Rev. Prof. Renta Nishihara, The Anglican Church in Japan

What are the most burning issues you are facing regarding the role of the churches in your society?

Adopted in 1947, Article Nine of Japan’s constitution renounces war as a means to resolving international disputes and forbids Japan from maintaining standing military forces.   Japan’s demilitarization and constitutional commitment to oppose war has been the emblem of a nation once humbled by war but now strengthened through peace.    Article Nine has been regarded around the world as a model for state pacifism.    However, efforts in recent years both within Japan and internationally have tried to remove Article Nine or significantly weaken Japan’s commitment to peace.

Japan has developed a more offensive military posture as part of the United States’ post-September 11 global strategy of containing perceived threats to U.S. interests from the Middle East to the Pacific Rim. The U.S. regards Japan as a key ally in the region and has increased its military presence and operations in the country.   Nationalist interests in Japan have used appeals to patriotism and
fear of terrorism to lobby for an end to Japan’s demilitarization and  increased participation in US-allied security strategies.   As a result,  Japan’s Self Defense Forces have been increasingly deployed outside
the country and Japan’s Diet (Parliament) passed a law in 2007, establishing a process to revise the constitution in near future.  

The Churches and ecumenical movements in Japan have called on  international partners to support Japanese movements to keep and to strengthen Japan’s Peace Constitution.    Moreover, in this time of
increased global militarization and strategic division of nations through fear and coercion, we seek to advance the spirit of peace expressed in Article Nine throughout the world.

“...Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.” (Psalm 85:10)   For all of us who value peace, we are called by God to fulfill this mission.