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THE JAPAN
CHRISTIAN YEARBOOK

A survey of the Christian movement in Japan through 1952

Edited by B. L. HINCHMAN
and
ROBERT W. WOOD

THE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SOCIETY
(KYO BUN KWAN)
CHRISTIAN CENTER
TOKYO
7

The Japan Christian Yearbook
^ j j
for 1953 is a continuation of the Japan Mission Yearbook and is also the forty-second issue of the Christian Movement in Japan and

The Japan Christian Yearbook is issued under the auspices of the Fellowship of Christian Missionaries in cooperation with the National Christian Council of Japan.

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Akira Ebisawa Mrs. Torn Matsumoto
B. L. Hinchman Mrs. Yasuko Nukaga
Theodore Livingstone Mrs. Hallam Shorrock
Toru Matsumoto Robert W. Wood
FOREIGN SALES
Available in the United States from
the Friendship Press, 257 Fourth Ave.,
New York 10, N. Y.

Preface

The year 1952 will be remembered in Japan as the year of independence after the first major military defeat
in her history. It will also be remembered as the year when the Japanese, Christians, and non-Christians alike,
settled down to facing the realities of the postwar situation. The defeat in 1945 had brought the dissolution of
older organisations, centers of power, etc., and the weakening of traditional beliefs and patterns of life. In
this fluid situation new hopes, ideals and forces were released. Prospects for " democracy " seemed almost un
limited ; for the Christian churches, crowded with " seekers ", it was a period of " unparalleled opportunity "
and of rising hopes for a " Christian Japan ". These were years of almost naive optimism.

As ratification of the Pesce Treaty drew near in 1952, more sober views found expression. Older, deeper
economic, political and social pressures were felt in creasingly ; older leaders once more emerged upon the
scene. International pressures stemming from the conflict between the Soviet bloc and the Western democracies were felt more sharply. Polarisation within the political arena increased. The movement to modify or scrap many of the SCAP-sponsored reforms and ordinances emerged into ;fhe open. Even the exhilaration of independence
was unable to overcome the uneasiness which had settled ii Preface over the nation.

For the church as well, a more sober and realistic view began to prevail ; the time of opportunity was not
gone, but the time for facing realities had surely come. Christian forces could no longer count upon the mo
mentum of the desire for change to make the penetration of Japanese lives and society by the Gospel easier.
Rather, they must settle down to the task of consolidating what real gains had been made and of bring
ing the Gospel into lives and a society which were again increasingly resistant. There were great problems
to meet : the problem of a membership which was largely young in its church experience and understanding of the
Faith ; the problem of regaining initiative and self-suoport after years of aid for church reconstruction and main tenance ; the problem of moving from dependence to a self-generating and self-supporting evangelistic outreach.
Even as the nation was shifted from dependence to in dependence, so too the church was moving again in this
direction.

The articles and reports in this 1953 issue of the Yearbook seek to present and describe this change in
the nation at large, and more especially in the work of the Christian movement in Japan. There are some changes
in arrangement of the book, but it too reflects this process of consolidation of what was begun in the previous post war Yearbooks. Upon the recommendation of a large number of people, a major change has been made in the

Preface iii
Yearbook date. Most of the articles cover the year 1952 ; however, as the book is produced in mid-1953, as an
attempt has been made to bring the directories up to June, 1953, and as the book will be used through part of
1954, it was thought that the dating, 1953, would lead to the least confusion. There is therefore no Yearbook
named the 1952 Yearbook.

To a very large degree a book of this kind represents the joint concern of all missionaries and Christian groups
in Japan. Grateful appreciation is extended herewith to all who have contributed articles, and particularly to the small but devoted group who have assisted in the edit ing of the book; and the hope is expressed that any
deficiencies herein will spur all of us to help the next editorial board produce a better Yearbook.

The Editors
AMONG OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Dr. Tetsutaro Ariga: Professor of Christian Studies in Kyotc University ; on leave during the academic year, 1953-4, as a visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary, New York City.

Dr. Sigurd Aske: President of the Fellowship of Christian Missionaries in Japan ; missionary of the Lutheran Free Church of Norway.

Rev. E. Frank Carey: Evangelistic worker in Nagano Prefecture ; missionary of the United Church of Canada.

Dr. Darley Downs: Secretary of the IBC Field Committee ;
Secretary of the United Church of Christ Council of Cooperation ; etc. ; missionary of the ABCFM.

Rev. Akira Ebisawa: General Secretary of the National Christian Council of Japan ; pastor of Onchoen Church, Chiba.

Rev. Norimichi Ebisawa: Secretary of the Literature Production Department of the National Christian Council.

Rev. William Fridell: Missionary-director of Scott Hall, student Christian center at Waseda University ; missionary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the American Baptist Church.

Rev. Jonathan Fujita: General Secretary of the Japan Council of Christian Education.

Mr. Seiji Giga: Former associate director of Airin Dan Social Settlement in Tokyo ; Executive Secretary, Christian Children s Fund, Inc., in Japan.

Dr. Masamichi Inoki: Professor of Political History in the Law Department of Kyoto University ; specialist on Russia.

Dr. Carl Kreider: Academic Dean of International Christina
University ; formerly professor in Goshen College ; member of the Mennonite Church.

Rev. Isamu Omura: Secretary of the General Evangelism Committee of the United Church of Christ in Japan ; pastor
of the Asagaya Church (Kyodan).

Miss Esther B. Rhoads: Japan Director of LARA (Licensed Agencies for Relief in Asia) ; American Friends Service Committee representative ; Principal of the Friends Girls School ; tutor of the Crown Prince.

Mr. Moto Sakata: President of the Laymen s Association of the United Church of Christ; member of the U. C. Council of Cooperation, etc., ; member of the Minami Osaka Church (Kyodan).

Rev. F. B. Sorley: President of the Evangelical Missions Association of Japan ; missionary of the Baptist General Con ference of America.

Rev. A. J. Stirewalt: Professor at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Kobe ; retired missionary of the United Lutheran Church in America.

Mr. Kazutaka Watanabe: Head of the Economic Research Institute in Tokyo ; will be at the University of Rochester
during 1953-4 lecturing on the political and social situation in Japan.

Mr. Tsuraki Yano: General Secretary of the National Christian Educational Association.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Among Our Contributors

CHAPTER I Page

General Survey of Japan in 1952. 1
The Political Situation Masamichi Inoki 1
The Economic Situation Carl Kreider 17
The Social Situation Kazutaka Watanabe 33
The Non-Christian Religions Tetsutaro Ariga 47

CHAPTER II

The Christian Movement in Japan 68
Part I Christian Work 68
Evangelistic Trends Isamu Omura 68
Rural Work E. Frank Carey 73
Laymen s Work Moto Sakata 87
Youth and Student Work William Fridell 92
Christian Schools Tsuraki Yano 111
International Christian University Carl Kreider 117
Social Work Esther B. Rhoads 126
Christian Children s Fund, Inc Seiji Giga 132
Christian Literature Norimichi Ebisawa 137
Part II Organs of Protestant Cooperation 149
United Church of Christ in Japan
and Its Relationships Darley Downs 149
National Christian Council of Japan Akira Ebisawa 165
Japan Council of Christian Education
Jonathan M. Fujita 170

Part III Reports from organizations 174
United Church of Christ in Japan
(Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan) Michio Kozaki 174
Interboard Committee for Christian
Work in Japan John C. deMaagd 177
Anglican Episcopal Church Raymond J. Hammer 181
Presbyterian Church U. S.
(Southern) Margaret Archibald 187
Reformed Presbyterian Mission Rose A. Huston 191
Christian Reformed Japan Mission Henry Bruinooge 194
Lutheran Churches of Japan A. C. Knudten 197
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod W. J. Danker 201
Southern Baptist Edwin B. Dozier 205
North American Baptist Florence Miller 208
Mid-Japan Baptist Mission Carl Blackler 210
Japan Free Methodist Church Pearl M. Reid 211
Seventh-Day Adventist Church F. R. Millard 214
Evangelical Alliance Mission Donald E. Nelson 217
Church of God Arthur R. Eikamp 222
Oriental Missionary Society Edwin L. Kilbourne 225
American Advent Mission Floyd Powers 229
Swedish Mission In China J. A. Aspberg 231
Swedish Evangelical Mission in Japan ...Folke Persson 235
Swedish Alliance Mission Erik Wiberg 237



Central Japan Pioneer Mission Thelma Sterry 239
Japan Apostolic Mission Leonard W. Coote 242
Japan Gospel Fellowship 244
Japan Inland Mission Hugh Kennedy 246
Worldwide Evangelization Crusade 249
Japan Evangelistic Band F. Tipton Williams 252
Christian Catholic Church Clark Offner 256
Pocket Testament League 258
Far Eastern Gospel Crusade Robert A. Foster 260
Free Christian Mission J. W. Rudolph 261

Covenant Missionary Society William Rigmark 263
Yotsuya Mission 260
Mennonite Board of Missions
and Charities Carl. C. Beck 268
Omi Brotherhood Merrell Vories Hitotsuyanagi 270
Church of the Foursquare Gospel Billie Charles 272
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 274
International Child Evangelism Fellowship 277
Gideons International R. J. Holzwarth 279
Japan Youth For Christ Sam Wolgemuth 281
Navigators 283

Inter- Varsity Christian Fellowship... Irene Webster Smith 287
YMCA Howard L. Haag 291
Salvation Army Charles Davidson 297
American Friends Service Committee Anna Brinton 300

Fellowship of Reconciliation Paul M. Sekiya 304

International Union of Gospel Missions Hugh Moreton 307

Japan Bible Society T. Miyakoda 313

"Mukyokai" (The Non-Church Group). ..Goro Mayeda 319



CHAPTER III

The Missionary Fellowship ..<.. 324
The Evangelical Missions Association

of Japan Francis B. Sorley 324

The Fellowship of Christian Missionaries... Sigurd Aske 326

In Memoriam A. J. Stirewalt 330

CHAPTER IV
Directories . 343



Japanese Church Headquarters and Officers 344

Headquarters of Other Religious & Social Organizations. . . 351

Christian Social Welfare Agencies Listed by Districts... 357

Mission Boards and Societies 378

Missionaries by Missions 395

Missionaries by Towns 442

Alphabetical List of Missionaries, with Addresses 492

APPENDICES
Statistics

Churches 1

Protestant Schools 1

Christian Welfare Agencies 1



CHAPTER I

GENERAL SURVEY OF　JAPAN IN 1952

THE POLITICAL SITUATION

by Masamichi Inoki
\ General Survey

The first half of 1952 was spent in dealing with the aftermath of the Peace Treaty and the U. S.-Japan　Security Pact which had been concluded in September of the preceding year That is to say, on January 16, 1952,　Prime Minister Yoshida s letter was announced in which he chose the Chinese Nationalists as the Government　with which Japan would negotiate a peace treaty with China ; on February 20th the treaty conference was convened ; and on April 28th the peace treaty between Japan and the Republic of China was concluded. Inevitably,these relations with the Chinese Nationalist Government led to a worsening of relations with Peking, but from　its position of hoping that the San Francisco Peace Treaty would take effect the Japanese Government was unable　from the end of 1951 to resist pressure from the American side. It was solely for the purpose of encouraging　America to ratify the Peace Treaty that the conference

1
GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

between Okazaki and Rusk on the Administrative Agree ment was opened the latter part of January, 1952, and
at the end of February the Administrative Agreement between Japan and the U. S. which recognised the ex
traterritorial jurisdiction of the U. S. Security Forces was concluded.

Thus on April 28, 1952, with the depositing of America s document of ratification, the Peace Treaty between
Japan and the ten nations which had thus far ratified it came into effect. On the same day the state of war came
to an end between Japan and India and Yugoslavia, neither of which had joined in the San Francisco Peace
Conference, and diplomatic relations with Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Vatican,
etc., were also restored.

In this way the long-expected Peace Treaty was concluded. However, it was not an over-all treaty (" zemmen-
koiva ") but was a treaty with only one group (" hemmcn-kowa "literally " one-sided ") of the belligerents. Con
sequently, tense relations between Japan and Red China and 1 he Soviet Union developed, and it followed inevitably that the Japanese Government in its external relations (taigaitekini) strengthened its attitude on rearmament, and in its domestic policy (tainaiteki ni) prepared public peace and order policies such as the Subversive Activities Preven tion Law, etc. The May 1st riot on the Imperial Plaza in Tokyo was viewed as a reaction by the communists against the " one-sided " peace treaty. But even apart

THE POLITICAL SITUATION 3

from the activities of the small number of ultra-leftists, a feeling of uneasiness and dissatisfaction with the Yoshida Cabinet s unquestioning adherence to America " (" kobciif)f>cnio ") policy was seen to prevail among a rather broad strata of the people.

In the general election which was held on October 1st after a lapse of four years, the pros and cons of the
Yoshida Cabinet s foreign policy and the accompanying policy of a gradual increase of self-defence forces were fought out. As a result of the election, the Liberal Party maintained its majority within the Diet with difficulty, but it included within it a fair number of the dissident Hatoyama wing, and thus the degree of instability in the political situation increased rapidly. It is worthwhile not ing not only the complete defeat of the Communist Party but also that the Left-wing Socialist Party which insisted on independent neutrality and opposition to rearmament in one stroke tripled the number of its seats and manifests a tendency to become the nucleus for the so-called " progressive forces ".

On October 24th Yoshida was designated Prime Minister for the fourth time, and on Oct. 30th the fourth
Yoshida Cabinet was established. But as the Hatoyama wing within the Liberal Party resisted Prime Minister
Yoshida in all things, a non-confidence motion against Minister of International Trade and Industry Ikeda was
passed on Nov. 28th, and the passage of the supple mentary budget bill continued to encounter difficulties.

4 GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

Also, the coal miners strike, which began about the middle of October, by December had deeply affected
people s living conditions through curtailment of trains, restrictions on the use of gas, etc., due to a shortage of of coal stocks, and the situation progressed so far as to create social uneasiness and a tense political situation about the middle of December. As Prime Minister Yo- shida succeeded in working out a compromise with the Democratization League (" Mindoha " or Hatoyama wing) ,on December 14th he took a resolute attitude toward the coal miners strike and invoked the Emergency Adjustment injunction. Accordingly, the Coal Miners Union, Tanro, issued an order suspending the strike on Dec. 16th, and on the same day the supplementary budget bill was passed in the House of Representatives.

Thus this crisis was avoided, but as the internal dis sension within the Liberal Party and the severe antagon
ism between capital and labor were not basically resolved these same problems were carried over into 1953.
The Peace Treaty with the Chinese Nationalist Govern ment

China was excluded from among the principal signatory nations in the 23rd article of the San Francisco
Peace Treaty. This was a convenient device based upon a compromise between the U. S., which continued
to recognize the Chinese Nationalist Government in Taiwan, and England, which had recognized the Govern-



THE POLITICAL SITUATION 5

ment of the People s Reoublic of China. This was supposed to leave Japan free to choose with which of
the two Chinese governments she would conclude a treaty, but the United States strongly demanded that she
should choose the Nationalists, and when Japan completed her ratification of the San Francisco Peace Treaty and
the Security Pact in November of 1951 the United States in December dispatched Special Envoy Dulles to exert
pressure upon Japan to conclude a peace treaty with Nationalist China. Consequently, on December 24th Prime
Minister Yoshida wrote to Dulles stating that Japan had made preparations for the restoration of diplomatic rela
tions with the Chinese Nationalists and that she would not enter into friendly relations with the Government of
the People s Republic of China. This letter having been made public, Foreign Minister Yeh Kung Chao of the
Nationalist Government declared that he was in agree ment with an early conclusion of a peace treaty with
Japan, and conferences were begun in Taiwan on Feb. 20th between Foreign Minister Yeh and Japanese Pleni
potentiary Kawada. But the negotiations encountered difficulties because of fundamental differences of opinion
between the Nationalist Government and Japan. While the Nationalist Government tried to conclude the peace
treaty formally as the representative of the whole of China, Japan wanted to conclude only a limited friend-
vShip treaty (genteiteki shuko joyaku) with the Nationalist Government as representing only Formosa. A com-

6 GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

promise between the two countries was reached in which it was conceded that the treaty represented formally
what the Nationalist Government demanded, but in sub stance was what the Japanese Government demanded.
On April 28, 1952, the " Peace Treaty between Japan and the Republic of China ", one protocol, two exchanges of
official documents, and one exchange of letters, were signed.

On August 5th both countries completed ratification of the treaty and it went into effect. But because the
treaty includes contradictions between form and substance, there are many doubtful points requiring interpretation.
For example we may take the answers of the Government in the Diet. While Minister of State Okazaki said that
" by this treaty the state of war with the whole of China is legally ended ", Prime Minister Yoshida stated that
" the treaty between Japan and China was concluded with the government in Formosa and thus does not mean
that we recognize the Nationalist Government as the representative of the whole of China." If the political
power in Formosa should retake the Chinese mainland, the contradictions in this treaty will be automatically
solved, but there is almost no probability of this occurr ing. The " peace " with the Nationalist Government,
therefore, will make the state of war between Japan and the Chinese mainland and Manchuria continue forever,
and it will thus become a factor in deepening the crisis of war in the Far East. The question of how the rela-

THE POLITICAL SITUATION 7

tions between Japan and the Government of the People s Republic of China, which controls the Chinese mainland and Manchuria, will develop hereafter economically and politically will determine the political trends in Japan.

The U. S. -Japan Administrative Agreement

The U. S.-Japan Security Pact stipulated in the 3rd article that the conditions regulating the arrangements
for American troops stationed in Japan would be settled in an administrative agreement between the two governments. From January 29, 1952, negotiations were held in Tokyo between Special Ambassador Dean Rusk re
presenting the U. S. and Minister of State Okazaki, and on the last day of February the Administrative Agreement was signed. This agreement consists of a preamble and 29 articles in all. Compared with the North Atlantic Treaty Agreement concluded in London, June 19, 1951, this agreement has many disadvantageous provisions in respect to Japan.

First, in spite of the fact that in countries where foreign troops are stationed those who receive privileges and special advantages are usually limited to armies, military personnel, civilian employees of the armed forces, and their families, in the U. S.-Japan Administrative Agreement contractors and authorized agencies used by the military are also included. Since June, 1952, when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received from the U. S. Government lists of American firms which would specially



8 GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

enter Japan by this agreement, Japanese public opinion began rapidly to pay attention to the significance of this problem. For the activities of powerful American firms which were used by the military forces in Japan were given special privileges and protections, and this became a heavy blow to the Japanese business world.

Secondly, the means of payment within the region of (he North Atlantic Treaty Agreement is in terms of
the currency of the country in which the troops are stationed, while in the U. S.-Japan Administrative Agreement the forces which are stationed in Japan can procure directly. Moreover, civil suits arising out of these procure ment contracts do not belong under the jurisdiction of Japanese courts, according to the interpretation of the American side. By this agreement Japanese businessmen who accept these direct procurement orders from the American forces are placed in an extremely disadvantageous position.

