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Overview
The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (NSKK = the Anglican
Church in Japan) was among the first Protestant
churches established after Japan was re-opened
to the world in 1854, ending 200 years of
isolation. The foundations of the Anglican
church throughout the country were laid mostly
by four organizations: the Episcopal Church
Board of Missions from America; the Church
Missionary Society (CMS) and the Society
for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) from
England; and the Anglican Church of Canada.
The first General Synod of the NSKK was held
in Osaka in 1887; the first Japanese bishops
were consecrated in 1923.
In 1941, the Japanese government expelled
all foreign clergy and missionaries from
the country. The NSKK came under pressure
to be folded into the united church, an umbrella
organization for all Protestant church groups
in Japan, but by and large resisted this
pressure. The NSKK became a self-supporting
province in 1972.
The province today is made up of nearly 300
churches in 11 dioceses, claiming roughly
22,000 members, including over
180 active
clergy.
Dioceses in Japan
(from Northeast to
Southwest)
1) Diocese of Hokkaido
The Rt. Revd
Maria Grace Tazu
Sasamori
2) Diocese of Tohoku
The Rt. Revd
Francis Kiyosumi
Hasegawa
3) Diocese of Kita-Kanto
The Rt. Revd Francis Xavier Hiroyuki Takahashi
(Interim Bishop)
4) Diocese of Tokyo
The Rt. Revd Francis Xavier Hiroyuki Takahashi
5) Diocese of Yokohama
The Rt. Revd Ignatius Osamu Irie
6) Diocese of Chubu
The Rt. Revd Dr. Francis of Assisi Renta Nishihara
7) Diocese of Kyoto
The Rt. Revd Stephen Takashi Kochi
8) Diocese of Osaka
The Rt. Revd Andrew Haruhisa Iso
9) Diocese of Kobe
The Rt. Revd Augustine Naoaki Kobayashi
10) Diocese of Kyushu
The Most. Revd Luke Kenichi Muto (Primate of NSKK)
11) Diocese of Okinawa
The Rt. Revd David
Eisho Uehara
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A Long-Standing Commitment
to Mission
Throughout its history, the NSKK has viewed
service to society as central to its witness
to the gospel of Jesus Christ in Japan. Church
members have sought in many ways to ensure
a more just and participatory society, especially
through action for social welfare, education,
and human rights. The church has advocated
the liberation of those facing discrimination,
including long-term Korean and Filipino residents
of Japan, former sufferers of Hansen's disease,
the so-called (buraku people) (a group
of people who have been marginalized since
Japan's feudal era), and indigenous Ainu
peoples in Hokkaido.
The church also proclaims the good news of
Christ in society through facilities related
to health care, care for the elderly, education
of the young, and facilities for the handicapped,
among others. In many rural areas, the church
provides caring, sound education for the
young through church-sponsored preschools
and kindergartens. Because of this long-standing
passion for reaching out to those who are
weak and marginalized, the NSKK has had a
significant influence on Japanese society
relative to its small membership.
Current outreach efforts such as Sei Ko Kai
Ikuno Center and Nagoya Youth Center are
drawing attention for trying to tackle contemporary
social issues relating to justice, peace
and human rights. Another effort not based
in any particular location is Kapatiran,
a support program for Filipina residents
in the Tokyo area, many of whom are young
women suffering under exploitative working
conditions.
By valuing relationships with the community,
and by encountering and seeking to learn
together with the disadvantaged and with
victims of discrimination and oppression,
the church strives to help bring about a
society where all can live together in harmony.
Related Institutions
In addition to 5 universities, 4 women's
junior colleges, and numerous kindergartens
and primary schools, the NSKK sponsors several
general hospitals and roughly 50 social welfare
institutions, including the following:
*St. Luke's International Hospital (Tokyo)
St. Luke's is a state-of-the-art general
hospital in central Tokyo, with 520 in-patient
beds and an average daily outpatient population
of approximately 2,500 people. A large congregation
worships regularly in the hospital's historic
chapel.
*St. Paul's (Rikkyo) University (Tokyo)
Founded in 1874, St. Paul's is a major private
co-educational university in Tokyo, with
a second campus in Saitama. The university
strives to offer humanitarian education based
upon Christian beliefs and values. A staff
of chaplains provides outreach and support
to students.
*St. Andrew's (Momoyama) University (Osaka)
St. Andrew's was established in 1884 as
a boy's school by C.F. Warren of the Church
Missionary Society. By 1959, the school had
expanded into a major liberal-arts co-educational
university.
*Central Theological College (Tokyo)
Founded in 1911, Central Theological College
offers a three-year residential course for
students preparing for ministry in all parts
of Japan. Actively supporting researchers
and part-time students, the seminary also
offers frequent lectures and seminars open
to working clergy and lay people.
*Bishop Williams Theological Seminary (Kyoto)
Named for Japan's first Anglican bishop,
Bishop Williams was founded in 1948 initially
to develop and train men and women lay leaders.
The school continues to support lay education,
but now also offers a three-year residential
course for students preparing for ordained
ministry.
*Sei Ko Kai Ikuno Center (Osaka)
Sharing facilities with a church and daycare
center, Ikuno Center has sought to proclaim
the gospel in the Osaka region since 1992.
The Center strives to be a place where Japanese
people, long-term Korean residents, and others
from a variety of cultural backgrounds can
work together to build a society that respects
the dignity of every human being.
*Nagoya Youth Center (Nagoya)
The Center offers a variety of programs for
youth and other residents of the Nagoya region
in Central Japan. In addition to offering
lodging and meeting space?including a 28-room
dorm for Japanese and international students?the
Center serves as a base for citizen's groups
and Christian organizations working on human
rights issues in Japan and internationally.
Statement of War
Responsibility
At its General Synod in 1996, the NSKK formally
took responsibility for its role during World
War II and the preceding Japanese occupation
of China and Korea. The following are some
excerpts from the Statement:
(The Nippon Sei Ko Kai, after 50
years since the end of World War II, admits its
responsibility and confesses its sin for having
supported and allowed, before and during the war, the
colonial rule and the war of aggression by the State of
Japan.)
(Since its establishment, The
Nippon Sei Ko kai has been making compromises with the
idea of a Tenno (God of Heaven) ruled nation and
militarism which go against the Gospel, and has not been
able to resist strongly against, or refuse those
principles.)
(The Nippon Sei Ko Kai confesses
to God and apologizes to the people in Asia and the
Pacific that we did not admit our fault immediately
after the end of the war, were unaware of our
responsibility for the past 50 years, and have not
actively called for reconciliation and compensation
until today.)
The full text of
the statement in English
is available online:
http://www.nskk.org/province/document/war_responsibility.pdf
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