| Dear Covie-netters, Japanese political-religious climate is gradually changing to dangerous Shinto-nationalism, as we had cautioned several times through the Covie-net in the past. The Liberal Democratic Party who seizes the Japanese government and won the recent election of the Japanese Diet, now plans to amend the present constitution, and tries to enforce the national-Shinto-istic view to the Japanese common people, including public education. LDP's draft of the introduction of the amended constitution reveals this problem clearly. For them, worshipping the Japanese war dead for the emperor (at the Yasukuni-Shrine etc.), or worshipping at Japanese traditional shrines is mere Japanese patriotic duty for all citizens than the specific religious activity. Just like Roman emperor thought the emperor worship was mere patriotic duty. They don’t really understand the meaning of religious freedom practically, even though Japanese present constitution claims. For them, Japanese Christians' conscientious rejection of worshipping any idols is nothing but the thing which should be ignored, or mere stubborn and stupid narrow mind of religious fanaticism of mono-theism which they do not need to pay any attention. They just don’t care about the truth of God, about men and about universe, but what they see is only about the present world's power: popularity and money: benefit. There is absolutely no fear of God. For them, religion is a mere pragmatic tool to control the innocent public. Japanese re-militarization is dangerous, if the present Shinto-istic nationalism with the emperorism becomes enforced more. After the World War Two, General Douglas MacArthur ordered to freeze Japanese emperorism and to destroy Japanese militarism. If these two revive and go together, it is the danger for the whole world, especially for Asia. Revised constitution will allow Japan to have armed forces again under the emperor's authority. If peace continues in the Far East, it might be no problem, but once when any serious crisis of Japanese economy or of international policy occurs, Japan will use the military power to defend its benefit even among Asian nations. Recently populist type politicians, like PM Koizumi or Tokyo Governor Ishihara, have gained the strong support of the Japanese public because of their performance of fanning the nationalism. There seems a danger of fascism in Japan, too. Japanese public is loosing a sense of balance recently, partially because of the unstable economy and of the unclearness of the future Japanese society which is rapidly drawing near to the mainly aged people's society. (Japan's population is predicted to drop within few decades.) PM Koizumi claimed to the press yesterday that he worshipped at Yasukuni Shrine as the oath of never taking the arm as the nation, and as the consolation to the spirits of war dead for Japanese nation. But everybody sees in the accompanied war-museum at Yasukuni Shrine the praise to the past Japanese military aggressions in Asia which filled the hall without any regret nor apology. National Shintoism is still not repenting the war at all, but rather remains convinced that the invasion to Asian countries was the holy war for the Japanese nation and the attempt of liberation of oppressed Asian nations under Japanese emperor’s grace. I really hope to ask the President of USA and government officers to investigate independently more of the fact of Yasukuni Shrine and of the danger of Japanese Shinto-nationalism in the present Japanese regime and its policy. I hope to see the US President behaving wise to caution against such Shinto-nationalistic trend in PM Koizumi regime as China and Korea. The present trend in Japan will be the danger of freedom of faith for Japanese Christians. If Japanese Christians keeps silent and obey quietly the government, in worshipping the Shinto-istic rite as the citizen's duty, like during WW2, Japanese Church might survive alright a while, and to be destroyed by the Lord when this nation faces His judgment. But if we keep claiming the freedom of faith to obey Christ the king in Japan conscientiously, we will surely be pressed someway or other in near future. Our persecution will be different from Chinese brothers, but we will face the difficulty of sincere Christian faith and life. We need to prepare for such days. We need to train our youth to face such spiritual battle and to endure in faithfulness to the Lord.
What I am praying recently are two things:
When you pray for the Japanese mission, please pray for such our preparation for the future. We need a solid enduring core of the true church of Christ, our king, in this country of Japan. Our church's aim is to build such core by the work of His Spirit. Our prayer to God is not to repeat the spiritual defeat during WW2. But we recognize that our endurance will be only by His grace, and it will really be the hard task. Sincerely
in His service, An
article pointed out by Katsunori Endo, Pastor of Kitasuzurandai Mission
RPC,
Kobe Japan: Additional
information: |