THE POLITICAL SITUATION 9

Thirdly, according to the U. S.-Japan Administrative Agreement, in criminal cases the principle of jurisdiction according to nationality is enjoyed completely by the American forces, civilians attached to these forces, and their dependents. This provision (the 17th article) is greatly censured as a humiliating revival of the principle of extraterritorial jurisdiction. These provisions which are disadvantageous to Japan have stimulated public opinion in Japan whenever a con crete case has arisen, and anti-American feeling has become strong especially within the environs of American base camps. Apparently the execution of the Administrative Agreement provided fertile ground for communist propaganda that " Japan is an American colony". The degree to which the Japanese Government endeavors to, and succeeds in, revising the Administrative Agreement will exert a significant influence upon Japan s future. The Problem of Rearmament In the preamble to the U. S. -Japan Security Pact it was clearly written that America " expects (Japan) gradu ally to take responsibility herself for her self-defence against direct or indirect aggression." Subsequently, as Special Envoy Dulles came to Japan to consult on the Japanese defence problem not only with Prime Minister Yoshida but also with former Admiral Nomura and other former military men, the rearmament problem rapidly increased in importance from the end of 1951. In his speech on administrative policy in the Diet in January, 1952, Prime Minister Yoshida made clear a so-called plan for the gradual increase of self-defence strength. This included a plan to increase the National Police Reserve from 75,000 to 110,000, to establish a Marine Patrol Corps within the Marine Safety Board (Kaijo Hoancho) by lend- lease of 60 naval vessels from the U. S., and further to establish a unified organisation of both defence forces. In response to American demands for Japanese re armament, former army and navy men began actively to 10 GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 try to secure leadership in rearmament. But Prime Minister Yoshida, it was said, obtained Special Envoy Dulles consent for a gradual increase of self-defence strength in place of Dulles demand for rearmament, on the grounds that national feeling had not arrived at a point where it would tolerate an open program of re armament, that the new Constitution made clear Japanese abandonment of war and forbade the possession of war potential, and that the national economy could not bear the burden of rearmament, etc. The problem of the increase in the Police Reserve became a target for discussion in the Diet, but the Govern ment insisted that the " Police Reserve is not war po tential but is only a supplementary agency of the national and local police for the purpose of maintaining internal peace and order, and thus is not against the Constitution", and in this way railroaded the bill through the Diet. The Left-wing Socialist Party, in the name of its chair man Suzuki, on March 15, 1952, instituted a lawsuit in the Supreme Court against the Government charging that the Police Reserve was a violation of the Con stitution. As the increase of the National Police Reserve and the Marine Patrol Corps was completed in the former half of 1952 as was planned by the Government, on May 10th a bill for a National Safety Agency was introduced into the Diet, and despite vigorous attacks by the opposi tion parties it passed both Houses on the last day of THE POLITICAL SITUATION 11 July. On August 1st the National Safety Agency began operation. The National Safety Agency is an extra-ministerial (gaikyoku) agency of the Prime Minister s office, and the head of the N. S. A. controls and manages the agency under the direction and supervision of the Prime Minister. The functions of the N. S. A. " are the control, operation, and management of the corps which in special cases is called out for the maintenance of the country s internal peace and order and for protection of the people s life and property." The corps includes the National Safety Forces (formerly the National Police Reserve) and the Coast Guard Team (formerly the Marine Patrol Corps). Both of these have already adopted a considerable number of former military men as leaders and it is said that they are ready for a struggle with the civilians to acquire leadership of the corps. The General Elections August 28, 1952, on the basis of article 7 of the Constitution, the Yoshida Cabinet dissolved the National Diet. On the same day Prime Minister Yoshida explained the reasons for the dissolution in a statement. " Up to this point we have held fast to the policy of not holding a general election until the completion of our term of office on the ground that we have wanted to avoid need less disturbance of the political situation. But upon deep consideration of the situation of the former Diet and the 12 GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 urgent national expectation for an election, etc., we have concluded that a delay in the general election would produce and intensify uneasiness in the political and economic worlds. We believe also that public opinion tends to expect an early dissolution of the National Diet for the above reasons. Therefore, the Government has now decided to dissolve the House of Representatives and hold a general election." The general election of October 1st was held almost four years after the election in January, 1949. As the Liberal Party, backed by an absolute majority in the House of Representatives, had for these four years pushed its policies, both internal and external, with con siderable force, this general election sought to determine the nation s approval or disapproval of the basic policies of Yoshida s Liberal Party Cabinet externally, coopera tion with America or " unquestioning adherence to America " (" America ippento ") , and internally, free economy. The other four major parties Progressive Party, Right-wing Socialist Party, Left-wing Socialist Party, and Communist Party have stood against the Liberal Party headed by Prime Minister Yoshida. The Progressive Party which joined together conservative political forces, descending from the former Constitutional Government Organisation (Kenseikai) and the Party for Popular Government (Minseito) , with elements of the National Cooperative Party (Kyodo Kumiaishugisha) , was established February 8, 1952. These groups joined to- THE POLITICAL SITUATION 13 gether only because of their anti-Yoshida position, for in terms of internal policies they ranged from a right- wing which was to the right of the Liberal Party to a left-wing which was near the position of the Right-wing Socialists. Mamoru Shigemitsu, a former war criminal who was only depurged on March 24, 1952, was elected president of the party at the extraordinary party assembly on June 13th. There is question whether the existence of a second conservative party beside the Liberal Party is possible or not. The birth of the Progressive Party was based on two facts : the lack of a strong opposi tion party which could succeed to political power the Socialist Party which was split into right and left-wings was too weak; and the existence of traditional clan relations within the various conservative forces in Japan which made a combination or union of these conservatives on the basis of policies almost impossible. The Socialist Party split into a right-wing and a left- wing at the party assembly held in Asakusa Public Hall in Tokyo on October 23-24, 1951 ; the Right-wing Socialists stood in favor of the Peace Treaty and against the Security Pact while the Left-wing Socialists stood against both the Peace Treaty and the Security Pact. It will not be easy to reunite these two wings, for the cause of the split is related to the very basis of Japanese foreign policy. As the " unquestioning adherence to America " policy in Japanese diplomacy was becoming increasingly obvious in the first half of 1952, the opposition between 14 GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 the Right-wing Socialists, who have tried to cooperate with America in the name of cooperation with the United Nations, and the Left-wing Socialists, who have tended to become increasingly anti- American in the name of independent neutrality, has sharpened more and more. The power of the Left-wing Socialists within the House of Representatives was weak, but the General Council of Trade Unions of Japan (Sohyo), which holds an absolute majority of Japanese organized labor, strongly supported the Left-wing Socialists so that with the conclusion of the U. S.- Japan Administrative Agreement which increased the anti-American feeling of the people, the Left-wing Socialist Party began to be the most in fluential opposition party. The Communist Party defined Japan as an American colony, and upon the judgment that the movement for national emancipation from colonial status had no other weapon than armed struggle, it resorted to a program of terrorism in which even flame-bottles and bamboo spears were employed. And this provoked the antipathy of the people so that the Communist policy of armed struggle came to a standstill. At its zenith this strategy resulted in the May Day incidents on May 1, 1952. On July 15, 1952, Chief Party Secretary Tokuda wrote an article in the Cominform organ in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Japan Communist Party in which he criticized the Japan Com munist Party s reliance upon armed struggle which had THE POLITICAL SITUATION 15 lost the support of the masses, and from that time com munist terrorism has disappeared. Accordingly, it can be said that the Communist Party faced the general elections under very disadvantageous conditions. The results of the general elections of October 1. 1952, are as follows : Elected Oct. 1. Former Seats Liberal Party 240 285 Progressive Party 85 67 Right-wing Socialist Party 57 HO Left-wing Socialist Party 54 1G Labor-Farmer Party 4 4 Cooperative Party 2 5 Communist Party 22 Other 24 8 Vacancies 29 Totals 466 466 The above election results represent party seats in the House of Representatives. In the Upper House or House of Councillors (in which approximately 1/3 of the seats were up for election) the results were as follows: 16 GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 Liberal Party 79 Kyokufu Kai f>7 Right-wing Socialists . 50 Left-wing Socialists 30 Democratic Club 1(> Progressive Party 16 Dai-ichi Club 7 Labor-Farmer Party 4 Communist Party 3 Other 1 Vacancies 7 Total 250 THE ECONOMIC SITUATION by Carl Kreider International Christian University A superficial examination would indicate that, the eco nomy of Japan in 1952 showed relatively few ill effects of the destructive war through which Japan had passed only a few years before. One must look a long time before he found evidence of war damage ; the innumerable stores were well-stocked with merchandise, and the people in general seemed to be well-fed and well-clothed. A more thorough review, however, revealed some disquieting signs. It will be the purpose of this article first of all to sum marize the general indicators of economic activity and then to analyse the basic unresolved problems which the Japanese economy faces. Industrial Production in 1952 The following table shows the percentage change in some of the most important indexes of economic activity. Since the Japanese statistics use 1934-36 as the base for comparisons, all of the figures show the percentage of change since this prewar date. JAPANESE PRODUCTION IN 1952 COMPARED WITH 1934-36 per cent increase Industrial production as a whole 27 Mining output 18 17 18 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 per cent increase 100 52 80 13 41 196 0.1) (decrease) 15 (decrease) Electric power production Steel ingot production Pig iron production Coal mined Paper production Ammonium sulphate (fertilizer) production Rubber goods production Passenger cars for trains, production of new Freight cars for trains, production of new Bus and truck chassis production Dyestuffs production Wood pulp production Cement production Sheet glass production Cotton fabrics production Woolen fabrics production Silk fabrics production Rayon fabrics production Food and tobacco production Source : Japan Journal of Finance and Commerce, vol. 6, no. 5, May 15, 1953, pp. 33-40. The overall production was thus substantially above the prewar level. These figures, however, must be inter preted in the light of the following five factors. In the first place, a healthy economy is a dynamic and not a static one. An overall increase of only 27 per cent in 16 to 18 years can hardly be offered as proof that the Japanese economy is dynamic. During approxi- 53 377 25 (decrease) 222 38 57 43 (decrease) 52 (decrease) 48 (decrease) 21 (decrease) 22 THE ECONOMIC SITUATION 19 mately the same period, for example, the Federal Reserve Board index of industrial production in the United States showed an increase which was more than four times as great. American industrial production in 1952 was 119 per cent in excess of the level prevailing in 1935-39.








Since
the Japanese economy was already operating on a semi-
war, or at least preparedness, basis in 1934-36, and since
on the other hand the American economy was just emerg
ing from its most disastrous depression in 1935-39 the
above figures may tend to overstate the disparity between
Japanese and American economic development in the
past two decades. Nevertheless, the difference is entirely
too great to be discounted entirely.

In the second place, the population of Japan increased
from the base years 1934-36 until 1952 by almost pre
cisely the same percentage as the increase in industrial
production. For one thing this means that the physical
volume of industrial output per person showed no in
crease at all. This again is not the indication of a
dynamic economy. Again, it points clearly to the problem
of acute population pressure in Japan, assuredly one of
the most persistent of the problems of the Japanese
economy and one which is likely to become more serious
before it will be solved.

In the third place, it will be noted that for the most
part the increase in productive activity was in the heavy
industries, and that some of the basic soft goods indus
tries (especially the highly important textile industries)



20 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

still reveal signs of acute depression. Indeed, the figure
for industrial production as a whole advanced only be
cause the increases in the production of the heavy goods
industries more than counterbalanced the decreases in
the soft goods lines. People do not wear or eat pig-iron
and steel ingots ! A high production in these categories,
devoted to peace time ends, will probably result ultimately
in the improvement in the standard of living of the
masses but in the initial stages the effect may be pre
cisely the opposite. Another striking indication of the
same fact is the contrast between production of passenger
cars for trains and the production of freight cars and of
bus and truck chassis. The latter, which of course are
used largely by industrial concerns and by the American
security forces, show a healthy growth. The average
person, however, must still ride on dangerously over
crowded trains because despite the growth in population
in the meantime fewer passenger cars for trains are
being produced today than were manufactured approxi
mately 20 years ago.

In the fourth place, production especially of heavy
goods would need to proceed at a high pace for a num
ber of years to make up for the heavy destruction of the
war. Modern wars are destructive in two ways. The
most obvious destruction is the physical loss of homes,
factories, schools, hospitals, railway rolling stock, high
ways, bridges, power plants and the like. It is a well-
known fact that there were only two cities of over 100,000



THE ECONOMIC SITUATION 21

population which were not at least partially destroyed by
American air raids. It has been estimated that 40 per
cent of the area of 66 major cities was destroyed by
these raids. The great Japanese merchant marine was
virtually wiped out. The amount of wood, steel, cement,
and glass required to replace these tremendous losses
would in itself tax the productive powers of any advanced
industrial nation for a number of years. Total war,
however, results in a more subtle destruction of capital
goods than the spectacular and catastrophic destruction
inflicted from the air. In normal periods of peace busi
nessmen plan so that replacements of buildings, machin
ery and equipment may proceed smoothly from year to
year rather than be concentrated at irregular intervals.
Similarly school boards and hospital boards plan replace
ments of their facilities so that only a few need to be
built in any one year. On the other hand, a country
that is engaged in a total war needs to direct all pos
sible productive effort during war time to the production
of military supplies. As a result, the productive machin
ery of a country gradually wears out during the course
of a war and is not replaced. Therefore, many of the
factories and much of the machinery in Japan which
were not destroyed by bombs were relatively useless
after the war because they were either worn out or
hopelessly obsolete. This same factor was present in
the United States and helps to explain the shortages of
essential goods there following the war, even though



22 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

production in America was maintained at a high level
throughout the war and there was no destruction from
the air.

In the fifth place, Japan in 1952 was still suffering
from the virtual paralysis of her economy in the four
year period of 1945 through 1948. Pig iron, for example,
which was being produced in 1952 at a rate of 80 per
cent above the level before the war was being produced
at only about one-half of its prewar volume as late as
1948, and the figures for the preceding three years were
still lower. A large amount of production at a high level
for a number of years will be required to make up for
the losses occasioned by the slow pace of production in
the immediate postwar years.

Foreign Trade

The above points show why there is no room for
complacency concerning the present state of the Japanese
economy. It has shown remarkable recovery but it still
shows many of the ill effects of a disastrous war. When
one turns from a consideration of production to a study
of Japanese foreign trade the result is still more dis
quieting. When one makes allowances for the changes
in the value of the yen, imports to Japan in 1952 were
about 19 per cent less than they had been in 1936
and, more significantly still, exports were 45 per cent
less. This helps to explain why Japanese people seem
fairly well dressed in spite of the fact that the Japan-



THE ECONOMIC SITUATION



23



ese textile industry as a whole was running at less
than half of its prewar rate. Japan has simply lost
a substantial share of its former export market for tex
tiles. The loss of this market is particularly serious in
view of the fact that Japan in some way must find the
means to pay for raw materials not available in adequate
quantities domestically and also for its approximate 15
per cent food deficit.

FOREIGN TRADE OF JAPAN PROPER, 1936 and 1952
(in percentages)

Exports Imports



1936


1952


1936


1952


27


22


38


52


22


14


31


34


51


51


38


29


27


0.4


14


1


11


11


12


8


5


4


3


2


11


16


12


11


100 54


100 18.4


100 48


100 37



North and South America
United States

Asia

China (including Manchuria)

Europe

United Kingdom

Other regions

Total



Source : Annual Returns of the Foreign Trade of
Japan, and Industrial Statistics Monthly of the
Statistics Department of the Bank of Japan.
In many respects the above table showing the dis
tribution of the foreign trade of Japan is more significant
than the bare fact that Japan s foreign trade has not shown
the recovery manifested by Japanese industrial produc
tion statistics. In 1952 Japan was importing a larger



24 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

percentage of its needs from the United States than was
the case before the war, but Japan is exporting a con
siderably smaller percentage of its surplus to the United
States than was true before the war. In sharp contrast,
Japan was importing less from Europe and Asia than
she did before the war but was maintaining her prewar
proportion of exports to these areas. This was true in
spite of the fact that highly important areas in Asia were
behind the iron curtain in 1952. Trade with China, for
example, was almost non-existent in 1952 whereas (largely
because of Japanese interests in Manchuria) it was roughly
of the same order of importance as the United States
trade with Japan before the war, Japan also obviously
was suffering from the virtual cessation of trade with
North Korea.

Although the condensed figures in the above table do
not indicate this fact, Japanese trade with India and
Pakistan was very important in 1952. In fact, this bifur
cated country with its low standard of living bought
nearly as much from Japan as wealthy United States.
On the other hand, Japan bought only about one-fifth as
much from India and Pakistan as Japan bought from the
United States in 1952. It is probable that this situation,
if it persists, will cause India and Pakistan either to take
measures to curtail imports from Japan or to insist that
Japan expand its purchases in the Indian market.

These figures point up in bold relief a basic uneasiness
about the future of the Japanese economy. Before the



THE ECONOMIC SITUATION 25

war Japan was able to maintain merchandise imports in
excess of exports because of Japanese income from foreign
investments and from her merchant marine. During the
war both of these sources of foreign exchange were lost.
Since the war Japan has been able to import more from
the United States than she has exported to the United
States largely because American security forces have
been spending money in Japan at the rate of something
over one-half billion dollars each year. This sum, of
course, is not as large as the United States has been
spending for military and economic aid to Europe, but it
raises the persistently disturbing question: What will
happen to the Japanese economy when the spending stops?
Clearly the only long run solution to the problem is to
develop new export markets abroad. The question re
mains: where and how?

The most natural market for Japanese exports would
appear to be Korea, China, and the southeast Asian
countries rather than the United States because these
former areas are much closer geographically to Japan than
is the United States. It must be remembered, however,
that the foreign trade map of a country is basically a
map of transportation costs and these costs are by no
means always directly proportional to geographic distance.
Transportation costs over seas are much less than trans
portation costs over land, especially where inland trans
portation facilities are only poorly developed as they are
in much of southeast Asia. It may, therefore, be much



26 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

cheaper to transport goods over the vast expanse of the
Pacific to the United States than it is to transport the
same goods to an inland area in southeast Asia that is
much closer to Japan.

The American tariff is by no means the only difficulty
the Japanese economy will encounter in attempting a
further penetration of the American market, but it most
assuredly is that aspect of the Japanese problem which
Christians in America are in the best position to meet.
When American protectionist interests back in the middle
of the 19th century saw that their " infant industry "
argument for a protective tariff was hardly applicable to
an economy where industrial giants had replaced the
erstwhile infants, the argument was shifted to the " pau
per labor " argument. Tariffs were held to be necessary
to protect the high level of wages prevailing in the
United States against unfair competition with the " pau
per " levels obtaining abroad. This utterly fallacious
argument made a profound impression in the United
States, and since it was accepted as " true " it obviously
applied with greater cogency to Japan and other Oriental
countries than it did to Canada and the countries of
western Europe. As a result, new classifications were
inserted in the American tariff which were designed to
impose higher rates of duty on low-cost Japanese pro
ducts than were levied upon products from other parts
of the world. Even when the United States started to
reduce its tariffs through the Reciprocal Trade Agree-



THE ECONOMIC SITUATION 27

ments program in the 1930 s extraordinary effort was
made to insure that American tariff " concessions " were
not extended to Japan. In my study of the Anglo-Ameri
can trade agreement concluded in 1938, for example, I
found that over 40 specific tariff reclassifications had
been made so as to exclude Japan from the benefits of
the agreement.

It is a well known fact that the staple export from
Japan to the United States before the war was raw silk
and that the development of synthetic fibers in the United
States has largely destroyed this market. Japan cannot
continue to buy from the United States unless some export
can be found which will substitute for this loss. Appar
ently there will always be some selfish individuals in the
United States whose blood pressure will invariably rise
whenever Japan is successful in finding a product suitable
for exporting to the United States, whether that product
be tuna fish, silk scarves, or optical goods. Perhaps in
the past Americans with an international point of view
have been too prone to emphasize only the economic fal
lacy inherent in this selfishness (and that it is a profound
fallacy any economist would agree) but not sufficiently
alert to show how basically un-Christian it is.

Can Japan penetrate the southeast Asian market ?
The figures quoted above would indicate that Japan al
ready has to an extent that is far greater than is com
monly realized. There are, however, some significant
obstacles. In so far as these areas are colonial areas



28 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

Japan must face the protectionist sentiment of British and
Western European manufacturers who tend to regard the
colonies as their own private markets and who accordingly
have imposed protectionist devices more insidious than
even the unconscionable American tariff. For example,
Rockefeller Foundation experts found that the only per
manent cure for hookworm in some of these areas would
result when the natives wore shoes. The importation of
cheap rubber shoes from Japan, designed to meet this
need, however, alarmed shoe manufacturers in Britain and
they in turn persuaded the British goverment to impose
a quota on shoe imports from Japan which virtually
destroyed the Japanese market in these colonial areas.
Hookworm persists because the natives, unable to pay
for the higher priced British shoes, were forced to go
barefoot. Another obstacle to the extension of Japanese
shoes in southeast Asia is that Japanese militarism has
left a legacy of hate in some of these areas which only
time can erase. Finally, Japan no longer enjoys the ad
vantages of early industrialization which were hers before
the war. In this respect, Japan s external economic posi
tion is somewhat analogous to that of Great Britain, and
Japan may be faced in the years ahead with some of the
same problems which have plagued Britain in postwar
years.

Can Japan penetrate the markets of communist Asia?
Unfortunately, this question is usually considered on an
emotional rather than a rational basis by both pro- and



29

anti-communists so that any answer may cause the reader
to try to categorize the political views of the respondent.
Several pertinent points may, however, be noted. In the
first place, there is often a tendency to exaggerate the
potentialities of the market in communist China. An
American once wrote a book on China entitled " 400 Mil
lion Customers ", but he forgot that large segments of
this vast group subsist under a standard of living that
affords little chance for the purchase of even low cost
products from abroad. Except for relatively large exports
of capital goods for the economic development of Man
churia after 1931 Japan exported relatively little to China
even in the period before the Sino-Japanese war. Even
if the miracle happened and trade with China became
relatively free of Communist controls, it would not be
surprising if the total volume of trade remained smaller
than most of the enthusiastic proponents of such trade
expect. In the second place, trade between relatively
free economies (such as Japan) and the highly controlled
economies characteristic of communist countries, although
not impossible, is fraught with grave difficulties. Since
the days of Hitler s trade agreements of the 1930 s
many businessmen in the free economies have wondered
whether a balance of trade was really worth the effort it
caused.

In spite of these admitted difficulties, the American
attitude of banning trade between Japan and communist
China in a large variety of categories does not seem to



30 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

be the wisest course to follow. Certainly it is a policy
which is not likely to impress Japanese people with the
Christian goodwill of their American neighbors. Even
though Japan is an independent nation the United States
has succeeded in imposing more restrictions upon Japa
nese trade with communist China than are imposed upon
American trade with Soviet Russia. This is another area
in which informed Christian opinion in America could
point the way to a better arrangement.

The Price Level

In conclusion, two other factors in the Japanese
economy deserve at least brief attention, namely the
developments in the price level (cost of living) and the
developments in labor-management relations. During 1952
the retail price level fell slightly below that prevailing in
1951, largely because of the mild economic recession ex
perienced in Japan after about the middle of the year.
The consumer price index in Tokyo, however, remained
fairly steady at about the level prevailing at the end of
1951, and because of the rise of prices in 1951 the average
price level for 1952 was actually somewhat higher than
the average for the entire year of 1951. One of the
remarkable features of the economy of postwar Japan
is the degree of price stability which has been achieved
since 1949 following the runaway inflation of the im
mediate postwar years. Japan s prices increased only 17
per cent since 1949 and this compares favorably with the



THE ECONOMIC SITUATION 31

United States in the same period. One of the problems
frequently discussed in government and financial circles
in Japan, especially after the onset of the slight reces
sion in mid- 1952, was whether Japan was not pursuing a
policy that tended to be too deflationary. This was more
than a post-independence reaction to the austerities im
posed by the " Dodge line ", and debate on this question
is likely to persist if the recession continues. Price level
changes, however, can hardly be called a major economic
problem of 1952.

Labor Relations

Because of the recession following mid-1952, unemploy
ment in Japan increased somewhat during the year. It
is difficult to assess the precise magnitude of the increase
because of the widespread prevalence of partial unemploy
ment. Official estimates of approximately 500,000 wholly
out of work and a slightly larger number presently laid
off due to a " temporary " curtailment of operations at
their factories are not alarmingly high for an economy
with a labor force of the size of the Japanese. In addi
tion, however, there are official estimates of over 5 mil
lion persons employed only part of the time and therefore
unable to earn full pay. Furthermore, there were some
indications that this type of unemployment was increasing
at the end of the year.

Another of Japan s basic economic problems which
was unresolved at the end of the year was the level of



32 THE GENERAL ^ RVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

wages of workingmen. Japan needs export markets, and
in order to capture these markets Japanese costs of pro
duction must be maintained at a low level. Is this objec
tive compatible with the legitimate interests of the nearly

6 million members of Japanese trade-unions and the many
millions more nonunionized Japanese workers for higher
rates of pay? Many observers are skeptical.

The official statistics show that trade-union member
ship increased by approximately 33,000 during 1952. This
small increase, however, was less than the increase in
the number of wage earners. Furthermore, total union
membership was still nearly a million short of the peak
figure reached in 1948. The most significant strikes during
the year were by the coal miners and the electrical workers.
The coal miners dispute resulted in a cessation of mining
from October 13 until the dispute was settled on December

7 when the workers were granted a 7 per cent increase
in pay, an incentive allowance of Y300 per month and a
loan of Y5,000 for each miner. The loss of coal resulted
in grave power shortages which were aggravated by the
unusually dry winter (less hydroelectric power) and the
periodic work stoppages by the electrical workers union.
The first wave of power stoppages were imposed by the
union on September 24 and they continued intermittently
until the dispute was finally settled on December 18. In
spite of the seriousness of these strikes, in neither case
did the Japanese government intervene with drastic action
to force their settlement.



