christian Shimbun articles - August to November 2015

6

Testimony
were met, when
they built up
their courage to
go to church, a
totally irrelevant
and highly traditional culture.
He challenged
the church to
become adaptive From left: Paul Tsuchido Shew, Sakiko Honma,
Hiroshi Mizuguchi, Taku Noda
to the needs andculture of young people, through modifying the format of
the worship service if necessary, and by creating a cultureof joy and hope. Shew also called for partnership in whichchurches will encourage their members to work and study
in Christian schools.
Hiroshi Mizuguchi, Tamagawa Seigakuin (Tamasei),looked at history since the Meiji era. He expressed regretthat a number of Christian schools lost their identity after
WWII, and how local churches simply let them becomeschools of Christian principles with very few Christians.
He stressed the importance of school-church collaboration
at a time when nationalist ideas are on the rise in educational policies. He also suggested that Christian schools
make more use of resources of the church, so students will
be able to turn their knowledge into personal experienceand wisdom.
As an assistant pastor of Tamagawa Christ-Centered
Church near Tamasei, Sakiko Honma shared testimonies
of partnership, including a local public school inviting a
Tamasei teacher to speak about childrearing issues.
Taku Noda, with Student Christian Fellowship (SCF)
of the United Church of Christ in Japan (Kyodan), notedthat what matters to the church is making meaningful connections with young people, instead of merely changing
styles of worship. He urged the church to engage in serious prayer and support for the young, as well as Christianschools and youth organizations.

The Book that Changed My Life:
Testimony of Taichi Maruyama

Maruyama was a successful programmer. He enjoyedhis job a lot, so working 300 hours a month (75 hours aweek) or working on weekends was not a problem forhim. By the age of 24, he was being paid nearly doublethat of the average person his age. This made him very
proud. He felt as if he could do anything.
However, in 1998, just a year after joining the company,
Maruyama started suffering panic attacks. “I was unable
to maintain myself or work properly. I was anxious. I had
to take medication as I continued working for the company. Up until that time, I thought I could do anything, butthen I realized I couldn’t control my own body or mind.”
What made things worse was that the company heworked for suffered the collapse of the Internet bubble
economy and business went downhill. Maruyama got a

pay cut and the company had to reduce personnel.
It was during that time that Maruyama’s mother handed
him a book by Ayako Miura entitled Yu Ari Asa Ari (After
Sunset Comes Sunrise). This book is the story of Kenji Igarashi, who established Hakuyosha, the largest dry cleaning business in Japan.
“My mother borrowed five books from the libraryand handed me one saying, ‘Read this.’ I was still going
through a rebellious phase, but I was interested in business at the time, so I did as she suggested. I read the bookon my commute home, and for the first time I read about
the Christian faith. This prompted me to read other books
by Ayako Miura such as Shiokari Toge (Shiokari Pass)
and Hyoten (Freezing Point), which got me interested in
Christianity.”
Up until then, Maruyama’s values were “to have lots ofmoney and to succeed in life. Have a successful career anddo good for the world and leave a mark.” These values
were what kept him motivated in his job.
However, Igarashi’s values were different. Igarashi, whocame from a poor background, put his heart and soul into
his work because he wanted to earn money to provide
his mother a better life. But he eventually found that lifestyle meaningless, and when he met a missionary, his life
values changed from “earning lots of money and leaving
one’s mark” to “putting God first and living faithfully.”“This shiftof values affected me,” said
Maruyama. A
desire to go toa church caused
him to search theInternet. “I felt
resistant going tochurch at first. I
Taichi Maruyama of BREADFISH
don’t think manychurches had websites back then, but I carefully checked
the ones that did, and decided to go to the one I thought
had the best atmosphere.” He went to Nagoya Dendo Fukuin Church situated in Central Nagoya. “I was alreadydetermined to become a Christian on my first visit,” says
Maruyama. After attending for a year, Maruyama got baptized in December of 2002.
Maruyama reflects back upon his life. “I was bullied
throughout junior high school and high school, and therefore didn’t believe in myself. In my 20s, I wanted to proveto the world that I could make it. However, in my late 20s,
business wasn’t going well and I suffered from panic attacks. It was then that I came across the book, Yu Ari Asa
Ari. I believe this was God’s plan and not because of myown will.’
In 2010, Taichi Maruyama established BREADFISH, a
website design company for churches. The name BREADFISH comes from the Bible story about the five loaves ofbread and the two fish.

Summaries translated from selected Christian Shimbun articles - August to November 20157

Please Pray for Japan
1. That the JEA Statement on the 70th anniversary of the End ofWorld War II will help restore the evangelical DNA of confronting Japanese nationalism and encourage evangelicals to
be catalysts for true peace and reconciliation.
2. That God will use the Sixth Japan Congress on Evangelism(JCE6), Sept. 27–30 in Kobe, to advance the Kingdom of God
in Japan and pave the way for a greater sense of unity in mission and creative collaboration among churches and mission
organizations in Japan.
3. That through the preparations for JCE6, younger leaders will
be connected, encouraged, and equipped to reach out to thenext generation.

JEA Related Schedule
DATE		

EVENT

PLACE

Feb. 20		

JEA Mission Symposium

Tokyo

Feb. 29-Mar. 1 4th Theological Symposium on			Great East Japan Earthquake

Tokyo

Feb. 29-Mar. 5 WEA Leadership Forum

Seoul

April 24

Tokyo

Disaster Preparedness Festa

Editorial
As we prepared for the JEA Statement at the70th Anniversary of the End of WW II, we went
through many documents and books of the past.
It was like a time slip to those days when our
forefathers in the faith struggled and fought thefight of faith in their own circumstances. I believe they were sincere
and passionate. I truly respect them. Yet there are many mistakesthat we need to learn from and not repeat again.
Nationalism is a difficult subject. In Japan, nationalism is always
connected to emperor worship and Shinto. In other countries nationalism may be connected to Christianity. But as evangelicals ourtrue nationality lies in Jesus Christ who laid down His life for us.
May we rest upon our true nationality in Heaven and overcome ourtendencies toward earthly nationalism.
Kenichi Shinagawa, Editor in Chief

http://jeanet.org/

Japan Update
Autumn 2015 - Number 70
English Newsletter of theJapan Evangelical Association (JEA)
Chairman :Takao Nakadai
General Secretary : Kenichi Shinagawa
Japan Update is pub­lished biannuallyby the JEA. Through Japan Update, the
JEA seeks to communicate how God is
at work in Japan and to foster prayer
and collaborative work for the advancement of God’s kingdom in Japan. Views
expressed by in­di­vi­dual auth­ors do notneces­sarily reflect offi­cial JEA posi­tions.
Japanese names appear in Wes­tern order(sur­name last).
Per­m is­s ion to reprint is gran­t ed, butplease give cre­dit and send one copy of
any pub­li­ca­tion con­tain­ing reprin­ted material to the edi­tor.

Japan Update Staff
Editor in Chief
Kenichi Shinagawa
Asst. Editor
Atsuko Tateishi
Translation Editor
Gary Bauman
Translation Staff             Tomoko Kato		Grace Koshino		
Hiromi Kiuchi
Editorial Office:  
c/o JEA, OCC Building
2-1 Kanda Surugadai
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062, Japan
telephone 03-3295-1765
fax
03-3295-1933     email        adminoffice@jeanet.org     website     http://jeanet.org/
Subscription:
If you desire to subscribe to Japan Update in digital format (PDF), please send
the request by email to adminoffice@jeanet.org.