THE SOCIAL SITUATION

by Kazutaka Watanabe

The year 1952 was one of the most significant years
in the long history of Japan, for it was then that she
again became an independent country after seven long
years of occupation. Japan, which had remained aloof
from the struggles and sufferings of Europe and America
during the last two thousand years, had blindly entered
into war with the entire world and had been taught a
valuable and painful lesson by the unconditional surrender
and a long foreign occupation. In a way the years of
occupation served as an initiation for Japan into the
history of reflection and suffering of mankind.

In April, 1952, Japan successfully emerged from the
initiation ordeal and was admitted as a full-fledged mem
ber into the world family of nations. Consequently, there
was every reason to believe that this important and his
toric year should be filled with significant political and
social events. Without going into detail it will be help
ful to make a general survey of the most noteworthy
characteristics of the events of this year.

The most characteristic feature of 1952 was that it
was the year of " declaration of war by the communists
against capitalism " and simultaneously the year of

33



34 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

" counter-attack by capitalism " combined with rightism and imperialism. The communists declared that " the defeat in the war was exactly what we wanted," and that " the occupation was the ideal preparation for the coming revolution in Japan." The capitalists, on the other hand, maintained that the menace of communism inside and outside Japan was very effective ustification for their raison d etre, and the Korean war served to encourage the industrial barons who are closely connected with latent militarists.

The more rigid and far-reaching the occupation policies became the more the communists welcomed them, for they felt these policies would necessarily create more antagonism and resistance among the masses of the people who would thus be led into anti- American and pro-Soviet sentiments. At the same time the governmental authorities, weak as they were, did not hesitate to utilize the name and power of SCAP to revise the labor laws, promulgate the Subversive Activities Prevention Law, and strengthen the Police Reserve. Masses of non-thinking people were caught between these two camps which played irresponsibly upon the emotions and feelings of the people.

1952 marked the formal opening of World War III which is not merely a geographic war but a class war.
In Korea this has burst into a full-scale clash of armies.
In Japan two " armies " went into action with pistols, clubs, fire-bombs, bamboo spears and tear gas.



THE SOCIAL SITUATION 35

The communists in Japan who number around one million, including 500,000 communist Koreans, often attacked police stations, government offices, railway stations, employment offices, and even private homes. One significant episode in this involved the overturning and burning of U. S.military cars in the celebrated May Day riot in Tokyo.


社会的状況 35

日本の共産主義者は１００万人で、そのうち５０万人の朝鮮人共産主義者を含む。
彼らはしばしば、警察署、役所、駅、職業安定所、さらには民家を襲った。
そのうちの重要なエピソードの一つに、東京メーデー祭暴動があり、彼らはアメリカ軍、軍用車を転倒させ、燃やした。


Three basic principles were given to the Japan Communist Party to be practiced during the early stages of the revolutionary years in Japan. The first two came to a successful climax in 1952, and the third was in the process of being applied.

1) The first principle was that of the " democratic front ". The meaning of the word " democracy " has been very ambiguous in Japan. Communists, socialists,and conservatives have used the word, but with different meanings. Both the communists and the Occupation cried for " democracy ". It is clear, however, that the communists meant the word in the sense of a " dictator ship of the proletariat " and intended in the name of democracy to destroy all authority except that of the proletariat. The Japanese, who have had too many authorities and too much authority in every section of life, were jolted greatly when all traditional authorities
were superceded by a foreign authority. Even the Divine Emperor was obliged to take orders from the new Supreme Commander! The entire nation was demilitarized for the first time, and all wartime leaders were purged.



36 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

Teachers, parents, and police lost their authority. Parents became extremely hesitant to discipline their children for fear of being called feudalistic and reactionary.
Teachers traded discipline for flattery in order to escape being labelled undemocratic. Policemen gave their own cigarettes to outraged drunkards in order to avoid being reported as " bureaucratic ". Arrogance disappeared, but with it vanished the sense of duty and the sense of
dignity. Authorities sloughed off responsibility, and license reigned. Consequently, for the last seven years the Japanese have been drifting in confusion without any internal leadership. This need for internal leadership has been one of the reasons for the surprisingly rapid progress of
the Japan Communist Party.

With the cessation of the occupation in 1952 the last real authority, in Japan disappeared. Only Gen. MacArthur could have stopped the well-planned general strike of 3 million workers in 1947. It is not surprising, therefore, that on May Day, 1952, only 3 days after independence,
5,000 communists, Koreans, laborers and students battled an equal number of police on the Imperial Plaza, a street war in which nine died and seven hundred were wounded.

Since there is no final authority in Japan, it will not be long before she is driven to join either the " free world " or the " Soviet bloc ", and the year 1952 reflected her leaderless vascillation between the two.

2) The second Communist principle was called " the race front ". This was cultivated during the occupation.




THE SOCIAL SITUATION 37
Unquestionably this occupation was the most ideal in history, a fact for which almost all Japanese, including nationalists and militarists, express admiration. But even the most ideal occupation is an unpleasant experience for the nation which is occupied, and thus psychological antagonism and passive resistance were found in the hearts of almost all Japanese. People grumbled againstoccupation policies ; even intellectuals who understood the situation whispered criticisms. The communists played upon these feelings with the slogan " American freedom is oppression ", pointing to the fact that the Japanese were prohibited from writing or speaking in criticism of occupation policies. Democracy taught by the occupation guaranteed freedom of speech, but military necessity had to limit this freedom.

It was very natural, therefore, that with independence newspapers, magazines, pamphlets and books were filled with articles exposing so-called " inside stories " of what went on under the occupation that could not be published before. Dissatisfaction on the part of the people now
burst into expression, but 95% of the people became perfectly satisfied with the freedom to speak, 4% used this freedom to express themselves in speaking and writing, and only a negligible number expressed it in physical actions. This physical expression was seen in the burn
ing of several U. S. cars on May Day and also in the numerous "Yankee Go Home " street demonstrations in large cities all over Japan. The aim was obviously that of rupturing the present relationship between America



38 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

and Japan. Japan is able to maintain order and peace in the country only because of the existence of the Security Forces and the Police Reserves supported by America. But for these forces, Japan could have plunged into total disorder immediately after independence.

The Japanese people, in whose minds the memory of fierce air raids, starvation, etc., is still fresh, naturally abhor war of any kind and are against foreign military bases, rearmament and anything connected with war because they imagine these things excite the communists and bring about war. This strong anti-war sentiment is reflected in all social and political phenomena in Japan
and came to a climax in 1952. The problem of rearmament was, in fact, the central issue for all political parties at the time of the October, 1952, general elections. It is not an exaggeration to say that the whole nation hung on the point of war or peace, for to their thinking rearmament necessarily meant war. And this rearmament was said to be strongly desired by America who only a few years ago strongly " suggested "

Article 9 of the new
Constitution which renounces war forever.

This contradiction or change of attitude in American policy toward Japan made the problem more complicated.
Communist slogans such as "Don t be America s bullet-stoppers ", " Don t be America s employed soldiers ", " Japan has become America s colony ", etc., caught the minds of
Japanese easily and rapidly. Communists claimed that the presence of many American military bases placed



THE SOCIAL SITUATION 39

Japan in danger of becoming a battlefield thus the cries of " No more war ; go home Yankee ". Inflation, which had been curbed by Mr. Dodge under the Occupation, began to increase again with the start of the Korean War, and prices have been going up ever since making
living hard again. Claiming that these difficult living conditions and the menace of war were the prices Japan paid for independence and the Mutual Security Pact, the communists attacked the Security Pact and the " single Peace Treaty ". Riots in 1952 throughout Japan mobilized tens
of thousands of people around these slogans. Still, they reflect but a minority of Japan s population.

3) The third Communist principle was called the " world front " or the " Stalin line ". The year 1952 was the climax of the first two principles, and the third began in that year. The underground revolutionary army showed part of its armor in 1952 flame-bottles made their ap
pearance, public utilities were occupied by force, a Father land Defence Corps and guerillas were trained in the mountains, courts and prisons were attacked, etc.

Thus in 1952 an internally chaotic Japan was becoming externally dislocated in its relationship with America, being legally independent but psychologically anti-American.
The communists hoped to foster anti-war sentiment to the point where all U. N. forces would be withdrawn from Japan, at which time the long-planned revolution could be brought about.

This intention could be readily seen in the tactics



40 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

shown by the communists at the time of the October general elections. They could have secured several seats in the Diet if they had so desired, but they did not mean to win any. Rather they used the election campaign as a means for spreading their ideas, for thousands of people
flooded party rallies to hear what each party had to say.
As the communists knew they could not control the power in the government at this time, they used the platform to undermine confidence in the other parties with charges of corruption, etc., and to establish the Communist Party as the champion of the people.

The failure of the Diet to seat a single Communist can didate came as a surprise to the nation which had expected them to get from 5 to 10 seats. The general reaction was
that the period of enthusiasm for communism was over and that the nation showed its sound judgment in the election. Several non-communist intellectuals expressed
their regrets that communist criticism of the majority party would not be heard in the Diet.

However, the loss of Diet seats was not a sign of
retreat by the Communist Party. On the contrary, the
votes they polled in this election far surpassed those of
the previous general election. The figures for the past
few years follow:

General election in April 1946 2,139,000 votes
April 1947 1,600,000
Jan. 1949 3,000,000
April 1951 320,000
Oct. 1952 891,000



THE SOCIAL SITUATION 41

The Communists boasted that they obtained one mil
lion votes, three times what they received in the 1951
general elections. " In spite of all oppression and persecu
tion, the anger and indignation of the working people
exploded in this one million votes." The Subversive
Activities Prevention Law, the reactionary Yoshida govern
ment, the expulsion of red students from universities, the
refusal to employ reds by business concerns, the return
of the " good old days " along with independence, etc.,
created a feeling among many of the people that the
days of communism were gone. Nevertheless, it increased.

The most serious matter as to the attitude of the
Communist Party concerning this election was their open
declaration that they would no longer take part in the
parliamentary system but would fight outside and against
it. They felt that the time of the " Stalin line " was
approaching and that it was too critical a time to meddle
with the Diet. Rather, the time had come to organize
armed guerillas, the " armed core of a revolutionary
army," in order to " emancipate Japan from being a
colony of America." " The footsteps of the Emancipation
Army are heard at the door."



In the face of fierce attacks by the communists on
these three fronts (the " democratic front," " race front,"
and " world front") , Japanese capitalists (however vague
and broad this word may be) were not sitting idly by.



42 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

They rallied themselves, under the banner of national
prosperity and security to wage a desperate and aggres
sive fight against the flood of communism. During the
first half of the occupation they were almost totally
deprived by the unions of the power of management and
control of personnel, and were largely salary-paying tools
of the workers. Management was left to the mercy of
the unions led by communists. Occupation policy was to
encourage the trade-union movement, and though SCAP
was aware of the red elements in the movement, they
could not do much about it, and this left management
confused and frustrated.

However, in July, 1948, when government officials were
prohibited from engaging in collective bargaining or in
strikes, and in August, 1950, when the " red purge " began
among the more important enterprises, management
began to stand on its own feet and take the offensive.
Moreover, the Korean War strengthened them tremen
dously to the point where they were prepared not only
to retake the ground they had lost but to advance fur
ther against the unions. However, the Occupation detect
ed their undemocratic motives and sought to restrict
their excesses.

The coming of independence in 1952 lifted all these
bonds and left Japanese capitalists free to pursue their
purposes. With the aid of the reactionary government
and fortified by public sentiment against the communist
iltme-bottle tactics, they were prepared to start a large-



THE SOCIAL SITUATION 43

scale offensive against the union movement, red and non-
red. They sought, if possible, to reduce the unions to
management-sponsored organizations. Japanese enterpri
sers associations strengthened their secretariats and
issued many surprisingly strong and reactionary state
ments. Their declaration that they would refuse to
employ any red-tinted graduates of universities was
sufficiently effective to dissolve almost all student poli
tical movements inside and outside schools. Graduating
students at company examinations and interviews unan
imously declared themselves against communism and for
the Subversive Activities Prevention Law in order to pass
the examinations.

In the face of this offensive, the average age of
members of union executive committees became much
younger, in many cases by ten years. Union members
with families feared connection with union administration
because of the danger of being labelled "dangerous
persons " by management and thus of being quickly dis
charged. Consequently, these young union officers, many
just over twenty, stood on inferior ground when bargain
ing with older management representatives. Moreover,
without experience and maturity they often were impa
tient, resorted to violence, and drove members into awk
ward situations, thus losing the respect not only of the
members but of the public as well and giving the whole
union movement an unsound and undesirable appearance.
Management, of course, lost no time taking advantage of



44 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

their mistakes to denounce the unions.

In order to meet the demand for military Roods
brought on by the Korean, War, the Japanese armaments
industry had to be centralized as before. Centralization
of any kind creates power in the hands of the executives,
and certain groups of enterprisers became very powerful
not only in business circles but also in the government
and Diet. Industrial barons again began to give orders
to all important organizations, both public and private.
Their strong desire was to go back to the prewar regime,
erasing all laws and regulations put forth during the
occupation. They could not think in any terms except
those of prewar capitalism with its close connection with
imperialism and militarism, and they desired to return
to these ways again.

However, " democracy " which has been Japan s na
tional motto for the last seven years, instead of " national
prosperity and strong armed forces " which had been
Japan s slogan for the last fifty years until the end of
the war, prevented them from going too far and too
rapidly. The public which had tasted democracy would
not easily tolerate its destruction. But the May Day riots
gave them their chance. The flame-bottle fights and riots
all over Japan following the May Day riots prepared ideal
ground for the post-independence activities of the reac
tionary capitalists. Now they could openly stand against
the reds and against all progressives. Though the public
did not welcome the return of the reactionary capitalists,



THE SOCIAL SITUATION 45

abhorrence of communist violence has made them accept
the second best, i.e., capitalism. The Socialist Party divi
ded into left and right wings, the left near the commu
nists, and the right near the conservatives, leaving no
ground for socialism.

The Korean War and the threat of communist forces
in Korea gave support to the conservative capitalists
desire to amend the Constitution, particularly Article 9,
and to re-establish a Japanese army and navy. Despite
nationwide opposition to the Subversive Activities Pre
vention Law, it was passed. The conservatives came
back strongly into power in 1952.

One example of the reaction of labor to this move
ment is seen in the strikes by the electrical workers and
miners which took place at the end of 1952. They were
the worst and most entangled strikes in the history of
the labor union movement in Japan. The number of
participants was not as large as that of the general strike
which had been planned for 1947 when 3 million workers
were to take part, nor as large as the strike in 1948 when
two million workers participated. This time the number
was less than half a million, but as the industries involved
affected the everyday lives of millions of citizens and also
the development of various important industries they were
extraordinarily important strikes. Many people denounced
the strikes and failed to see the significant underlying
issue which was not wages but union security. They
were, in fact, defensive actions against the offensive by



46 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

management. The unions were being divided and weak
ened by the management offensive, and they felt that it
was their last chance to strike before it was too late.
Finally the government stepped in and the strikes were
ended.

The year 1952, then, was the year when independence
gave Japan the chance to learn what democracy means
through struggle and suffering. She could breathe freely
once again, and she was free to make her own policies.
Modifications were begun in many of the occupation-
sponsored reforms ; some of the modifications were demo
cratic, but some were feudalistic and reactionary. It was
the year also when class-war emerged into the open.
For the first four years of the occupation this had
favored the progressive forces, but it slowly came to a
balance and during the last half of 1952 it swung in
favor of conservative capitalism. The struggle has been
severe, and there is no one, no organization, and no party
in Japan which has been able to stop it. It may be good
that Japan passes through this time of " storm and pres
sure ", for through its struggles and sufferings Japan may
learn the ways of democracy.



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS

by Tctsutaro Ariga

I. SHRINE SHINTO
1. Rebuilding of the Grand Shrine Progresses

The drive to raise 700 million yen for the rebuilding
of the Grand Shrine of Ise has made great progress
during 1952. The drive is sponsored by an association
which was specially organised for the purpose in the
fall of 1949. It is called " The Association for Supporting
the Periodical Rebuilding of the Ise Shrine " (Ise-jingu
Shikinen-sengu Hosankai), and has as its chairman Mr.
Naotake Sato, former speaker of the House of Councillors.
By October, 1952, 59^ of the goal amount had been raised ;
five of the prefectural branches of the association were
reported to have fulfilled or surpassed their quotas.

According to Mr. Sato s statement that appeared in
the October 13 issue of the Shrine News (Jinja Shimpo,
weekly organ of the Shrine Headquarters*), the appeal
for money had been receiving a wide response, pledges
being sent not only from all over Japan but also from
Japanese people living in the United States, Hawaii, and



*In the Christian Yearbook 1951 " Jinja Honcho " is trans
lated as " Shrine Association," but honclio literally means head
quarters and thus implies a claim to be more than an association.

47



48 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

Brazil. According to his statement Mr. Sato expects
that nearly ten million people will have joined his Associa
tion by the end of 1952. (It seems, however, the net
result at the year s end was not so good as that.) He
also emphasizes that the movement to help rebuild the
Grand Shrine is an affair not only of the Shrine Shintoists
but also of all other Japanese regardless of their religious
beliefs. He even says, " In recent years there are not a
few Christians who are earnest venerators of the Grand
Shrine." It may be worth while to ponder just exactly
what he means or to what facts he is alluding here.

It is a long-established custom that the Grand Shrine
should be rebuilt every twenty years in precisely the same
style as before. The accomplishment of the fifty-ninth
rebuilding has been postponed from 1949 to 1953. Grand
ceremonies will most probably take place on October 2-4,
1953, when the divine symbols and articles will be carried
into the new buildings. At least the two main shrines
of Naiku and Geku will have been completed by that
time. A great number of pilgrims are expected to come
from all over the country for the occasion and for the
following festivities which will continue until May 10, 1954.

2. A Metamorphosis of the Hosankai Contemplated

It is important to note in this connection that the
central committee of the Association for Supporting the
Periodical Rebuilding passed a resolution on December
9, 1952, to convert the association into a permanent organi-



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 49

zation after the completion of rebuilding. It will then
be called " The Association of Ise Shrine Venerators "
(Ise-jingu Sukei-kai), and its aim will be "to contribute
to the peaceful development of the Japanese people by
arousing their national consciousness and by promoting
the spirit of Shinto." It will uphold and support the Ise
Shrine, unite all its venerators as well as all shrines in
the country with Ise as their center, and plan works and
activities to promote the cause of Shrine Shinto. The
association is scheduled to be organised within one month
after the grand ceremonies in October.

This organization, in case it is made, will together
with the Shrine Headquarters help consolidate and streng
then Shinto forces. It may be added here that the Shrine
Headquarters has had as its president since May, 1952,
Priestess Fusako Kitashirakawa of the Ise Shrine, a daugh
ter of the Emperor Meiji. The vice-president is Mr.
Nobusuke Takatsukasa whose son has married one of the
present Emperor s daughters. Those who have read the
account of Shinto in the Christian Yearbook 1951 will
be interested to know that the Sumiyoshi Shrine, Osaka,
finally came under the Headquarters in September, 1952.
A number of minor shrines also joined the association
during the year.



50 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

3. Popularity Regained

Not only in connection with the rebuilding of the Ise
Shrine but also in other respects there are signs that
show the recovery of Shinto s strength from the heavy
blows it received in consequence of the war. Each year
sees a remarkable increase in the number of worshippers
who come to shrines on festal occasions. Figures given
by newspapers are only rough estimates and are apt to
be exaggerated (cf. Christian Yearbook, 1951, p. 64f.),
but one must accept the fact that the railway station
near the Meiji Shrine found it necessary to build an
additional platform for the special use of pilgrims on
New Year s Day, 1953. On November 3, the centennial
of the birth of the Emperor Meiji, some 200,000 are said
to have used that station in order to visit the shrine.

On the occasion of the centennial a supporters as
sociation similar to that for the Ise Shrine was organised
to restore the Meiji Shrine which is now in ruinous con
dition. 500 million yen is expected to be necessary for
the purpose. The high priest of the shrine is Mr. Taka-
tsukasa.

One might get the impression that Shrine Shinto was
becoming, not again a full state religion to be sure, but
a semi-state religion. Curiously enough, while it was
actually a state religion the government declared it not
be a religion but a part of the functions of the state, and
thus established in this sophisticated way a super-religion



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 51

supported by public money. The result of the war put
an end to this condition of Shinto, and all shrines have
now to register as voluntary religious institutions. But
Japanese people in general still associate Shinto closely
with the Imperial Household as well as with the destiny
of the nation. Actually it is very difficult to draw a line
where state functions end and the religious functions of
Shinto begin. The Emperor himself went to the Ise
Shrine on June 3, 1952, to report to his ancestral goddess
on the Peace Treaty having taken effect, while any rite
of religious significance was scrupulously avoided at the
installation ceremony of the Crown Prince on November 10.

Incidentally, this installation ceremony gave occasion
to an interesting discussion between two leading scholars
of Tokyo University. Dr. Yanaihara, President of the
University, who had attended the cererhony, remarked in
a newspaper that he had missed there any religious
significance and suggested that the ceremony could have
symbolized the Prince humbly accepting his appointment
from God. This statement was then criticised by Prof.
Miyazawa who said that the religionless ceremony was
quite correct from the standpoint of the present constitu
tion of Japan which sharply separates religion and state.

The regained popularity of Shinto, however, is not
simply due to its close association with the Imperial
Family and to the influence of the national policies of the
period prior to August 14, 1945, but also, perhaps chiefly,
due to the optimistic life-affirming philosophy of Shinto



52 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

itself. In marked contrast to this the philosophy of
Buddhism as it is popularly understood is pessimistic,
life-negating, and otherworldly. It is therefore psycho
logically understandable that most Japanese go to Shinto
shrines to pray for happiness and prosperity in this life
on earth and to have wedding ceremonies performed,
while the same persons go to Buddhist temples on the
memorial days of the dead and for funeral services. Of
course, they could be married by a Buddhist priest before
a Buddhist altar or be buried with Shinto rites when they
die, but people in most cases do not prefer to be married
or to die that way.

It would be a great mistake, however, to think that
Shinto shrines are today financially well off. Spoiled by
long years of state support, Shinto priests haven t yet
learned how to organise their believers so that they will
pay regular dues. They just depend on the free-will
offerings of occasional visitors to their shrines and on
fees for weddings and other rites specially performed by
request. So except for very rare cases priests have to
support themselves chiefly by school-teaching or other
kinds of work.

4. Shinto Sects

The Religions Section of the Education Office lists,
as of April 2, 1951, 255 Shinto sects, including Shrine
Headquarters. Of these sects 23 are regarded as vari
eties of Shrine Shinto, while 98 are the thirteen older



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 53

sects* and those that have branched off from them. The
remaining 134 are entirely new sects of Shinto coloring.
Some of the sects will be discussed later under section III.

II. BUDDHISM

1. Revival of Sectarianism

In the prewar period there were 53 sects and
denominations of Japanese Buddhism.** The Religious
Bodies Law of 1941 reduced their number to 28. After
the war the law was abolished and complete freedom of
religion has been guaranteed by the new Constitution.
As a result, not only those prewar sects and denomina
tions which had lost their independence have been re
established, but also a great number of new sects have
arisen. There are over 200 of these, so that the total



*One of the 13 sects, Izumo Taishakyo, was merged with the
Izumo Grand Shrine into a new shrine organisation called Izumo
Oyashiro-kyo on March 31, 1951. As a result it had to secede from
the Federation of Shinto Sects. Cf. Christian Yearbook,
1951, p. 66f.

** Whenever it is found necessary to distinguish between shu and
ha, the present writer has used " sect " for the former and
" denomination " for the latter. There are 13 major shu in
Japanese Buddhism : Tendai, Shingon, Ritsu, Jodo, Rinzai, Soto,
Obaku, Shin, Nichiren, Ji, Yuzu-nembutsu, Hosso, and Kegon.
Each of them, except Ji and Kegon, has been differentiated into
several ha. But the term " sect " has also been used to indicate
any independent religious organisation, whether it is technically
shu or ha.



54 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

number of Buddhist sects and denominations amounts to
257, as of April 2, 1951. Most of them can be classified
with such major sects as Tendai, Shingon, Jodo, Rinzai,
etc., but there are 31 sects which defy any classification.

The fact that a large proportion of the new Buddhist
sects belong either to the Shingon (58 sects) or to the
Nichiren (61 sects) varieties may be taken as indicating
that these two shu provide particularly fertile soil for
the budding of new religious movements.

One is tempted to ask whether this sudden growth
of new sects and denominations means strength or weak
ness in Japanese Buddhism, but no ready answer can be
expected. For each sest must be studied individually
as to the circumstances of its rise, the character of
its leaders, and its tenets and practices before any
generalisation can be made. One has to note, however,
that this phenomenon has appeared after government
subsidies ceased to come to Buddhist temples. These
new sects as well as the older ones have now to depend
entirely upon their own financial resources. The very
fact that they exist means that they have the means.
So to say the least one can find in this phenomenon the
strong tenacity of Buddhist tradition and its ability to
adapt itself to the postwar situation of Japan.



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 55

2. Democracy Introduced

Another feature in the postwar development of
Japanese Buddhism is found in the efforts made by
various sects to democratize their organisations. More
voice has been given to the laity than ever before. For
instance, in the Jodo-Shin Sect since 1951 important
matters are decided by a general assembly in which both
clergy and laity are represented. There is also a wide
spread tendency to relieve the chief priest of a sect of
his administrative responsibilities so that he is now
regarded purely as its religious figurehead, while adminis
trative officers are chosen by election from among the
clergy. This is about the farthest point Buddhist sects
can go in the direction of democratisation. Chief-priest
hood is still hereditary in the Jodo-Shin as well as the
Shin Sects ; in other sects, too, chief priests are appointed
not by election but by some other traditional methods.

3. The World Conference of the Buddhists

Among the most recent events the meeting in Tokyo
of the Second World Conference of Buddhists, September
25-30, 1952, must be especially noted because of its in
ternational and interdenominational significance. The
first conference had been held in Ceylon in 1950, which
Mr. Rosen Takashima, Chief Abbot of the Soto Sect,
attended as the Japanese delegate. The Tokyo conference
met in the Honganji Temple, Tsukiji, where 170 delegates



56 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

from 18 countries sat together with 450 Japanese dele
gates. Most of the foreigners were from the traditionally
Buddhist sections of the Orient. The conference then
moved to Kyoto to hold its final session on October 5 in
the Higashi Honganji Temple. It passed the following
statement :

" In the present world of severe suffering the welfare
of mankind as well as the safety of our nation are being
jeopardized. At this juncture, we as representatives of
the Buddhists of all nations solemnly pledge ourselves
before the hallowed presence of the Buddha to unite the
Buddhist forces of the world in His gracious Light ; to
preach the Truth of the Buddha to all the peoples of
the world ; and to endeavor to promote the way of mutual
service with the spirit of love and trust, in order to
further the cause of permanent peace and happiness in
the spirit of Selflessness taught by the Buddha."

This kind of conference will certainly help bring
various Buddhist groups to mutual understanding. But
differences between Hinayana and Mahayana and other
differences between various sects will not be easily
overcome. Apparently those Buddhists at the conference
showed their willingness to seek for means to unite the
Buddhist forces of the world in spite of the existing
differences.

4. How to Pasture Their Flocks Abroad

Since 1950 several Buddhist leaders have visited



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 57

America chiefly for the purpose of renewing contacts
with the issei and nisei Buddhists there. In 1952 both
chief priests of the Higashi and the Nishi Honganji
went abroad for the second time after the war. Mr.
Kocho Otani, chief priest of Higashi, accompanied by his
wife, left Japan in June for an extensive tour through
America, Brazil and Europe. They are expected to
come home in the middle of March. Mr. Kosho Otani,
chief priest of Nishi, likev/ise accompanied by his wife,
left Japan in February for the United States and Canada ;
they returned late in December.

Kocho s heir, Kosho, has been staying in America for
graduate studies since 1950. He is now at Union Theolo
gical Seminary in New York according to information
given by the headquarters of Higashi.

Japanese Buddhists living in the United States, Ha
waii, Canada, and Brazil still turn to their mother
churches in Japan for religious leadership. But the
number of issei people is decreasing and most nisei
people cannot read Japanese. More need is felt, therefore,
for Buddhist literature in English and for English-speak
ing teachers and preachers. Furthermore, there are more
western people today than ever before who are eager to
know something about Buddhism for either religious or
academic reasons. So some sects are making serious
attempts to interpret their doctrines in English. " The
Young East ", edited by the Honganji, Tokyo, and " The
Buddhist Magazine ", edited by the Nishi Honganji are



58 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

both meant for English readers. .

Buddhist leaders in Japan are today quite missionary-
conscious. They believe they have something unique to
offer to all mankind. It will be, however, a tremendous task
to have even a selection of Japanese Buddhist literature
translated correctly into understandable English. The
present writer is informed that two persons in Kyoto,
the one Japanese, the other American, are now transla
ting certain Zen books. They are working independently
from each other. The career and accomplishments of
Dr. Daisetsu Suzuki, who is still lecturing in America, are
sources of inspiration to all those Buddhist scholars who
are interested in the world mission of the " Way of
Enlightenment ".

5. In the Academic Circles

In the academic circles of Japan Buddhism is pretty
well represented. There are Buddhist universities such
as Taisho, Toyo, Otani, Ryukoku, Hanazono, etc.. where
courses in Buddhism are taught mainly for the training
of priests. But Buddhism is also taught in secular
universities such as Waseda, Nihon, and some national
universities. Tokyo University has on its faculty Profs.
Miyamoto, Shoson, Ryobun Yuki, and Shinsho Hanayama,
all competent scholars, while at Kyoto University Prof.
Masato Nagao and Zenryu Tsukamoto are teaching as
well as doing research work.

These leading scholars together with many others



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 59

are members of the Nippon Buddhist Research Associa
tion (Nippon Bukkyo Gakkai) organised in 1928. In
October, 1951, another association, the Japanese Associa
tion of Indian and Buddhist Studies (Nippon Indogaku
Bukkyo Gakkai) was organised, which includes scholars
engaged in non-Buddhist Indian studies as well as Buddhist
scholars. Many of the latter belong to both associations.
There is a growing tendency among Japanese Buddhist
scholars to go back from the traditional Chinese texts to
the Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan texts in their search for
the original meaning of their religion. Dr. Susumu Yama-
guchi of the Otani University and Dr. Nagao of Kyoto are
scholars of international reputation in the field of Tibetan
Iripitaka.

III. NEW POPULAR SECTS

1. What Are the New Sects ?

Besides the Shinto and Buddhist sects there are 153
new sects that cannot be classified under any known
category. Actually, however, there are often found fea
tures common to many of the newly risen sects, whether
they are Shintoistic or otherwise. They are all indigen
ous religious movements grown on the soil of Japan. All
of them have more or less simple messages that would
appeal to the popular mind, however, superstitious they
may sometimes appear.

So it is quite understandable that the book entite



60 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

" Handbook of New Religions " (Shinko-shukyo Kaisetsu)
has discussed as " new religions " Konkokyo, Tenrikyo,
Reiyukai-kyodan, Omoto Aisen-en, PL-kyodan, Tenshoko
Daijingukyo, and Sekai Messhiakyo. The book has been
written by scholars of the Jodo-Sect under the direction
of its Council of Doctors (Kangaku-ryo) and appeared
in July, 1952. Each of the sects has been carefully studied,
described, and discussed by a different writer. The des
criptions are on the whole quite objectively done, while
criticisms are made from the distinctly Jodo Shinshu
standpoint.

The very fact that one of the strongest Buddhist
sects in Japan should have undertaken such a study is
noteworthy. The older religious bodies are naturally be
ing alarmed by the rise and rapid spread of new inde
pendent Sects, and it speaks well for the Jodo Shinshu
(so-called Nishi Honganji) to have made a careful study
of them instead of rejecting them outright or laughing
them off. The book will continue for some time to be a
convenient handbook for all those who care to know
something about these sects. It is expected that a second
volume will be out sometime in 1953 which will describe
the following sects: Dotoku Kagaku, Honmichi-Hombu,
Tenri Hondo, Rissho Koseikai, Tenchikodo Zenrinkai, Eno
kyo, Manji Kyodan, Shinsen Reidokyo, and Nippon Jehovah
Kyodan.



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 61

2. Tenrikyo Flourishing

Perhaps neither Tenrikyo nor Konkokyo should be
called new religions since they are both about a century
old. But they are still new in the sense that they are
quite independent from the older religious traditions of
Japan in spite of the fact that they are usually classified
as Shinto sects.

Mrs. Miki Nakayama, foundress of the Tenri relig
ion, is said to have received a divine revelation on Nov.
26, 1837. She had been a devout adherent of Jodo Bud
dhism, but the occasion for her revelatory experience
was rather provided by a shamanistic practice of a shu-
genja, a monk of a syncretic type. He was invited to
her home to pray for the healing of her husband and
eldest son. The monk had to conjure a divine spirit, so
she offered herself to serve as his medium. Quite un
expectedly, however, a new god hitherto unknown spoke
through her announcing his name as " Motp-no-kami "
or " Jitsu-no-kami ", which means the original or true
god, and claiming her to be his abode. For two days
and two nights members of her family kept asking the
god to withdraw from her, but they finally submitted and
received her as the god s shrine. Later the god came
to be called " Tenrio-no-mikoto."

According to the teachings of Tenrikyo, the god
Tenrio-no-mikoto is the father of all mankind, fostering
his children with constant care so that they live happy



62 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

and joyous lives (yokigurashi) . The optimism of yoki-
gurashi is indeed quite characteristic of the sect. It
teaches : death is simply putting off one s garment ;
the soul, being immortal, will come back to life in a
new garment ; sins are nothing but " dust " (hokori)
gathered on one s soul or mind to be removed by mental
cleansing ; sickness is a physical effect of mental " dust " ;
remove the cause, and the effect will be eliminated im
mediately.

Tenrikyo is the largest and best developed of all
the newer religions. Having passed through various
difficulties and even persecutions, its adherents have firm
conviction of its truth. As of Mar. 31, 1952, it had 13,994
churches, 78,885 preachers, and 219,953 " confirmed " fol
lowers, besides over one million common believers. There
are also day nurseries, orphanages, old people s homes,
hospitals, sanitoriums, and other social welfare work.
In Tambaichi, Nara Prefecture, where its headquarters is
situated, there are schools of all grades from kindergarten
to university.

From the Tenri University Press are issued " Bulletin
of Tenri University ", " Yamato Bunka ", and a bimonthly
" Bulletin of the Institute of Religious Culture ", all of
high academic quality. The Department of Koreanology
of the University edits " Chosen Gakuho ". The following
are some of the articles that appeared recently in these
publications : " Christianity under the Chinese Communist
Government ", " Christianity in the Soviet Union ", " The



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 63

NCCC in America ", " The NCWC in America ", " Judaism
in America " (Bulletin of the Institute of Religious Culture,
No. 18, Nov., 1952) ; " On Subjectivity in Religion : the
Essential Construction of Believing ", " Relacion del
Martirio de los 26 Christianos Crucificandos en Nagasaqui
el 5 de Febrero de 1597 " (in Japanese translation, Yamato
Bunka, No. 32, Nov., 1952).

On April 18, 1952, the Tenri headquarters announced
that there will be a grand celebration of the seventieth
anniversary of Mrs. Nakayama s " ascension " in 1956.
October 30 November 1 there were gathered some
15,000 leading priests of the sect in Tambaichi to be in
structed about preparations for the coming occasion.
Mr. Shozen Nakayama, present head of the sect, said in
an address that the spirit of fukugen (return to the
beginning) should be the spirit pervading the anniversary.
By fukugen, however, he does not mean a return to the
past but making a fresh start by returning to the original
purity of the foundress s faith. The address has been
printed in the monthly " Michi-no-Tomo ", Dec., 1952.

3. Is Konkokyo Declining?

Another remarkable religion is Konkokyo. It also
claims that its founder, Mr. Bunjiro Konko, received a
special revelation on Oct. 21, 1859, that he should from
thenceforth devote his whole life to the ministry of inter
cession and counselling for people. His god he called
" Tenchi-kane-no-kami", who is believed to be the only



64 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

true god, creator and father of all. Having experienced
his oneness with this god, Mr. Konko called himself
"Ikigami-konko-daijin" (Konko-god-manifest-in-life) . Thus
Konkokyo is a monotheistic religion with Mr. Bunjiro
Konko as its revealer. It emphasizes the parental care
of the father-god of all men and teaches love, gratitude,
and trust as the basic virtues of man. It is a religion
of simplicity and practicability. It rejects all charms
and amulets as well as all superstitious beliefs in days
and directions.

As in the case of Tenrikyo, Konkokyo also classifies
its adherents into two classes: kyoto or confirmed fol
lowers, and shinto or common believers. The latest
available statistics give, as of Dec. 31, 1950, the number
of kyoto as 89,947 and of shinto as 548,026, the total be
ing 637,973. The number of preachers is 3,292, including
1,299 women preachers. There are 1,589 churches belong
ing to this sect.

The sect was far stronger in prewar days. The
number of its " common " believers in 1930 stood at
705,944 ; this increased to 1,043,416 by 1935 and reached
the highest peak of 1,151,977 in 1940.

Thus the most urgent problem of the sect is how to
recover its prewar strength. In 1949 there was started
a movement called " Otoritsugi-joju-shinjin-seikatsu Undo "
to strengthen the religious life of the sect. The year
1953 is expected to be a great year for the sect because,
besides being the fifth year of the undo, the year will



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 65

commemorate the 70th anniversary of the death of Mr.
Matajiro Konko as well as the 60th anniversary of the
death of his immediate successor, and will celebrate the
60th anniversary of the dedication of Mr. Setsutane Konko
as the head of the sect. What results will come out of
the programs and activities of this special year are yet
to be seen.

4. More Human Beings Deified

A more distinctly Shintoistic sect is Shinrikyo or
the Divine Reason Religion which claims to have 907
churches, 4,474 priests, and 1,365,116 adherents at the end
of 1952. The sect worships eighteen Shinto divinities and
regards its founder, Mr. Tsunehiko Kannagibe (1834-1906),
as a direct descendant of Nigihayahi-no-mikoto, a grandson
of the Sun-goddess. He also claimed to have received a
special revelation which commanded him to enter a career
of religious ministry. The revelation is said to have
occurred on Oct. 16, 1876. The sect is now preparing the
founder s writings. Probably more and more emphasis
is going to be placed on his person as mediator between
the divine and the human.

Omoto Aizen-en is another sect which deifies human
beings. Back in 1892 Mrs. Naoko Deguchi (1836-1918)
began receiving inspirations which she recorded in black
and white. They were then collected and became the
scripture of the sect. She and her son-in-law, Wanisaburo
Deguchi (1871-1948), are believed to be two manifestations



66 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952

of the divine in the pantheon headed by the supreme
god Omoto-sume-okami. The sect, once suppressed by
the government in 1936, is now steadily growing again.
It teaches love, purity, optimism, progress and unity as
the most basic principles of human life and society. It
shows a vital interest in world peace.

i
5. Gods Walking on the Streets

The " living deities " (ikigami) above mentioned are
all persons of the past, but there are others which are
living now. One of them is Mrs. Sayo Kitamura (born
1900) , the Okami-sama or Great Goddess of Tenshoko Dai-
jingu-kyo, popularly called the " Dancing Religion ". The
decisive date for this sect was Aug. 11, 1945 when Mrs.
Kitamura announced herself to be the only daughter of
the Heavenly Goddess, Tenshoko Daijingu. Her home is
in Tafuse, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where the headquarters
of the sect is situated, but she is constantly travelling
and in 1952 went as far as Hawaii to preach, sing and
dance.

According to her teachings, the goddess Tenshoko Dai
jingu is the same being as the Heavenly Father of the
Christians and the Buddha (hombutsu) of the Buddhists.
The same absolute God was taught 3,000 (sic) years ago
by Gautama, 2,000 years ago by Christ, and is now in
these last days speaking through Sayo-san ! Her words
are often crude but always clever, sometimes revealing
genuine religious insights.



THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 67

Mr. Jikan Okada, founder of the World Messianic
Religion (Sekai Messhiakyo), does not call himself a
god but claims himself to be the Messiah who has come
to earth to save mankind from the three evils of sickness,
poverty, and war, and to establish a perfect world of
peace, truth, goodness, and beauty. He says he is a
greater one than Christ, Buddha, Mohammed, or Con
fucius. His god whom he calls Jehovah has, however,
other names also : Amida, Miroku, Kannon, and Izunome-
no-kami. He is well-read and writes constantly. He is
opposed to modern medicine. He defines sickness as a
physiological phenomenon of self-purification which should
not be interfered with by artificial methods. He also says,
however, that diseases are sometimes caused by evil dem
ons. A pamphlet has just been put out with the date of
Jan. 1, 1953, which is entitled " Saving America " (" Am-
erika wo Sukuu ") . Oddly enough it is written all in
Japanese although the author promises that it will be
later translated into English.



CHAPTER II

THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT
IN JAPAN

PART I
CHRISTIAN WORK

EVANGELISTIC TRENDS

by Isamu Omura

The contents of this report on " Evangelistic Trends "
will be limited to materials from the United Church of
Christ in Japan (Kyodan).

All Protestant Churches in Japan (1951-1952)
Churches Ministers Members

2,966 3,978 214,260

Kyodan Only

Churches Ministers Members

1,461 1,242 136,452

The most important event in evangelistic trends in
1952 was the establishment of the Naikoku Dendokai
(Home Missions Society) by the Seventh General Assembly
of the Kyodan in October. It is one of the two com
mittees in the General Evangelistic Committee (Sogo
Dendo linkai) which is responsible for all the evangelistic
activities of the Kyodan.

68



EVANGELISTIC TRENDS 69



General Evangelism Comm.



Home Missions Society



Cooperative Evangelism
Committee



There is a double significance to the establishment
of the Home Missions Society :

a. First, it is to promote a self-supporting missionary
spirit and to strengthen mutual help among indigenous
churches belonging to the Kyodan. Since the World
War II ended, more than 260 million yen ($722,000) of
emergency aid has been given through the Interboard
Committee of North America. Even in 1952 the total
budget for evangelism in the Kyodan was Y 17,430,000
($48,417), and of this budget only Y 2,350,000 ($6,528.00),
or 134%, came from the indigenous churches, while
Y 14,935,000, or 85.6%, was from the Interboard Committee.
Of course, we shall never be able to overestimate the
contribution which this financial aid made to the evange
listic activities of the Japanese church which has faced
a great missionary opportunity during the time of pain
and sorrow caused by the tragedy and damage of the
war.

Since, however, the recovery of national independence
in 1952 and the great improvement in the living standard
of the Japanese people, there have been heard voices
within Kyodan circles which regret the fact that the
self-supporting spirit of the churches has been weakened



70 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

because of such great financial support from the Inter-
board Committee. As a matter of fact, there have been
two traditional characteristics in the history of Japanese
Protestantism ; i. e., the super-denominationalistic, and
the self-supporting tendencies. The Home Missions
Society is the answer to these voices on the one hand,
and it will encourage the spirit of our Lord s saying,
" It is more blessed to give than to receive," on the other.

b. Secondly, I want to mention here that it is a
great misunderstanding to consider that the establishment
of the Home Missions Society is a result of a narrow
and exclusive spirit which rejects cooperative hands from
abroad. Of course, there are some regrettable facts which
confuse the independence of the church with national
independence. Some say that the evangelization of Japan
should be done solely by the Japanese. Consequently,
for them the Home Missions Society seems to be con
sidered as the organ which, in the future, makes ecumeni
cal cooperation unnecessary. But that is not the real
idea of this committee. The missionary obligation in
Japan is not only the obligation of the Japanese church,
but also that of the world church. " Mission in Unity "
is the vital obligation of the church. The real aim of
the Home Missions Society is to foster the spirit of
positive participation in this " Mission in Unity " in the
Japanese setting.

The main articles in the Constitution of the Home
Missions Society are as follows :



EVANGELISTIC TRENDS 71

1. The United Church of Christ in Japan sets up
the Home Missions Society under the General Evangelism
Committee for the purpose of encouraging the missionary
spirit among the Kyodan churches to evangelize the
whole nation by means of indigenous funds.

2. Duties of the Society:

a. Investigation and planning of the mission in

this country.

b. Opening of pioneer evangelism.

c. Raising funds from Kyodan churches.

3. The Society promotes the purpose of No. 1
and 2 through close cooperation with the Cooperative
Evangelism Committee (CEC).

The Cooperative Evangelism Committee (CEC) is
another sub-committee in the General Evangelism Com
mittee. Legally, CEC is one of the sub-committees of the
Council of Cooperation, which is the ecumenical coopera
tive organ of the Kyodan and the Interboard Committee ;
but, functionally, it works under the General Evangelism
Committee. There are two major functions of CEC.
They are the planning and promoting of pioneer evange
lism in the unoccupied areas on the one hand, and the
assignment of evangelistic missionaries on the other.
The members of CEC are composed of Japanese and
missionary representatives. Its funds are from the Inter-
board Committee. In the fiscal year of 1952 the CEC
with a budget of Y 3,500,000 has founded 19 pioneer
churches where there were no churches before. Among



72

them 9 churches already have gotten more than 20
members, and 11 churches had more than 20 attendants
at Sunday services at the end of a year.
Five-year Evangelistic Program
The Five-year Evangelistic program of the Kyodan,
which started in 1949, has marked an epoch in the
history of Japanese evangelism. The main results of
the program are :

a. Positive penetration of the Gospel into the rural
areas where there were very few churches.

b. The awakening of lay evangelism especially visita
tion evangelism.

c. Vocational or occupational evangelism for the
mass of workers in industries and mines.

1953 is the concluding year of the program. There
fore the General Evangelism Committee is planning a
special program for the year.

a. " Harvest and Advance " is the slogan with the
Bible text of John 4 : 35. " Lift up your eyes, and see
how the fields are already white for harvest."

b. Special emphasis will be laid on strategic programs
in each local prefecture throughout the nation.

c. A national conference on " The Mission of the
Church " is to be held in September.

A special Youth Emphasis Program is set up for
1953 especially for evangelism among students.



RURAL WORK

by E. Frank Gary



The Situation



In the on-going life and mission of the Christian
church in Japan, the undertaking of rural evangelism
and rural work in general is not a new departure. From
the beginning the church touched the life of the rural
areas, if by no other means than the witness of those
who had been converted in urban areas and had returned
to their native villages. But in a peculiar way in the
postwar days the church has become conscious of the
crying need of more intense rural evangelism. It has
become clear that during the late war much of the
strongest support for the forces of militarism came from
the rural areas and that here was often found the centers
of the most virulent nationalism. And in many cases
these were precisely the areas where Christian influence
was most negligible. Furthermore, as the church, recup
erating from the wounds of war, took stock of itself and
considered its strategy for the new day, it became sharply
conscious of the disproportion in evangelistic emphases.
In the past the concern with educational institutions and
urban evangelism in general had doomed rural evangelism
to remain a subsidiary and much-neglected area of the
church s work. The evident concentration of missionaries
in urban areas and educational institutions only served

73



74 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

to underline what was true of the church at large.

The postwar church, then, has come to realize that
former patterns and proportions are no longer adequate.
The result has been that rural evangelism has begun to
assume unprecedented importance in the total planning
of the church. The increasing use of the term " pioneer
evangelism " is another evidence of this concern, for,
while the term does include pioneer areas as factory and
mine evangelism, the major area of pioneer evangelism
continues to be in the rural field. The proportion of
money devoted to rural evangelism has increased greatly
and the category of missionary sought from foreign
churches has become increasingly that of the rural
evangelist.

In this time of sharpened awareness of and emphasis
upon rural evangelism, what is the actual situation that
the church faces? In view of the magnitude of the task
that remains to be done the situation is that the church
is undertaking the evangelism of rural Japan relatively
from scratch. After some ninety-odd years of Protestant
Christianity in Japan the church is largely an urban
phenomenon. This is not confined to the metropolitan
areas, for even in the prefectures the centers of Christian
activity are overwhelmingly the towns and cities. (A
glance at the statistics in the Kirisutokyo Nenkan and
the Japanese Christian Yearbook for 1951 will be sufficient
to confirm this fact.) The writer has been interested to
note in his own prefecture that even those churches



RURAL WORK 75

which consider themselves, and are considered by others,
as rural churches are largely situated in towns often of
considerable size. One is tempted to think that the term
" nocho " would be more appropriate than " noson " when
applied to the existing evangelistic situation! It is true
that the town often plays a large role in the total life of
the rural area, and consequently the fact that the church
is in a town need not disqualify it as a rural church.
But the truth of the matter is that in all too many cases
the town church is indifferent to the challenge of the
surrounding rural area. If it touches the life of that
area, it is more by accident than by design.

In short, as the church in its fresh orientation and
awareness considers the urgency of rural evangelism, it
faces what is practically an untapped constituency with
its own special demands and problems.

Problems in the Rural Areas

1. Most of the problems are related to or derived
from the basic underlying problem of how to transform
the Japanese church from an urban church to one in
which the rural church has at least an equal place. Nor
should the recent awareness of rural evangelism which
has been mentioned be taken as a universal awareness
in the church. There still remains much education to
be done on the lower levels and particularly among
church congregations who must provide the drive and
initiative for aggressive rural evangelism. There is a



76 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

natural human tendency to exploit the easiest areas of
opportunity first, and there is no doubt that the cities
and towns bring quicker results for the amount of energy
expended. Yet, it would seem imperative that the whole
church become fired by the pressing need for more
widespread rural evangelism. As long as the church is
satisfied to remain predominantly an urban church, the
drive for rural work will be cut off at the source. Hence
we have a need for the will to transform the church. And
it may well be that the dynamic for such a change in
the church will have to come from the laity.

2. One of the great problems facing the church as
it contemplates increased activity in the rural field is
that of financial support. The effective undertaking of
pioneer work may in many cases necessitate opening up
areas where there is no financial support for the evan
gelist. Indeed, it may be that there will be little in the
way of self-support for many years because results are
not achieved as quickly as in the urban districts. But
the Japanese church is a relatively poor church, and to
date it has often proved difficult to get even the necessary
support for already-existing work. At the same time it
can be said that, because of inadequate training in Chris
tian stewardship, the church has never really tapped
the resources that are available. Yet when all this is
granted, it still remains a very real problem how to
provide sufficient outside support to maintain evangelists
until such time as churches capable of self-support are



RURAL WORK 77

established.

3. Still another problem is the absence of a co
ordinated strategy of rural evangelism among the churches.
On the one hand there is, as one writer put it, " what
Stanley Jones referred to as the pastor-smothered nature
of the church here. There is an almost naive lack of
any effort to divide the job up geographically." This
results in what often seems like a " vast game of clerical
leapfrog." It is inevitable to some extent that ministers
go where their personal contacts lead them, but there
tends to be far too much duplication of effort. Ministers
of different denominations and sometimes, even more
lamentably, of the same denomination maintain small
causes in the same rural area while other nearby areas
go quite untouched.

And, if the national churches are slow to develop
an integrated strategy, the missionaries often do not
do much to help. The bewildering variety of postwar
Christian groups has made a workable system of
polity impossible and has sown confusion among the
non-Christian constituency to whom they have gone.
Again, too many missionaries tend to congregate in the
areas of quickest returns, thereby reinforcing a weakness
of the national church. In many cases where they do
go into rural areas their tactics are rather hit-and-run
with a complete absence of a long-term view. They go
into a place, but for one reason or another they pull out
after a brief stay. They leave behind them often a



78 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

legacy of confusion and even resentment which makes
it difficult for the Japanese church to establish permanent
work in the area for some time to come. The broad,
untouched reaches of Japan call for thoughtful planning
on the part of both the national churches and the mis
sionary forces.

4. The above-mentioned problems are largely those
arising from the life of the evangelizing churches. There
are other problems arising from the nature of the rural
area itself. The first of these and, with the possible
exception of Hokkaido, the most widespread is that
of breaking through the barrier of tradition and custom.
It is a paradoxical situation that in a very real way
many rural villages are indifferent to religion and yet, at
the same time, their formal ties to the traditional religions
of Shinto and Buddhism cause them to view with suspicion
all attempts at Christian evangelization. In at least one
case brought to the writer s attention, active persecution
instituted by the local Shinto priest was resorted to
in an attempt to block the activities of a Christian
lay worker. Time and again the church runs head on
into deeply rooted local customs, the family system, etc.
Constantly it must contend with opposition accorded it
as a foreign religion. In some places the difficulty in
finding a place of meeting because of this opposition,
combined with a certain reluctance in accepting invita
tions to use a private home, places obstacles in the
way of starting work. It is true of Japan as with



RURAL WORK 79

most countries that the country is the stronghold of
conservatism, hence always the most difficult situation
to meet with the appeal of Christ for men s loyalties.
It is interesting that wherever one goes in rural Japan
(again, with the possible exception of Hokkaido) the
ministers are convinced that their area is the most
difficult in Japan. This would lead one to conclude that
rural conservatism and related characteristics make all
rural areas uniformly difficult when compared with the
towns and cities.

5. Related to the nature of the rural situation and
at the same time related to the life of the church is the
problem of the kind of evangelist best fitted to work in
the rural field. Handicaps of education, time, and energy
such as exist here render doubtful the efficacy of the
academic and theological type of minister that is
often found in rural work. The simplification of the
Gospel to its essentials and a more practical demonstra
tion of its power may be a first requirement of a revised
rural strategy. The preaching of the latest trends in
European and American theology is hardly likely to prove
an effective evangelistic tool to farmers and fisherfolk
with no knowledge of Christianity.

What the Church Can Do

1. Perhaps the place the church should begin is
with prayer for rural evangelism that by the power of
the Holy Spirit there may be born in all the church the



80 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

eager desire to forward this work. Every effort should
be made to shake the church out of its urban, middle-
class complacency and lay the burden of rural work
heavily on its heart.

2. The problem of support for rural evangelism is
one for which I see no immediate or easy solution. I
purposely refrain from any mention of the use of mis
sionary funds, for the day would seem to be here when
the church must increasingly shoulder its own financial
responsibilities. What a Japanese minister in Hok
kaido calls " reciprocal evangelism " may be part of the
answer. The city churches with their greater resources
may have to take a greater share of the support for rural
work with vision and sacrifice. As I have already men
tioned, the time is already overdue for more intensive
education of the church in the responsibilities of Chris
tian stewardship whereby all the latent resources of
the church may be made available for the work of
evangelism. The Kyodan has taken a great forward
step in the solution of this problem of support by the
formation of a Home Missions Society whose resources
will come entirely from indigenous sources.

3. The emergence of an interdenominational strategy
of rural work at a high level seems highly unlikely at
the present stage. But it can be done within each
denomination. And more important is the fact that it
can be done interdenominationally at a local level within
each prefecture or natural area. The obligation lies upon



RURAL WORK 81

the missionaries to aid in this matter of strategy by
working out and abiding by a system of polity as soon
as possible. Once again, if this moves too slowly at the
upper levels, it is imperative that some satisfactory local
arrangement be worked out wherever possible.

In the development of a rural strategy increasing use
can be made of consecrated laymen. The time has long
passed when the clergy could justifiably retain all respon
sibility in their own hands. The task is too big for the
- clergy to do alone, and furthermore the laity can penetrate
effectively into areas that would be closed to ministers.
There is some indication that such a development is
alreadyJjaking place.

4. The church must face up to the peculiar nature
of the rural situation and adapt its message. From
Hokkaido comes the suggestion that the church increas
ingly attempt to present its gospel visually. The church
might well study the symbols, the myths and institutions
of rural life with a view to adapting them to the life of
the church. It is true that such a work of adaptation
carries its own dangers, but it is equally true that no
faith which ignores the symbols in rural life or fails to
provide acceptable alternatives will make much headway.
The church in the rural setting should ponder anew the
truth of the Incarnation and seek means of mediating its
spiritual message through material symbols for those
untrained to fathom the abstruseness of Barth and
Niebuhr.



82 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

5. The need for a thorough study and understanding
of the rural situation is closely related to the problem of
the type of worker required. The church should seek
men who, while not necessarily specialists in the technical
sense, will by their understanding of and sympathy with
the problems of the rural area fit into to that scene.
They should have a sensitive appreciation of the values
of rural life and a deep and abiding love for its people.
They should have a keen perception of the needs of those
whom they serve and an ability to temper their message
to those needs. This is far more important than a mere
transmission of the formulas and dogmas learned in
theological college. Above all, they must minister to the
whole life of the people as they find it, not to the unreal
image of life as they have preconceived it. For missionaries
who come from an alien culture it is especially important
so to adapt their ministry with patience and sensitivity.

6. The church will make its deepest impact when
there is added to its proclamation of the eternal truths
of the gospel a wider ministry to the whole life of rural
Japan. This ministry may take many forms according
to the genius of the evangelist or church and the peculiar
needs of each area. Some concrete examples are given
in the next section. Mention could be made of child
welfare clinics enlisting the help of Christian doctors
and nurses ; programmes of adult education ; youth work
related to the needs and potentialities of young people ;
classes in nutrition and sanitation and such other subjects



RURAL WORK 83

as would lead to a bettering of material circumstances.
What the Church is Doing

The following are just a few examples that have
come to the writer s attention of the wider ministry of
the church in rural evangelism. In these situations we
see already operating many of the factors mentioned
above and a lively attempt to solve the problems of rural
evangelism. In some cases the informants are quoted
directly.

1. " Larger parish approach centered in one town.
In Nagano-cho (Osaka-fu) the church is centered in a
rural area and is sparked by a young pastor who has
great vision much of which has begun to materialize.
One example is the church-related middle school with a
church farm. There are plans for a dormitory for rural
students who can earn their board by working on the
farm. The whole project is laid within the larger parish
framework."

2. Dairy projects. In Shimane Ken one church is
working on a project to establish a Christian dairy in a
few years. In the Hokkaido the Christian Dairy College
not only is doing excellent work of an agricultural nature
but sponsors a two-week Gospel School in summer and
winter whose graduates after two years already number
280 and are to be found in all the main agricultural dis
tricts of the Hokkaido. Workers from the college also
do widespread travelling evangelism in the rural areas.



84 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

3. Rural centers. The establishment of rural centers
in several places is a significant feature of recent times.
In Tokyo the Kyodan has for several years conducted
the Rural Training Center which is a national center for
training rural evangelists who, it is hoped, will in turn
furnish the driving force for local centers in the areas
to which they return. In Hokkaido the churches of
Yakumo and Nopporo each have a rural center which
conducts studies in rural evangelism and rural leadership
training. These centers are the focal points for evangeliza
tion of a wide area. Ibaraki Ken has a new rural center
whose plans promise to make it a most effective instru
ment for the wider ministry to the rural areas of that
prefecture. These plans include such things as clinics ;
lectures on women s diseases, child care and nutrition;
rural gospel schools ; family life and cooking classes ; and
demonstrations in sanitation and first aid. All these
centers, besides the community-centered activities just
mentioned, use freely the " normal " forms of evangelism,
spoken, written and audio-visual.

In Chiba Ken there has been established under the
leadership of Dr. Sam Franklin a rural center with plans
for a kindergarten, church and clinic, which will fulfil
many of the functions already described. Quotations
from the objectives of this center as outlined by Dr.
Franklin might well serve as a summary of the objectives
of all such rural centers, if not the whole movement
for rural evangelism. Among such objectives are (a)



RURAL WORK 85

"To make Christian love concrete on as many planes of
life as possible... the works of love which are one of the
truest witnesses to the Gospel are largely lacking." (b)
"To stress Christian education. The opportunity is
endless and children s gatherings are certainly the first
step toward adult contacts. However we feel that even
where it is going on the standards are pretty low... We
hope to develop a curriculum and methods adapted to
the rural situation." (c) " To emphasize the relevance
of Christianity to all of life, individual and social. I have
a feeling that the social implications of our faith for
Japanese farm life are a pretty neglected field. The
twin dangers are to neglect the whole subject or to over
simplify. I hope we can focus on local problems, begin
ning perhaps with home life. Right now it looks to me
as if there had been too much pussy-footing in Christian
dealing with such matters as the position of women.
Secular sociologists are more realistic and down to earth
in their appraisal of the rural family than Christians
are. See for example Fukudake s recent " Nihon Noson
no Shakaiteki Seikaku ."

Conclusion

As I catch the mood of today in rural evangelism, I
cannot but feel deeply that the power of the Holy Spirit
is moving strongly in the church s life. There is a stir
ring in the spiritual depths of the church s life. The
fruits of rural evangelism will follow in the measure that



86 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

we allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to transform us and
through us the folk we serve, and in the measure that
we use the God-given powers of mind and spirit that are
available to everyone who faces the world as a spokesman
of the most high God. Results will come slowly, and we
deceive ourselves if we expect otherwise. But we have
the sure confidence that because the work is the Lord s,
results will come.

This article has been an attempt to give a brief
description of the problems and achievements of rural
evangelism in Japan by one who is a foreigner and a
beginner. It is by no means a complete picture, and it
may be in some cases less than accurate. The writer
acknowledges with gratitude the information and help
given him by a number of people in widely separated
parts of Japan. However, any deficiencies of fact or
judgment in the article are entirely his own responsibility.



LAYMEN S WORK

by Moto Sakata

Problems in Laymen s Work

a. The General Situation.

All Japanese laymen and laywomen are now hearing
God s call to be ministers. In the 6 years since the end
of World War II 13 million copies of the Bible were sold
by the Japan Bible Society and about 10 million copies
were distributed free to a great many homes. Thus
each home in this country has been provided with one
or perhaps more copies of the Bible.

Each year about seventy Christian colleges and high
schools, most of which have a proven history of fifty to
seventy years, send out 50 thousand new graduates.
Several hundred churches have their own kindergartens,
and about the same number of Christian social settlements
and hospitals are functioning well. There are approxi
mately 2,300 churches served by something over 3,000
ministers and around 1,000 missionaries.

However, the total number of church members is no
more than 250,000. Japan is probably the most difficult
field in the world for evangelization. But these 250,000
Christians are now hearing God s voice to dedicate
themselves to this difficult task of evangelism with which
they are all concerned.

b. Establishment of the Laymen s Association.

87



88 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

In 1945. just after the war s end, the General Assembly
of the Kyodan agreed unanimously upon the establishment
of a laymen s association. Consequently the Laymen s
Association was formed in March, 1946, and 26 chapters
were established in various cities throughout the country.

The Association issued a declaration at the General
Assembly on Oct. 22, 1952, as follows:

" A Pledge of One Body, One Faith

1. We, the lay-representatives to the 7th General
Assembly, herewith pledge ourselves firmly to hold
to One Body, One Faith and not to take part in
sectarian movements.

2. We demand mutual agreement and unity among
all laymen who belong to the Kyodan and earnestly
hope that this will be realized.

Agreement

1. Volunteer laymen from all parts of Japan will
endeavor with complete cooperation to establish the
finances of the Kyodan upon a firm foundation and
to strengthen the financial condition of the local
churches.

2. The lay-representatives to the General Assembly
join in this agreement and will endeavor to encourage
as many fellow-laymen as possible to join in it.

Lay-representatives Committee

7th General Assembly of the Kyodan "

c. Laymen s Sunday.

" Laymen s Sunday " has been observed for the last



LAYMEN S WORK 89

three years on the second Sunday of October. This idea
was taken from the laymen s movement in New York
and each year the churches are taking this more seriously.
Last year large joint meetings were held in many of the
large cities.

d. It is said that the laymen s movement in the U.
S. is practicing the idea of daily work with God so that
this world may become the Kingdom of Christ. Under
the leadership of Mr. Speer and Mr. Penny this move
ment is trying to apply the Golden Rule to daily work.

We believe that the laymen in this country also should
make the same effort. We must work together for this
purpose at the same time that we work for evangelism.
We hope that we can cultivate friendship with laymen
abroad so that we may be able to work together for the
same purposes.

How is the Church Helping this Movement ?

Each conference (kyoku) is training lay-preachers,
and in the same way theological lectures are being
offered to laymen. The average attendance at 15 lectures
in the Osaka conference last fall was 110 each time.
Furthermore, each conference holds annual training con
ferences and general meetings for laymen, and many lay-
leaders are doing outstanding work at these meetings.

Practical Activities of the Laymen s Association

a. We are promoting so-called "vocational evange-



90 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

lism". Three years ago the writer translated into
Japanese the book " Argument for Vocational Evangelism "
by Goodwin, and all copies were quickly sold out. We
have organized a number of groups for vocational evang
elism among builders, doctors, lawyers, and school teachers,
and we are also pushing this evangelistic movement into
mines, factories and prisons.

b. In Osaka we have formed a group called the
" Shinsei-kai " (" New Life Group ") which is now doing
reform work among delinquent youth. The Osaka Chris
tian Social Center is taking care of released prisoners
and is giving medical treatment to the poor. This center
also maintains a home for old people. Total expenditures
for last year were Y 400,000.

c. In Tokyo the laymen s movement sponsors Christ
mas celebrations in a number of places.

d. Ministers in this country have submitted without
complaint to unbelievably low salaries. The average
income is only about Y 6,000 per month (approx. $ 16) .
Even though most of these ministers are provided with
parsonages and receive extra income from weddings and
funerals, and although they have benefited from relief
from American churches, their total incomes are ex
tremely low. The Laymen s Association is seriously
studying this problem and is about to start a movement
to increase offerings from church members with the goal
of raising ministers salaries as high as those of govern
ment school teachers.



LAYMEN S WORK 91

Program for the Future

a. The Christian Center in Osaka.

The Osaka chapter of the Laymen s Association has
been planning to build a Christian Center in Osaka. It
has already raised a fund of Y 15 million. The IBC has
secured $ 30,000 and the Episcopal Church has also decided
to give $3,000 towards the project. Building will be
started in the spring of 1954 with a budget of 70
million for which a fund-raising campaign is still in
progress.

b. Radio Broadcasting.

When Mr. Vernon Margett visited Japan in the summer
of 1951 he pointed out the importance of radio broadcast
ing as a means of evangelism, and Japanese lay- leaders
who were struck by the proposal organized the Japan
Broadcasting Evangelism Association. Mr. Kensuke Ho-
riuchi, ex-Ambassador to the U. S., Mr. Soichi Saito,
General Secretary of the National YMCA, Mr. Tsunetaro
Miyakoda, General Secretary of the Japan Bible Society,
Mr. Vernon Margett. and the writer were appointed ex
ecutives for this project. Since then Mr. Margett has
been raising funds for it in Australia and New Zealand
and is now on his way back to Japan. A fund-raising
campaign is also being started in Japan. Dr. Toyohiko
Kagawa has promised to help out on this project. It is
earnestly hoped that the Gospel will before long begin
to reach into every home through the air-waves.



YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK

by W. M. Fridell

A. CHRISTIAN YOUTH WORK IN GENERAL
The Churches

Overseas Christian friends who visit Japanese churches
never fail to express amazement over the great number
of young people they see in congregations wherever they
go. The 1952 Kirisutokyo Nenkan reports that in a
survey of churches of several different types 59% of
the Christians and 11% of the seekers attending the
Sunday morning worship services were young people 25
years of age and under. These impressive figures bear
out the fact that, at least so far as number of partici
pants is concerned, postwar Japanese Protestant Christ
ianity is to a surprising extent a young people s movement.

No one, least of all Japanese Christian leaders them
selves, would say that the youth evangelistic work of
the churches is all it should be. Many wish the churches
message would more consistently prepare young people
to meet in a positive and intelligent manner the tremend
ous intellectual, ideological and social problems which
confront Christians in Japan today. The fact remains,
however, that the churches are appealing to and enlisting
for Kingdom service large numbers of youth. They are
responding with heart-warming sincerity. This in itself

92



YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 93

is of great and encouraging significance.

Much more should be said about youth work in the
churches but it is such a huge subject that this very
general survey must be content with the simple statement
that has been made and pass on to other areas of young
people s work.

Other Agencies

When we turn from the churches to the various
auxiliary Christian agencies working with young people,
we find five organizations with extensive programs : the
YMCA, YWCA, Youth for Christ, the United Church
(Kyodan) Youth Department, and the NCC Youth Com
mission.

The " Y "s, in addition to various evangelistic, edu
cational, club and group work activities for different age
groups, carry on certain projects designed to minister to
special groups of youth where they work and live. The
city YWCA s are working with factory girls, business
girls, and maids and wives in the home ; the YMCA
operates several industrial branches and rural centers ;
both YMCA and YWCA run extensive Hi-Y work on
high school campuses ; and both have summer camp
programs. In the section on Student Work will be found
a separate discussion of the " Y " Student Departments.

Youth for Christ is engaged in spearhead evangelism
among all age groups, but with special concern for youth.
In cooperation with the churches it holds special meet-



94 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

ings in auditoriums, tents, schools, factories and prisons.
Every seeker is followed up with Bible instruction, both
in classes and by correspondence, and as of January 1,
1953, 6,504 persons were reported in this follow-up
program. Efforts are continually made to relate these
converts and seekers to churches. The Youth for Christ
Japan Director is Rev. Sam Wolgemuth. The follow-up
Bible study is under the direction of the Navigators, in
close cooperation with the Youth for Christ staff.

The United Church (Kyodan) Youth Department is
under the chairmanship of Rev. Toyotake Kubota, pastor
of the Chiba Church, and carries on its work through
five committees: (1) Evangelism Committee for Working
Youth ; (2) Rural Youth Committee ; (3) Church High
School Youth Committee ; (4) Church Youth Com
mittee ; and (5) Church Student Committee. The Church
Youth Committee is charged with publishing the Youth
Department s monthly magazine under that name. A
summary of the work of the Church Student Committee
will be found in the section on Student Work.

The National Christian Council Youth Commission
is composed of representatives from various Christian
groups such as the United Church, YMCA, YWCA, and
several denominations. The Commission s Chairman is
Rev. Takeo Katsube, pastor of the Aoyama Gakuin Church
in Tokyo, and it has three part-time staff members, Rev.
Masami Mizuno, Rev. Hallam Shorrock, and Mr. William
Des Autels. The Commission functions primarily in



YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 95

three areas : (1) Summer Service and Action projects.
Since 1949 more than 1,000 young people have taken
part in work camps, caravans and students-in-industry
projects. (2) An annual summer conference for Japanese
pastors and first-term missionaries. (3) Relations with
youth and student organizations abroad. Through the
Commission 13 delegates were sent to the Third World
Conference of Christian Youth, held December 11-25,
1952, in Travancore, South India.

B. STUDENT WORK

Work among students occupies an important place
in the total program of youth evangelism. There are
approximately 500,000 students in higher education in
Japan, distributed among 221 four-year colleges and
universities and 108 junior colleges, or a total of 329 in
stitutions of higher learning.

Almost every Christian worker in Japan has some
rewarding contacts with students, and of course the
churches and other evangelistic agencies described in the
first part of this article include students in their general
outreach. Students, however, have many intellectual and
spiritual problems peculiar to them as a group, calling

for a specialized ministry in order most effectively to


reach them for Christ. There are a number of Christian

organizations which are giving themselves exclusively to
this ministry, and in this section we wish to review the
highlights of their work.



96 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

First, however, let us briefly examine the mental and
Spiritual state of present-day students and try to analyze
student thought on some of the issues which are occupy
ing their attention.

Present-day Student Thinking

On the surface it would appear that life is a bit
brighter for the average student now as compared with
several ye.ars ago. Many students are still living under
very difficult financial conditions, but a somewhat improv
ed national economy has reflected itself in better clothing
and more sports and other social pleasures. The tragedy
of Japanese students, however, has not to do with ex
ternals but with the things of the spirit. They are in
a state of deep moral and spiritual confusion, and few
of them hold any deep convictions about life.

The recent Ministry of Education " White Paper " on
students describes the present generation of Japanese
students as " war babies " who were born about the time
the Sino-Japanese war began and who were educated
from infancy in a strongly militaristic and nationalistic
atmosphere. They were completely unprepared for the
defeat of 1945, and it swept out from under them every
thing they had been taught to respect as secure and
good. This left them utterly disillusioned, with no heart
to put their trust in anything.

The students negative reaction to this experience
was to become severely critical of all established authority



YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 97

and traditional values, and this nihilistic attitude continues
to color their whole outlook on life. Great numbers of
students have turned to an Epicurean way of living, some
within and some without the limits of the social code.
On the positive side, because of their spiritual and
emotional turmoil, few of these young people have placed
at the center of their lives anything more significant
than the elemental struggle for basic physical necessities.
What has been said here is pretty largely true of the
majority of Japanese youth, as well as of students in
particular.

The disillusionment and spiritual confusion of the
postwar years has meant that, not only are most students
suffering from the absence of deep meaning in their
lives, but they are also incapacitated from taking hold of
social problems in a positive way. This is not because
of a lack of interest, for most students engage in frequent
discussions on public matters, and many react quite
violently to certain specific issues. The trouble is rather
that very few students have found a positive philosophy
adequate to supply the motivation and direction necessary
for sustained, effective social action.

The exceptions to this are the communist students
(some of whom are professional organizers in student
uniform) . They have a clearcut program of social agita
tion built around idealistic slogans and a carefully-drawn
economic and social analysis, and these make a strong
appeal to many students. Yet, Japanese students on the



98 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

whole do not really want a communist government, and
instinctively rebel against the extreme radicalism of
communist demonstrations. Although the communists
are very vocal, they actually carry with them only a
small minority of students, and often students who will
join them in a statement or protest over a single issue
would never think of going with them any further. Most
students, Christians included, are opposed to the very con
servative administration of Premier Yoshida s (so-called)
Liberal Party, and wish for a middle-way between it and
communism. Increasingly students are supporting the
Socialists who, although split into left and right-wing par
ties, appear slowly to be gaining strength. A recent survey
at Tokyo (formerly Imperial) University showed that 80%
of the students questioned favored the Socialists, either
right or left.

Aside from the communist students, however, politi
cal opinions do not mean so much as they might because
of a lack of sustained political effort, as described above.
This is the case with the Christian students. The Chris
tian students, of course, have a sound personal faith and
therefore are not subject to the basic spiritual confusion
of other students, but except for the work camps and
some participation in the Christian Peace Movement there
has been evidenced little ability to get into effective ac
tion on social issues. This inertia in regard to social
problems is really a characteristic of Japanese Christianity
as a whole, and is to a great extent a result of a theologi-



YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 99

cal tradition which fails adequately to relate faith to life.
A recent trend among Christian students to re-examine
the working of God in history and the Christian s re
sponsibility within God s will for society (see SCM Trends
in 1952) is an encouraging development, and holds forth
the possibility of a more intelligent and effective social
witness among Christian students.

One reason the majority of students are opposed to
Yoshida s Liberal Party is that students generally do not
favor rearmament and the Security Pact with America,
which all along have been two planks in Yoshida s policy.
There is a very strong emotional reaction against war
among all of the Japanese people, and it is with great
reluctance that many envisage the prospect of rearma
ment and alignment with America in the world struggle.
It is feared that this may one day involve Japan in
another all-out war. Especially strong among the students
is the wish that Japan might remain independent of both
the Eastern and Western camps, like India, which they
greatly admire. One reason for this desire is the natural
reaction against continued American influence in Japan,
now that the Peace Treaty has been signed and the
Occupation removed. This is not to say Japan will not
continue within the American sphere, for the general fear
of Russian invasion is strong, especially recently since
Russian patrol vessels have been firing on Japanese fish
ing boats in Hokkaido waters, and Russian planes have
been reported over Japan as far south as Tokyo.



100 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Let us turn now to review the various agencies which
are giving themselves to full-time work with students.

Christian Schools

Christian schools have a unique opportunity among
the various agencies engaged in student evangelism, for
they are in a position to shape not only the students
extra-curricular interests, but to a great extent their
entire academic experience as well. The 1952 Kirisutokyo
Nenkan reports that of the 329 colleges and universities
in Japan 47 are Protestant Christian.

The educational and evangelistic effectiveness of our
schools varies considerably from school to school. All
are faced to some extent or another with many exceed
ingly frustrating conditions such as the overcrowding of
classes, a serious shortage of qualified Christian teachers,
lack of opportunity for leisurely student-teacher contacts,
and the never-ending drain of financial troubles. In spite
of this, spiritual victories continue to be reported from
every school, and some are maintaining wonderfully high
standards both in their academic work and in their
witness to the Gospel. Christian educators themselves
are thinking seriously as to how to strengthen the evange
listic work of the schools and the total contribution of
Christian education to Kingdom advance in Japan. In
another part of this volume a more detailed discussion of
Christian schools may be found.

From the Christian schools let us turn to a number



YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 101

of agencies which are giving their full attention to
evangelistic work among the students of colleges and
universities in general. Most of these organizations are
working in both Christian and non-Christian schools and
concentrate for the most part on the students extra
curricular time.

YMCA and YWCA Student Departments

By far the most extensive work in specialized student
evangelism is being done through the Student Depart
ments of the Japan YMCA and YWCA. In so far as it
can be said that there is a Japanese SCM (Student Chris
tian Movement), these two bodies constitute its core.
For over 50 years they have been related to the WSCF
(World Student Christian Federation) , and it is primarily
through them that Japanese Christian students have con
tact with the Student Christian Movements of other
countries.

The local work of both Student Departments is cen
tered .in the campus "Y" associations, of which the
YMCA has 160 with 5,600 members, and the YWCA 35
with 1,200 members. In addition, the YMCA is operat
ing 13 student dormitories. Before jumping to conclu
sions as to the relative strength of YM and YW work in
this field, it should be remembered that in Japan women
constitute only about 1/6 of the total university student
population.

At the national level each of the Student Departments



102 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

works through a committee of student leaders and a
committee of adult advisers. The two " Y " movements
engage in considerable joint work : local summer schools
for discussions of student evangelism with students and
professors ; a spring Leaders Conference at Gotemba for
adult advisers ; the University Commission, which studies
the relationship of Christianity to social science, natural
science, and philosophy-education (liberal arts) ; an annual
students-in-industry project, carried on in cooperation with
the NCC Youth Commission ; and the annual World Day
of Prayer for students. In addition to joint work, the
YWCA holds a Cabinet Training Conference twice a year
for student leaders, and the YMCA has an annual national
summer school at Gotemba. The YMCA also publishes
a monthly bulletin, " Gaku-Y News " (Student-Y News) .
YMCA Student Department staff members number five,
including one fraternal secretary from the United States,
with Mr. Tsunegoro Nara serving as Executive Secretary.
Miss Kiyo Takeda is Secretary of the YWCA Student
Department.

A significant feature of postwar campus " Y " work
is the fact that a great majority of the associations were
organized, not through the stimulation of national " Y "
leadership, but purely as expressions of local initiative.
In the case of the YMCA nearly 80% of its 160 groups
sprang up as " self-starters " of this type. This " grass
roots " strength is indicative of the genuine nature of
campus " Y " work as a real movement, but correspond-



YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 103

ingly the local associations tend to be independent of
outside leadership, preferring to hold closely to local
patterns. This presents obstacles to the promotion of
various national projects and makes difficult the integra
tion of the movement into a united whole. The usual
program pattern of campus " Y " groups centers around
Bible study and prayer, some discussions of Christian
faith and life, and occasional evangelistic meetings. This
kind of program appeals more strongly to non-Christian
than to Christian students who are very busy with much
the same type of thing in their own churches, with the
result that the percentage of Christians in most campus
" Y " associations is quite small, numbering only about
5 to 30%. In the final section of this article will be found
a discussion of the SCM program as related to the
churches.

Other Student Work

There are a number of groups besides the YMCA and
YWCA doing Christian work with students, among them
the Inter- Varsity Christian Fellowship, student centers,
and the new Kyodan Student Committee.

Inter- Varsity Christian Fellowship, postwar in Japan,
has 10 student campus groups in Tokyo and Kobe, pub
lishes a quarterly magazine called " Kirisutosha " (The
Christian), and holds an annual summer conference.
IVCF emphasis is primarily evangelistic, with much atten
tion given to the Christian student s daily devotional life



104 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

and personal witness. The staff consists of three mis
sionaries and two part-time Japanese workers, with Miss
Irene Webster-Smith in the position of senior responsibility.
It is hoped this spring to rebuild the headquarters (near
Ochanomizu Station, Tokyo) so that it will include
adequate space for a local student center.

At present it appears that there are but two fully-
staffed and equipped student centers in the country, both
in Tokyo.

Both were founded some years before the war and
are now working within the framework of the United
Church. The Student Christian Fellowship (overseas con
nections Methodist) is located at Shinanomachi, and
employs a missionary and a part-time Japanese co-director.
It has a missionary residence and student hall, but it is
hoped that the entire plant may be rebuilt sometime this
year. The Waseda University student center, known as
Waseda Hoshien (overseas connections American Baptist) ,
has two Japanese staff workers and a missionary family,
and is equipped with a dormitory and student activity
rooms, as well as living quarters for both Japanese and
foreign staff members.

The student center work has been considerably
brightened by the decision of at least two denominations
to move into the field. The Episcopal Church is now
looking for property near Hokkaido University in Sapporo,
and expects to build a total of five student centers in
the immediate years ahead, all to be located next to



YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 105

government universities. The Evangelical Lutheran Church
has a Japanese pastor and a missionary family in Tokyo
organizing a program for the student center it will build
this spring midway between Ichigaya and lidabashi Sta
tions. The plant will include a small student hostel,
a chapel, student activity rooms, and a residence for the
Japanese pastor and family. The Lutherans hope to esta
blish another student center in Kyoto in a year or so.
The expansion of student center work would seem to
indicate that within the total Student Christian Movement
the place of the intensive local witness is being more
fully appreciated.

In the fall of 1952 the United Church (Kyodan) Youth
Department set up a new committee, called the Church
Student Committee, to do student evangelistic work. The
chairman is Rev. Teruji Hirayama, pastor of the Tokyo
Yamate Church. This new committee hopes, among other
things, to promote closer relationships between the Student
Christian Movement and student evangelism in the
churches ; extend evangelism of students in government
universities ; hold leadership training conferences ; and
organize a Student Evangelism Committee in each of the
13 districts of the Kyodan, patterned after the Tokyo
district Student Evangelism Committee (Rev. Hirayama,
chairman), the only such area committee now existing
within the United Church.



106 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

SCM Trends in 1952

During the year 1952 two general trends have charac
terized the student Christian program in Japan. The
first has been a renewed concern on the part of students
for Bible study. In the years soon after the war there
was a marked interest among students in general in
certain social problems such as student government and
world peace, and a number of the more forward-looking
Christian students and seekers shared this common
enthusiasm to get into action over practical issues. One
reason for the popularity of the work camps was that
they came at just the right time to provide Christian
young people with an outlet for their new social concern.
During the past year this concern for social action has
continued, but many students have evidenced a desire to
go more deeply into the philosophy of the Christian
social witness. This study is Bible-centered, and seeks
to understand more fully the dynamic purpose and plan
of God in history and the Christian s place within that
plan. All of this is very encouraging and will be a
double cause for thanksgiving if the study issues in more
effective action.

The second general trend among Christian students
has been a growing desire for reconciliation with the
people of other Asian countries. As contact with these
nations has become more common there has come a
disturbing realization of the extent to which the war



YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 107

alienated Japan from her neighbors. This has produced
among Christian young people a sense of sin and
repentance and a deep desire for a renewal of broken
ties, especially among the Christians of these other coun
tries. Christian students here were profoundly impressed
by a letter from the Chinese SCM stating that Chinese
Christian young people had prayed for Japanese Christians
during the war, and expressing a desire to re-establish
Christian fellowship. In the summer of 1951 one Chris
tian Philippine young person, and last summer two,
came to Japan to take part in NCC work camps and other
student conferences, and this spring for the first time
several Christian Japanese will go to the Philippines.
Letters and messages have been sent to the Christian
young people of the Philippines, and even now the student
YWCA is raising money to invite several Philippine
students to Japan to study. Messages and books have
also b een sent to the Korean SCM, and last year s World
Day of Prayer offering was dedicated to help relieve the
suffering of Korean students. This is some indication
of how God s redemptive love is operating to heal the
very real and bitter wounds of war.

The SCM and the Churches

Before discussing the relationship of the Japanese
Student Christian Movement to the churches, a word
should be said about the SCM itself. As has already
been intimated, student evangelistic work in Japan cannot



108 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

yet be called a Student Christian Movement in the same
sense that the term is used in other countries. From
the general description just completed it can be seen
that there is a genuine nation wide movement among
Christian students. Its two principal contributing forces,
however, the YMCA and YWCA Student Departments,
although engaged in considerable joint work, are as
yet not united into one Student Christian Movement
body. There is some discussion of this point in student
" Y " circles. One more step that should be taken in
the development of a full-fledged Japanese SCM is to
provide a means whereby student work outside the YMCA
and YWCA can more fully join the movement as a part
of an inclusive and integrated whole. Christian students
are acutely aware of the fact that they are a tiny
minority in the schools, and in order to develop a
stronger, more adventuresome spirit in the SCM it is
essential that all Christian student agencies work to
gether in close cooperation and mutual support. These
steps cannot be hurried if they are to represent sound
progress, but those who are engaged in this work are
looking for the day when Japanese student evangelism
will grow into full stature as one of the genuine Student
Christian Movements within the fellowship of the World
Student Christian Federation.

The Japan SCM and the churches are formally
related through the NCC Youth Commission. Here re
presentatives of the two " Y " Student Departments,



YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 109

which constitute the core of the Japanese SCM, sit down
with representatives of many other Christian bodies to
think together about the total youth program for the
country. Here a certain amount of coordination and
joint effort is possible. The NCC-sponsored work camps
and caravans are a demonstration of broad-based coopera
tion in the youth field.

At the local level the Student Christian Movement is
not so closely related to the churches as could be desired.
One reason has already been touched upon, namely, that
a great many Christian students are active in their
churches but are not tied up with campus Christian efforts.
Another reason is that, with a few outstanding exceptions,
the pastors generally seem rather unaware either of the
SCM as such, or of the fact that the students in their
congregations are a special group deserving a special
ministry. Christian students almost uniformly are hard
workers in their own churches, often giving more time
and strength than they can well afford to give, but aside
from the regular program of the church it is the rare
pastor who sits down with his students to discuss with
them what is close to their hearts as students. This is
one reason student centers and student Christian groups
often take on some of the aspects of a church, by default,
and student workers frequently find themselves function
ing so much as pastors that there is all too little time
left for the prophetic ministry that should be so strong
in a Christian youth movement.



110 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

The SCM regards itself as a movement auxiliary to
and spiritually dependent upon the church, which is God s
uniquely chosen instrument for doing His work on earth.
The SCM feels it has a two-fold ministry among students :
(1) First, to introduce them to Christ and the fellowship
of church life. In this sense the SCM serves as a door
to the churches, and it considers its basic evangelistic
responsibility is not fulfilled until the seeker becomes a
baptized member of a local congregation. (2) Secondly,
the SCM seeks to mobilize Christian students for a strong
witness within the colleges and universities to the total
claims of Christ in every phase of life spiritual, intel
lectual and social. In this capacity the SCM becomes an
arm of the churches, with the task of speaking and
practicing the prophetic message of the Word of God.
It is to be hoped that the pastors, SCM leaders and
Christian students will give more careful thought to the
respective functions of the SCM and the churches, and
that increasingly these two great movements will work
together in full appreciation of their partnership in a
common task.



CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

by Tsuraki Yano

1. Development

Christian schools in Japan started in the year 1871
when the Kyoritsu Girls School was inaugurated at
Yokohama. From that time on many Christian schools
were opened throughout Japan in the early part of the
Meiji era when Japan was keenly interested in Western
civilization.

The edict of the Education Ministry in 1899, however,
made it unlawful to teach religion or to have religious
observances even as extracurricular activities not only in
public schools but also in private schools because the
curricula were under government regulation. This caused
great difficulty, especially to Christian secondary schools
and those which wanted explicitly to preserve Christian
principles, as they had to be classified in the so-called
" miscellaneous school " category which was deprived of
all privileges attached to regular secondary schools. After
some years the way was opened for religious schools to
recover these privileges by special designation of the
Education Ministry for acknowledged " miscellaneous
schools " as fulfilling the secondary school qualifications.
During the late war many Christian schools were pressed
by prefectural authorities to become regular non-religious

111



112 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

secondary schools.

After the last war, however, the edict of 1899 was
abolished by Education Minister Maeda and religious
education in private schools was made free. At the same
time the democratic and international spirit which has been
stimulated by the postwar reformation has made Christian
schools popular even among non-Christian people. As
the result of this tendency the Christian schools have
begun to increase in number and enrollment. At present
there are 189 Christian schools from universities to primary
schools comprising more than one hundred thousand
students.

2. Theological Education

There are two seminaries (Tokyo Shingaku Daigaku
and Seikokwai Shingakuin) and four theological depart
ments (Doshisha, Kansei Gakuin, Seinan Gakuin and
Aoyama Gakuin) of college grade and above.

Beside the above mentioned there are some thirty-
odd seminaries and evangelist training institutes which
are under the auspices of several different denominations.
Among them we may mention the following institutions :
Japan Biblical Seminary, Tokyo (Kyodan) ; Sem
inary for Rural Evangelism at Hino, Tokyo-to (Kyo
dan) ; Williams Biblical Seminary, Kyoto (Episcopal) ;
Momoyama Theological Seminary, Osaka (Episcopal) ;
Nippon Lutheran Seminary, Tokyo (Evangelical Lu
theran) ; Kobe Seminary (Nippon Kirisuto) ; Tokyo



CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 113

Bible Institute (Holiness) ; Osaka Bible Institute

(Osaka Mission) ; Salvation Army Officer Training

Institute, Tokyo (Salvation Army).

As for enrollment, Tokyo Shingaku Daigaku has the
largest (242), and Doshisha (171), Aoyama (112) and
Japan Biblical Seminary (91) come next.

3. The Special Situation of the Japanese Christian
Schools

It is worth mentioning that the Japanese Christian
schools are in a special situation. In Europe and America
churches were founded and developed first, and church
schools were developed later with the financial support
of churches. In Japan, however, Christian schools were
founded and developed side by side with churches with
the aid of foreign mission boards. Being institutions in a
pagan society, Christian schools in Japan have to exert
a special effort to prepare the way for Christianity as
well as to teach and train students to live with Christian
faith. We cannot overlook their contributions in the past
toward bringing the public to an understanding of Chris
tianity. Therefore, evaluation of Christian schools should
not be made in terms of percentage of baptized students
only. It goes without saying that the policy of Christian
schools should conform with the evangelistic plan of
their respective denominations and that the denominations
should encourage and help the schools. However, it is
hoped that the denomination is careful not to interfere



114 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

with the education proper in schools which it is not
actively supporting.

4. Problems in Christian Schools

There are many problems confronting Christian schools
in Japan at present. Among these the following are the
most pressing ones.

a. Finance :

At the time the war ended public schools were very
poorly supported for their recovery and maintenance as the
government was in great financial difficulty. But Christian
schools which had connections with foreign mission
boards were generously helped by money, materials
and teachers which were sent from abroad. However,
as public schools are improving with the recovery of
the country, all private schools are feeling financial
difficulty in coping with this situation and Christian
schools are not exceptions to this as they are supported
mostly by student tuition fees which are much higher
than the sum paid at public schools. Under this situation
it is natural that students make it their first choice to
enter public schools and colleges. Therefore, Christian
schools should have special plans if they are to attract
superior students.

b. Establishing high academic and educational stand
ards :

In colleges and universities much effort should be
made to maintain high academic and educational stand-



CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 115

ards. However, it is difficult in preserit-day Japan to
have all Christian professors who are recognized as having
high scholastic ability, and as the result most of the
Christian colleges and universities have to appoint non-
Christian professors for some courses. In secondary
schools, too, there are many cases where teachers
do not have ability either in teaching or in religious
training. These problems bring forth the need of con
sidering a program of teacher training for Christian
schools.

c. Secularization :

Secularization of Christian schools is a problem not
only in Japan. However, difficulty in financing and in
supplying able Christian teachers makes it more difficult
to keep Christian standards in schools in Japan compared
with those in Europe and America. The organization of
the controlling boards, matters of finance, teacher train
ing, curriculum, extra-curricular activity, student guidance,
etc., are involved in this problem and further study is
strongly required.

5. The National Christian Education Association in
Japan

The NCEA was organized in 1910 for the purpose of
promoting Christian education through the fellowship and
mutual aid of Christian schools. The requirements for
membership in this association are as follows :

a. The school must be incorporated.



116 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

b. Christian principles must be made clear in the
constitution.

c. All members of the board of trustees must be
Christians in principle.

d. Most of the full-time teachers must be Christians.

e. Equipment and teachers salaries should fulfill
certain standards.

f. The school must be in the category of university,

college, junior college, high school, primary
school, or corresponding to these schools.

There are at present 72 school foundations which
are members of this association, including 16 universities
and colleges (4 of them have graduate schools) , 28 junior
colleges, 72 senior high schools, 63 junior high schools,
9 primary schools, and 2 seminaries, comprising 103,096
students (37,383 college students, 62,422 high school
students, 3,162 primary school students, and 129 seminary
students) .

The following is what the NCEA is doing in the main :

a. Serves as a liaison between member schools.

b. Publishes a monthly paper, " Christian Education."

c. Studies curricula in Christian schools.

d. Publishes textbooks for use in Christian schools.

e. Conducts in-service training and refresher courses
for Christian school teachers,



INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN
UNIVERSITY

by Carl Kreider

During the past year a program of instruction was
begun at the International Christian University at Mitaka,
Tokyo. A language institute was in operation, specializ
ing in English language instruction for the preparation
of students for the program of the College of Liberal
Arts which opened in April 1953. From the start, both
English and Japanese are languages of instruction at ICU.
The language institute has convinced us that Japanese
students with high level ability can in a year s time mas
ter English to the extent that they will be able to read
technical books, write extensive term papers, attend
lectures and participate actively in discussion groups all
in English. It has also convinced us that young Japanese
high school graduates of outstanding ability and achieve
ment will be attracted to a Christian university.

English language courses in oral expression, oral
comprehension, written expression and reading for com
prehension were taught by a total of five full-time and
one part-time instructors supported by three full-time
assistants. In addition the students took a course in
Social Science in which four full-time faculty members
participated as lecturers and discussion leaders mainly in

117



118 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

the English language. Seventy-five students were enrolled
in the day courses. In addition, a total of 75 business
men and foreign and Japanese teachers of English were
enrolled in the evening classes and in the summer session.

College of Liberal Arts

The Mombusho (Ministry of Education) on December
22, 1952, announced the approval of a charter for the
ICU College of Liberal Arts in the areas of natural
science, social science and the humanities. All of the
Christian high schools in Japan were contacted immedi
ately and were asked to recommend outstanding graduates
for admission to the first class. Fourteen schools responded
with recommendations, and their students after submitting
to a modified program of tests and interviews were granted
letters of admission. The prefectures were also contacted
and invited to submit candidates but because of the
short time involved few responded. In future years,
approximately one-third of the 150 students to be admitted
annually to the College of Liberal Arts may be recom
mended by the Christian schools and another one-third
by the prefectures. The remainder will be selected through
general admissions procedure. Christian school and pre-
fectural candidates who are not admitted in the special
testing and interview program will, of course, be eligible
to participate without prejudice in the general competition.



INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY 119

Admissions Program

More than 500 applications for admission were filed
this year. Almost all of these candidates had outstand
ing scholastic records in high school and had scored
among the upper 20 per cent of the students who took
the National University Aptitude Test last December.
Approximately 350 of these students were invited to the
campus of ICU early in February to be interviewed by
two members of the ICU faculty and to take a series of
English and " Learning Efficiency " tests. The Learning
Efficiency tests are given in Japanese and are designed
to reveal not how much the student has already learned
but how thoroughly the student can master difficult
technical material in the sciences, the social sciences and
the humanities in the relatively short period of time
encompassed by the test. Rigid health examinations
both by the students local doctors arid by the ICU staff
physician completed the selection process. A special
selection committee in Hong Kong chose five Chinese
students from a long list of applicants for scholarship
grants from the United Board of Christian Colleges in
China. All of these students together with over 60 of
the past year s language institute students constitute the
student body of approximately 200 full-time students for
1953-54. The student body will be increased by 150 each
year until the College of Liberal Arts will have reached
its full $j.ze of 600 in the academic year 1956-57. By that



120 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

time it is also planned to have graduate schools with
approximately 250 graduate students.

Program of Instruction

The program of instruction for the first year of the
College of Liberal Arts is English and general education
courses for the new students and general education
courses alone for the students who are continuing from
the English Language Institute. Each student is required
to complete 24 units in intensive English instruction
during his first year of residence. The only exception to
this rule is for students from abroad who are already
competent in English but who require an intensive pro
gram of Japanese instruction before being able to take
work effectively under Japanese professors. In addition
to English the student elects one of his six general educa
tion courses during his first year. Three of the other
five courses will normally be taken in the student s
second year and two in his third year. Lectures in
health and recreation and physical education exercises are
required of all students in their first two years of residence.
The following diagram illustrates the four-year program.

Students may major in natural science, social science,
or the humanities. By selecting a general education
course from his major field in his freshman year the
student may pursue his major interest from the very
beginning of his four year-program. In his sophomore year,
in addition to another general education course in his



INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY



121



4th
year

3rd
year

2nd
year

1st
year


Area Major
26


Elective
6 units


General Education j
12 units


\rea Major
14 units


Elective
6 units


General Education
18 units


Area Major
12 units


P.E.

2


General
Educ.
6 units


English Language and Literature
24 units


P.E.
2



major field he can take 12 units in specialized courses
in his area major. In the last two years, of course, the
student can concentrate his attention upon his major
interest as much as he likes. The content of the major
itself may be either broad or highly specialized, depending
upon the future plans of the student. Since most of our
students are preparing for leadership positions rather
than highly technical appointments it is likely that most
students will choose to complete their majors from various
related academic disciplines rather than concentrating all
of their time in one.

Both lecture and discussion techniques are employed in
most courses. In a typical general education course the
students all meet together twice a week for lecture
sessions. In the third period of the week they are divided
into discussion groups of from 16 to 20 students each in
order to consider together the implications of the ma
terial which has been presented in the lecture. Some
courses lend themselves well to laboratory work. Small



122 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

groups of students meet together in laboratory sections
in the natural sciences and in certain aspects of the
humanities and the English program as well. In the
humanities special music listening periods are provided
as well as special opportunities to look at accurate
reproductions of famous works of art. Similarly small
drill sections are provided in English instruction and the
students have individual use of tape recorders in order
that they can hear and improve their own intonation of
difficult English words.

Needless to say, this type of instruction demands a
low ratio of students to faculty. The faculty at present
contains 27 full-time instructors and 8 full-time assistants.
In addition there are 9 part-time lecturers and 2 part-
time assistants. Approximately one-half of the full-time
instructors are from overseas, and the great majority
of the native instructors have studied abroad. The
foreign instructors stem from various national groups and
were born in seven different countries. There is truly an
international faculty.

A Christian University

Christianity pervades the life of the entire institution.
Since all full-time members of the faculty are Christians
the students have abundant opportunities to observe
practical Christianity in action. Christianity also pervades
all parts of the curriculum the " secular " part as well
as the specific courses in Christianity. The required



INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY 123

general education courses in the humanities include ex
tensive sections on Christianity taught by such well-known
scholars as Professors Kanda and lino and by such
recognized authorities from abroad as Dr. Emil Brunner,
but the sections of the courses dealing with philosophy,
literature, art and music are also taught from a distinctly
Christian perspective. The same is true of the general
education courses in the natural and social sciences.
Indeed, the Christian emphasis in these courses may
well constitute one of the most significant contributions
ICU can make to these students.

A well-organized midweek chapel service is the
pivotal point of the activity of the entire student body.
On Sunday mornings some students participate as in
structors in the Sunday School which serves about 200
children of the community while other students engage
in similar activity in various Sunday Schools in other
parts of Tokyo. Following the ICU Sunday School hour,
students, faculty, and members of the community gather
together for a worship service. A large number of the
faculty members have contributed to this service as
speakers. In addition, student religious leadership has
been organized and the faculty has fostered and contributed
to a number of informal religious meetings. Three different
Bible study groups are meeting regularly each week
under the instruction of regular members of the faculty.
Smaller informal Bible study and prayer groups play a
significant part in the lives of some of the students.



124 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Campus Development

During the past year the large fireproof University
Hall was completed and an effective heating plant installed.
Class rooms, laboratories, lecture halls, library, faculty
and administrative offices are all efficiently housed in this
building. Six faculty apartments and four faculty homes
have already been completed and more are soon to be
underway. A temporary dormitory housing 22 men has
been in use for a number of months and construction
will begin shortly on two men s units capable of housing
130 men and a women s v dormitory for 50 women. Until
these new dormitories have been completed students are
being housed in suitable quarters having convenient
transportation facilities to the campus.

A total of nearly 30,000 volumes has already been
acquired for the open stack of the library and orders are
being placed which rapidly will increase these holdings.

Fees and Scholarships

Outside of the Y 200 application fee, the Y 2,000
admissions fee, and the Y 1,200 initial health examination
required of all new students, students are subject only
to the Y 15,000 per semester comprehensive fee. This
means that there are no special fees for registration, for
student activities, for the library or laboratory instruction
in science courses. All of these fees have been combined
with the tuition fee in one inclusive general fee. Recog-



125



nizing that many highly qualified young people may be
financially unable to pay even this fee, however, approx
imately 70 part and full tuition scholarship grants have
been provided and an active student " arbeit " program
is in operation. Room and board at the ICU dormitory
costs the student Y 4,500 each month, but the rates in
the new dormitories may be somewhat higher.

Graduate Schools

Graduate schools ordinarily engage in three types of
functions : research, service, and instruction. A recent
decision by the Mombusho to enforce the regulation
barring an institution from offering graduate work until
its four-year undergraduate program of instruction is in
full operation has necessitated postponement of the func
tion of instruction. The remaining two functions, however,
are alread}^ underway on the ICU campus in the Educa
tional Research Institute, the Nutrition Research Institute
and the Rural Welfare Research Institute. Participants
in these institutes are also receiving valuable educational
experiences, although it is not possible at the present
time to grant graduate credit for the work completed.



SOCIAL WORK

by Esther B. Rhoads

Social work in Japan has continued to show steady
improvement during the year 1952 but all programs have
been handicapped by lack of funds and trained leadership.
Budgets for public assistance although far from adequate
have been increased and the better economic conditions
of the country have been reflected in welfare institutions.
The Community Chest surpassed its goal of Y 118,398,000
more than it ever raised before, but the number of
registered welfare agencies is increasing year by year
(600 new institutions registered in 1952) so that the grant
from the Community Chest to a given institution has
actually decreased.

The two government schools of social work have
graduated 453 students in the last few years and several
hundred social workers have availed themselves of the
short courses offered. Courses in social work are being
offered by a greater number of colleges and universities.

As one visits various welfare institutions one is im
pressed with the improved health especially of children
and with the dedication and clear sense of direction of
the staff in charge. Out of the postwar confusion each
institution is emerging with definite jobs and aims.

More volunteers are giving time, money and materials
126



SOCIAL WORK 127

to help social work programs. Students, women s clubs,
work camps, all make their contribution. Army units
under the leadership of chaplains have rendered valuable
service in renovating buildings, providing clothing, and
planning good times for children.

Social work institutions fall into many categories.
Japan has some excellent institutions stressing infant
care, including pre-natal care, well-baby clinics, milk
stations, medical care and hospitalization for sick babies,
infant homes for orphans and those whose parents because
of illness are unable to care for their babies. The Boshi
Aiikukai, Moriokacho, Minato-ku, Tokyo, is an outstanding
example of an organization covering all phases of infant
care. Branch hospitals and extension work extend the
influence of this program.

Day Nurseries are listed as numbering 5,583 with
502,345 children under their care. Most of the mothers
are working. Some of the nurseries have a section for
infants such as the Kobokwan, Terajima-machi, Sumida-
ku, Tokyo, but most of them concentrate on children 3-6
years of age.

Other Children s Institutions, numbering about 1,800,
include :

(1) orphanages

(2) homes of correction

(3) institutions caring for handicapped

(a) blind

(b) deaf



128 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

(c) mentally retarded

(d) those maimed by infantile paralysis or other
disease, by accident or by spastic condition.

Some incipient T.B. students and other weak children are
cared for in special schools at the seashore.

Junior Delinquents of a more serious nature are
cared for in separate institutions. The Ministry of Welfare
aids those institutions caring for street-girls. Care of
prisoners who cannot find work after their release is
receiving increased attention by both public and private
agencies.

Among the institutions caring for adults are those
offering training for the handicapped, care for the aged
and mentally incapable. Most large cities have a " poor
house " or hostel for furonin where the indigent can find
shelter pending assignment to another institution or the
resumption of self-support.

Medical work covers a whole network of hospitals,
public and private, with aid offered to the needy. (This
aid is usually largely financed by public assistance and
social insurance.)

Public Health continues vigorous programs of educa
tion and combats diseases and epidemics by providing
inoculation and X-ray examinations either free or at
nominal prices. Medical social workers and health centers
are increasing.

Tuberculosis is decreasing slightly, but sanatoria are
full to overflowing, which means that patients are leaving



SOCIAL WORK 129

their homes more willingly. Statistics show an increas
ing percentage of patients being returned to regular work.
However, out of an estimated I 1 /a millions with T.B. only
136,000 are in sanatoria. If all active T.B. patients could
be separated from other members of the family the spread
of the disease would be greatly retarded.

Leprosy is well segregated with about 10,000 patients
in sanatoria.

But in spite of the somewhat improved conditions
social care is still most inadequate. Budgets are too
small. One has to remember that the national standard
of living is low. Recently Governor Yasui of Tokyo
reminded the LARA representatives that although the
population of New York and Tokyo are almost equal,
Tokyo s budget is just l /i of that of New York City.
We need to remember this as we bump over poorly paved
roads to visit the drab grey institutions with their worn,
dirty bedding, lack of sheets, and patched clothes.

Public assistance provides less than V 100 a day.
This is just about 25 cents in American money. It is
obvious that the greatest care is necessary to maintain
even a basic diet, and that almost nothing is left for
buildings, clothing, fuel, and other essentials.

The LARA program officially came to an end in
August, 1952, when the last supplies left the Yokohama
warehouse. During the six years, 1946-1952, LARA im
ported about eleven million dollars worth of supplies:
Food... ...25,220,149 Ibs.



130 THT CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Clothing 5,863,400 Ibs.

Medicine 170,367 Ibs.

Shoes 662,289 Ibs.

Soap 321,955 Ibs.

Yarn goods 301,830 Ibs.

Cotton 444,276 Ibs.

Other items 492,856 Ibs.

of which 1,775,048 Ibs. arrived during 1952.

The LARA representatives are very conscious of the
continuing need and are glad to report that a plan is
being worked out whereby Church World Service, the
American Friends Service Committee, and Catholic Welfare
will be licensed to import relief supplies for use in welfare
institutions, the cost of ocean freight, insurance, and
distribution to be borne by the recipients (prefectural
budgets or the institution) .

Expressions of appreciation have continued. Dr. G.
Ernest Bott s death in March was a great loss to the
program and the deluge of flowers and other expressions
of sympathy helped all to realize what a great contribu
tion he had made to social work and social workers
throughout Japan.

As the LARA program came to an end in the summer,
a national " Thank You Meeting " was held in Hibiya Hall
with nearly 3,000 social workers and representative orphans
and other recipients of LARA supplies gathered to express
their deep appreciation. All the speakers, from Prince
Takamatsu and the top government officials down to the



SOCIAL WORK 131

smallest orphans, stressed the deep impression which
LARA has made as an expression of the spirit of love
and human brotherhood, transcending distance and war
memories. The Christian movement has a right to be
proud of this contribution to social work in Japan.

The Protestant churches have supported more than
350 welfare projects:

Settlements 15

Child care 201

Mother & children s hostels 22

Reform schools 14

Clinics 31

Sanatoria 15

Schools for handicapped 21

with hostels for ex-prisoners, homes for the aged, and
other special programs making up the total list.

Many of these institutions are excellent, but others
because of lack of adequate support are not meeting
average standards. The Christian staff members are
outstanding. The churches must back these dedicated
workers more fully and place more of our Christian
institutions in positions of leadership.



CHRISTIAN CHILDREN S FUND, INC,

by Seiji Giga

Christian Children s Fund, Inc., during 1952 established
a permanent place for itself in the Christian social welfare
scene of Japan. Where many social welfare programs
were discontinued with the end of the food and clothing
emergencies, C. C. F. expanded its work to aid Christian
Homes in meeting the continuing needs of orphaned
children.

Christian Children s Fund, Incorporated, is a world
wide orphan-assisting organization with headquarters in
Richmond, Virginia, U. S. A., and is a member of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A.
Parentless children in Christian child-welfare institutions
of 23 countries throughout the free world are receiving
financial and material support through the kind hearted-
ness of " sponsors " in North America who contribute
through C. C. F. These " sponsors " undertake to provide
for the partial support of individual children in Christian
orphanages in Japan, Okinawa, Formosa, Philippines,
Hong Kong, Siam, India, Pakistan, Jordan, Lebanon,
Italy, West Germany, Finland, Brazil, and other coun
tries. These " unofficial long-range adoptions " mean that
the child and his sponsor also exchange letters, photo
graphs, Christmas greetings and gifts. Many sponsors

132



CHRISTIAN CHILDREN S FUND, INC. 133

regard these children as their own.

Dr. J. Calvitt Clarke, the founder and director of
Christian Children s Fund, Inc. s international organization,
visited Japan in the summer of this year. The result of
this trip was a decision by Dr. Clarke to expand C. C.
F. s work by another 400 adoptions. Thus a total of 39
Homes and 2,500 children will receive C. C. F. help during
1953.

Mrs. Clarke, who shares with her husband the task
of making the all-important appeals from the main offices
in Richmond, Va., accompanied Dr. Clarke, Rev. V. J. R.
Mills, Overseas Director, Mr. Lloyd Graham of the Japan
committee, and Mr. Seiji Giga on the 5-day trip. All
Homes in Tokyo were visited as were those in the Osaka-
Kyoto area and the // Ai En and // Ai Mura model C.
C. F. Homes near Kumamoto, Kyushu.

Highlights of the year included the recognition Chris
tian Children s Fund, Inc., received as a qualified juridical
person (shakai fukushi hojin) under the Social Welfare
Act of the Japanese government. Also financial reports
sent from each of the Homes affiliated with C. C. F.
showed that Christian Children s Fund, Inc., is helping
the affiliated orphanages more than any agency except
the government itself. Nearly 15 per cent of the total
financial aid received by these homes during 1952 came
from C. C. F. This exceeded aid from the Community
Chest and other organizations.

In November four leading government social welfare



134 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

officials met with members of the Japan C. C. F. com
mittee and Mr. Mills. They were Mr. Masami Takada,
Chief of the Child Welfare Bureau of the Social Welfare
Bureau of the Welfare Ministry ; Mr. Kan Tsuruta,
Chief of the Social Welfare Institution Section ; Mr. Yasuo
Tsujimura of the Child Welfare Section, and Mr. Teiji
Watanabe of the Social Institution Section. The officials
again expressed their thanks for LARA s aid to orphanages
and offered their appreciation for C. C. F. s aid with the
hope that this would be a continuing project. Mr. Takada
stated that C. C. F. seemed to be taking up where LARA
left off in 1952 and that C. C. F. was now the largest
single private welfare agency serving Japan.

The second annual C. C. F. superintendents con
ference was held Nov. 18 and 19 at Yugawara. Representa
tives from all Homes attended to seek answers to common
problems and to share successful methods. The govern
ment sent one of its child welfare experts. The Overseas
Director, Mr. Mills, just returned from a 3-week tour of
C. C. F. Homes in Korea, gave the main address on the
subject " Practical Methods in Institutions," a subject re
quested by the superintendents and committee members.
Also, at the conference plans were discussed for the
Ernest E. Bott Memorial Home to be constructed some
where in the Tokyo area in 1953. (C. C. F., at the
recommendation of D. Clarke, M. Mills and the Japan
committee, will build a model home for children and for
the training of social welfare workers. The Home will be



CHRISTIAN CHILDREN S FUND, INC. 135

dedicated to Dr. Bott, former chairman of the Japan C. C.
F. committee and director of LARA who passed away in
1952.)

The chaplains of the Far East Command took special
interest in Christian Children s Fund, Inc., during 1952.
At the Ai Rin Dan social settlement near Ueno, Tokyo,
more than 100 chaplains from all branches of the United
States Armed Forces were briefed at their own request
on the work of C. C. F. They were also shown through
the Ai Rin Dan, a C. C. F.-affiliated Home.

Near the end of the year Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Rutan,
Deputy Chief Chaplain of the U. S. Far East Air Forces,
announced that a special fund was being raised by the
Air Force for Eurasian babies. The fund committee
selected Christian Children s Fund, Inc., as the Protestant
agency to receive money thus raised. The Japan com
mittee of C. C. F. agreed to distribute the funds equitably
to all Homes caring for children of European-Asian
descent.

Collier s magazine focused considerable attention on
the work of Christian Children s Fund, Inc., in Japan
in an article on occupation babies. In referring to the
problem of caring for children of mixed blood, Collier s
presented C. C. F. s plan to have the children adopted
into American homes. This resulted in a flood of letters
from America to the Richmond and Hong Kong offices
requesting legal adoption. By year s end, however, the
legal barriers for adoption into America were as high



136 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

as ever. C. C. F. sought to help in the interim, or as
long as needed, with Eurasian babies in its Japan Homes
by stepping up its " adoption-by-proxy " system.

Eurasian children, though stealing the publicity spot
light, were not the only concern of Christian Children s
Fund, Inc., in Japan. C. C. F. continued to focus its atten
tion on parentless children, whatever their race or back
ground. It increased its efforts to build men and women
through four-fold development by giving each boy and
girl a sturdy body, an informed mind, trained hands and,
above all, a Christian character. It continued to build
its work on the words of the Lord Jesus : " Forbid them
not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven."



CHRISTIAN LITERATURE

by Norimichi Ebisawa

Isaiah said " Prepare ye a highway for our God".
One of the best known ways to prepare the highway is
by evangelism through literature. Literature evangelism,
planned systematically on a world-wide scale, started at
the Madras Conference. " The Christian Movement must
speak through the writers and editors of books, pamphlets
and periodicals to an endless circle of students and readers
in the world s many and varied tongues. God grant it
may come to pass," say the " Findings " of the Con
ference.

The epoch-making event in our history of literature
evangelism was the visit df Dr. Ralph E. Diffendorfer who
who was the chairman of the Overseas Literature Depart
ment of the International Missionary Council.

In the spring of 1949 a national convention on Chris
tian publications was held under the auspices of the
National Christian Council at Yumoto, Hakone. Dr.
Diffendorfer was present as our guest and advisor. The
Commission on Christian Literature was set up in the
NCC as the result of this conference.

There were, of course, many Christian publishers who
resumed publication after the war but almost all of them
were very very short of both funds and staff. The large

137



138 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

subsidy which came from abroad under the so-called
" Diffendorfer plan" stimulated the production of litera
ture and helped tide Christian publishers across this
crisis.

Our Commission edited and issued 30,000 copies of
" 100 Favorite Hymns " and much other literature, rang
ing from two types of leaflets printing 30,000 copies each
to the 600 page " Religious Liberty " by Dr. Searle Bates
which was translated into Japanese by Rev. Akira Ebisawa.
Even bigger than that, in fact larger than any book
printed by the secular press, was a revised edition of the
Complete Bible Dictionary totalling 1,600 pages, published
by the Shinkyo Shuppansha with the help of a subsidy
from our Commission.

It was unforgettably good fortune for us to have Dr.
Floyd Shacklock come as an advisor and leader for our
literature work. By his constant encouragement the work
of our Commission grew in organization and procedure,
and in 1951 our plans began to bear much fruit. The
following are some of the books published that year:

1. Second edition of " 100 Favorite Hymns "

2. Translation of " The Big Fisherman " by Douglas

3. Translation of " The King Nobody Wanted " by
Langford

4. Translation of " His Name is Jesus " by Klein

5. First volume of " Children s Prayers " with pic
tures, compiled by our Children s Literature Com
mittee.



CHRISTIAN LITERATURE 139

We have been cooperating with the two Christian
magazines : " New Age ", a monthly for city people, and
" Noson " (Village) , a monthly for rural folk. Both of
them now have five years of history as they started
immediately after the war, though there have been some
changes in form of publication. " New Age ", edited since
the spring of 1952 by Mrs. H. Muraoka (a famous Chris
tian writer), is winning increasing popularity. It has
been very difficult to work up the circulation of " Noson "
among the rural people. But from the April, 1953, issue
Dr. T. Kagawa will become the editor-in-chief with his
fellow rural workers to help him. We expect that a new
impetus will be given to our publication for the rural
areas by this change in the staff of the " Noson " editorial
board.

As the " Diffendorfer plan " was for two years begin
ning in 1950, Dr. Shaddock suggested that we nominate
a special committee to make a three-year plan beginning
in 1952. We called this the "Shaddock plan". After
the plan was approved by the sponsoring committees,
we nominated many special committees to activate it as
follows :

1) The Theology and Classics Committee, which
is to edit a Classics Series of 15 volumes and 12
vols. of a series on practical Christianity.

2) The Devotional and Evangelistic Literature Com
mittee, which is to edit 12 vols. of a "Christian
Library Series ", a series of 12 leaflets, a collection



140 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

of sermons, and stories of Japanese Christian ex
perience.

3) The Student and Youth Committee, which is
translating some of the Hazen Book Series and
editing 6 vols. of a Christian Youth Library.

4) Children s Literature Committee, which is editing
4 vols. of children s prayers with pictures, 12 vols.
of a Children s Library, and a biographical series
of 12 volumes.

5) The Kamishibai Committee, which is planning to
illustrate 6 sets of Jesus parables for kindergarten
children, 6 sets of Old Testament stories for primary
classes, and 6 sets of famous Christian stories for
junior classes.

6) Two magazine committees : for " New Age " and
" Noson ".

7) A Concordance Committee, organized very re
cently, which is going to edit a new concordance
for the new translation of the Japanese Bible upon
which the Revision Committee of the Japan Bible
Society is now working.

Many good projects have been discussed, studied,
and proposed by the various committees. When approved
by the Planning and Business Committee and the Board
of Directors, the Secretary undertakes to arrange for
them to be printed.

Besides the committee work, we helped to form and
advise two new organizations. One is the Christian



CHRISTIAN LITERATURE 141

Publishers Association which was organized to promote
fellowship among them and to stimulate interest in evan
gelistic literature. They now have about 20 members.
The other new group is the Christian Writers Associa
tion which was organized to discover and encourage new
writers and to pool knowledge and techniques for produc
tion of better Christian literature. They have about 30
members. At their monthly meetings one or two of the
members give talks on their special field of writing.

In 1952 we cooperated with such publishers as the
Kyobunkwan, the Shinkyo Shuppansha and others to
bring out the following books:

1) A series of " Lectures on Christianity " 10 pam
phlets.

2) 3rd edition of "100 Favorite Hymns "20,000
copies.

3) " Beginnings of Christianity " by Craig a large
volume of 470 pages in A5 size 1,000 copies.

4) " The Bible " by Walter Bowie 3,000 copies.

5) " The Christian Answer " by Sweazy 5,000 copies.

6) " The New Bible Dictionary " pocket size, 700
pages 12,000 copies.

7) " The Valley of the Shadow " by Hans Lilje 2,000
copies.

8) "Guiding Children in Christian Growth" by Mary
A. Jones, 1,000 copies.

9) " The Resurrection of the Dead " by Karl Barth
2,000 copies.



142 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

10) "The Man Christ Jesus" by John Knox 1,000
copies.

11) " How to Read the Bible " by B. Sekine 300 pages
in pocket size 7,000 copies.

Under original writings we printed six new leaflets
for distribution evangelism, the titles and authors of
which are as follows:

1) "What is the Church?" by Mrs. H. Hasegawa

2) "The Lord s Prayer" by Rev. M. Uchizumi

3) " What is God ? " by Rev. S. Nishida

4) " The Holy Sabbath " by Rev. K. Imai

5) " What is Faith ? " by Prof. A. Tasaka

6) " Power to Live By " by Rev. S. Watanabe

We printed 30,000 copies of each of these pamphlets.
The price is Y150 per 100 copies.

The first set of our kamishibai series came out in
December. It is beautifully written and clearly printed.
The story is that of "The Lost Sheep", and is adapted
by Miss N. Miyoshi. A small pamphlet of quotations
from the three books of Dr. Stanley Jones was compiled
and 40,000 copies were printed. This is to be used by
the regional committee of the Japan evangelistic cam
paign for preliminary publicity.

There are three commentary series in process at
present. All of them are non-profit and indeed "sacrifi
cial " publications. One is a series of commentaries on
the Old Testament to be edited by the Japan Bible Com
mentary Committee and published by the Kyobunkwan.



CHRISTIAN LITERATURE 143

The third volume, Ezekiel, by Prof. Yamazaki, was publish
ed in A5 size, 600 pages, in September, 1952. The others
are on the New Testament ; the first one is edited by the
Council of Cooperation and published by the Kyobunkwan.
Four volumes have come out this year : 1st Corinthians,
John, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Timothy and Titus.
The second project is edited and published by the Shinkyo
Shuppansha. They issued three volumes, 1st Corinthians,
Romans, and the Synoptic Gospels in 1952.

One of the bigger works was the publication of the
New Testament, newly translated into colloquial Japanese
by Dr. Kagawa, Rev. Watase, and Mr. Muto. 10,000
copies were printed for the first edition by the Christian
Weekly Press, and the edition was sold out almost im
mediately. The second edition of 10,000 copies is already
off the press.

Publication of Christian literature has made steady pro
gress month by month and year by year. Even the secular
firms are accepting contracts for Christian publications
willingly. We all look forward to increasingly good publica
tions of books and pamphlets in the coming years through
the advice and cooperation of the Literature Commission
of the NCC of Japan. We confidently believe that our
Lord will guide us also in this field of literature publica
tion for the evangelism of Japan.

Some of the better and more important publications
of 1952 are listed here for missionary reference.



144



THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN



RELIGIOUS THOUGHT

Author Title Price Publisher

A. Mori Modern Man and Religion 100 Kaname Shobo

A.Morrison Man Does Not Stand Alone Y100 YMCA

L. Richards Christian Pacifism 140 Shinkyo
H. Kuwata Outline of Christian

Theology 550 Shinkyo
E. Troeltsch Augustin, die Christliche

Antike 130 Shinkyo

K. Earth Evangelium und Gesetz 120 Shinkyo

T. Miyamoto The Truth of the Gospel 120 Shinkyo
Y. Shimizu Modern Problems and

Protestantism Y 60 Jordan
S. Ozaki Justification and

Purification 25 Jordan
H. Kuwata Lectures on Christianity

Vol. 1-10, each 220 Shinkyo

S. Ozaki Christian Doctrine 420 Jordan

K. Heim Wesen der Christentums 180 Zamakobo

L. Tolstoi Essentials of Christianity 200 Sogeisha

W. M. Horton Can Christianity Save

Civilization? 240 Shakaishiso
K. Takabe Religion and the Goals

of Science 80 Natsumesha
Y. Shimizu The Nature of

Protestantism 18 Jordan
K. Earth The Resurrection of the

Dead 250 Fukkatsusha

J. Ishii Study of Schleiermacher 120 Shinkyo



CHRISTIAN LITERATURE



145



DEVOTIONAL & EVANGELISTIC



Author

G. E. Sweazy
T. Kagawa

M. Takemori
G. Yamamuro
K. Hilty
W. Goulooze
K. Mori
NCC

T. Yanaibara
Z. Hidaka
A. Hiyane
T. Kagawa

C. A. Logan
A. Murota
Y. Yamamoto
Z. Hidaka
Z. Hinohara



J. Kodama

Busset

Moriac



Price Publisher

60 Kyodan



Title

Christian Answer

The Solution of Human

Suffering 150 Goto Shoin
Selected Sermons of Calvin 290 Shinkyo



Comfort for the Sickbed
Secret of Power
Victory Over Suffering
What is the Gospel
Handbook on Visitation

Evangelism 50 NCC
Primer on Christianity
Guide to Prayer
Textbook on Christianity
Thankfulness to God for

His Redemptive Love Y 50 Kirisuto Shimbun



35 Salvation Army

100 San-ichi Shoten

130 Kyodan

30 Bunsho Dendokai



90 Kadokawa
60 Kyodan
150 Ikeda Shobo



God s Comfort
To a Suffering Friend
Faith and Life
Guide to Faith
Building Our Faith
Augsburg Confession



65 Tomoshibisha

Y 25 San-ichi Shoten

150 Shinkyo

60 Kyodan

50 Kyodan

100 Lutheran Press



LIFE STORIES

Life Story of Mr. Hale 120 Tomoshibisha

Jesus 40 Iwanami

Life of Jesiis 90 Shinchosha



R. Kamegaya From Buddha to Christ 100 Fukuinkan



146



THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN



Author

S. Iwabune

E. Kashiwai
H. Lilje

F. Fujiwara
B. Yamamuro

J. Knox



T. Matsumoto
M. Sekine

H. Uematsu
M. Sekine
M. Luther
S. Murata
K. Earth
S. Yamaga
Y. Kumano
H. Terada

T. Kagawa
W. R. Bowie
T. Matsushita
K. Matsumura
K. Kumano
T. Yamazaki
T. Harano



Title Price Publisher

From Communist to

Christianity 40 Kyodan

Autobiography of Paul 80 Shinkyo

Valley of the Shadow 180 Lutheran Press

Light of the Star 190 Tomoshibisha
Collection of Gunpei

Yamamuro s Writings 450 Kyobunkwan

The Man Christ Jesus Y 120 Kyobunkwan



BIBLE STUDY

1st Corinthians

How to Read the Old

Testament

Women in the O. T.
Galatians
On the Psalm 82
Romans

Romans (Vol. 1)
Romans

N. T. Commentary (1)
How to Read & Study

the Bible

Story of the Bible
The Bible
1st Corinthians
St. John

1st & 2nd Thessalonians
Ezekiel
St. Mark



350 Shinkyo



60
80
75
60
390
650
300
450

Y 50
170
80
220
320
170
600
280



San-ichi Shoten
Shinyakusha
San-ichi Shoten
Lutheran Press
Yuai Shobo
Kadokawa
Shinkyo
Shinkyo

Seitosha

Kaname

YMCA

Kyobunkwan

Kyobunkwan

Kyobunkwan

Kyobunkwan

Kyobunkwan



CHRISTIAN LITERATURE



147



Author

M. Suzuki



A. Ebisawa

Z. Watanabe
Z. Watanabe

M. Sekine
Y. Sasabuchi

R. Yamauchi
C. T. Craig



H. Hasegawa
M. A. Johns

M. Fujita
M. Fujita
M. Fujita
H. Hasegawa
K. Hata
S. Tsugawa
N. Noguchi
M. Mizuno
C. Ariga
S. Koide



Title Price Publisher

1st & 2nd Timothy, Titus Y200 Kyobunkwan

HISTORY



History of Religions

in Japan

History of the Israelites
History of Israel s

Literature
History of Religious

Culture in Israel
Christianity and Modern

Literature

On the Church Year
Beginnings of Christianity

EDUCATION

A. B. C. of Child Care
Guiding Children in

Christian Growth
Following Jesus
Jesus Taught Like This
People Called by God
Marriage and the Home
The Joy of Giving
The Fountain of Hymns(l)
Religious Dramas
Let s Sing

Manners for Good Children
The Hill of Jerusalem



Y 60 Natsumesha

Y140 Kyodan

Y 160 Kyodan

250 Iwanami

Y 80 Natsumesha

Y 35 Lutheran Press

Y300 Kyobunkwan



60 Kyodan

Y150 Kyobunkwan

Y100 JCCE

Y100 JCCE

Y 50 JCCE

Y 50 Kyodan

Y 30 C. Endeavor

Y 50 Kyodan

Y 60 Kirisuto Tosho

Y 50 Kyodan

Y 80 Michael -sha

180 Maki Shoten



148



THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN



Author Title Price

K. Yazaki Teachings of Christianity Y 35

C. Ariga Christmas Carols Y 20

Y. Nishizaka Jesus the Child Y 80

Tolstoi A Bible for Children Y130

L. Kendall Children s Prayer Book Y 50

F. Fukatsu Insects Fly Too Y 80

H. Niebuhr The One Story Y160

T. Yamamura Bible Story Y130
K. Uesawa Famous Christian Legends Y220

K. Uesawa Picture Bible 1 Y120

Picture Bible 2 Y 50

T. Nishizaka The Boy Jesus Y 50

E. H. Porter Book of Joy 1 Y150

Book of Joy 2 Y140

Pollyanna Y250



Publisher

Michael-sha

Michael-sha

Shinkyo

Sogeisha

Kyodan

Michael-sha

Shinkyo

Akane Shobo

Chuo Shuppan

Kirisutokyo Tosho

Shinkyo
Chuokoron

Kyobunkwan



PART II

ORGANS OF PROTESTANT
COOPERATION

THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
IN JAPAN AND ITS RELATIONSHIPS

by Darley Downs

I am asked to give briefly a clear picture of the
Kyodan organization and structure and its relationship to
the cooperating mission boards and to other Christian
organizations in Japan. As numerous previous articles in
the Yearbook have indicated, the United Church of
Christ in Japan, commonly called the Kyodan, is the
result of the union of over 30 separate denominations
effected in 1940 and 1941. It is impossible for anyone
really to determine how much this union was a result
of governmental and nationalistic pressures and how
much a result of the original desire of Christians to get
together. It is certainly foolish to attribute the union
exclusively to either. The best evidence of the basic
vitality of the union is the fact that it has so largely
survived the complete lifting of all government and
nationalistic pressures for union.

The Lutheran, Anglican, Nazarene, and Free Methodist
149



150 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

churches have withdrawn. A little over one quarter of
former Presbyterian-Reformed churches have withdrawn.
Fewer than half of the former Baptist churches withdrew,
although the subsequent growth makes the number of
such churches greater than the number of former
Baptist churches remaining in the Kyodan. A number
of the congregations of the Evangelical Alliance churches
have withdrawn. Possibly 10 or 15 percent of the
former Holiness churches withdrew and are now
existing in at least three separate denominations. Never
theless probably 62 or 63 percent of the total Protestant
church membership of Japan is still in the Kyodan.

It is not commonly recognized how great sacrifices
have been made by the uniting churches in the interest
of unity. It seems to be thought in America that the
chief sacrifices have been made by the churches having
a congregational type of polity, particularly Congrega
tional-Christian, Baptist and Disciples. Actually the great
est surrender of established polity was on the part of
the great Methodist and Presbyterian-Reformed groups.
The polity of the Kyodan is far closer to the congrega
tional type than to either Methodist or Presbyterian-
Reformed. The former Methodists cannot be blamed for
looking back on the efficiency of their episcopal system
of ministerial placement and general church government
with a good deal of regret as they see how slowly and
inefficiently the organization of the Kyodan functions in
these fields.



THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 151

The Presbyterian-Reformed group has made substan
tial concessions in the matter of polity but more in the
matter of creed. The fact that the Kyodan officially
states that it confesses and celebrates (kokuhaku and
sanbisuni) the Apostles Creed is far less satisfactory to
many of the Presbyterian-Reformed group than the simple
but definite creed that was formerly accepted by all its
ministers and church members. It is true that the last
General Assembly accepted for study a preamble to the
Apostles Creed, but that has not yet been adopted by
the Kyodan.

The supreme governing body of the Kyodan is its
.General Assembly which meets biennially and is composed
of equal numbers of lay and ministerial delegates elected
on the basis of membership by the various districts of
the Church. All the fundamental actions of the Church
must be taken by the General Assembly. There is a
Central Executive Committee consisting of 25 members
who are elected by open ballot at the General Assembly,
together with the moderator, vice-moderator and secretary.
The chairmen of the various districts meet with the
Central Committee. The last assembly formally provided
for the election of two missionaries as observers, currently
Dr. Paul Mayer and Miss Alice Cheney. The missionary
secretaries of the Council of Cooperation and the Cooper
ative Evangelism Committees also sit as observers. This
Central Executive Committee elects a smaller standing
committee composed largely of members with residence



152 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

in the Tokyo area. The general committee meets three
times a year, the smaller standing committee monthly or
more often as needed.

At the General Assembly two years ago, fairly
radical revision of the organizational set-up was adopted.
Its basic purpose was decentralization. The headquarters
departments were abolished and their functions turned
over to the various districts whose number was reduced
from 18 to 13. The place of the various administrative
departments is taken by a number of special committees,
the most important of which is the General (or coordina
ting) Evangelism Committee (Sogo Dendo lin). It sets
up the general plan of the whole church for evangelism
and, in consultation with the Council of Cooperation,
exercises general supervision over the use of domestic
and foreign funds for evangelistic work.

Possibly the most important action at the 1952 General
Assembly was the organization of the Home Missions
Society (Naikoku Dendo lin Kai) . This is organized within
and under the general direction of the General Evangelism
Committee. It consists of one representative from each
district and the chairman of the Kyodan Finance Com
mittee together with 10 persons elected by the General
Evangelism Committee. It raises funds from the churches
and individual believers for the assistance of evangelistic
work in churches which are not self-supporting. The
other aspect of evangelism which is embodied in the
Cooperative Evangelism Committee and which is also



THE UNITED CHURCH OP CHRIST IN JAPAN 153

within the general framework of the General Evangelism
Committee will be discussed later.

The former departments of women s work, youth
work, rural evangelism, and finance are replaced by
special committees of the same names. These committees
are no longer regarded as administrative departments
but as planning agencies which send their proposals and
plans to the districts for their use. However the Finance
Committee does receive funds from the churches and
boards and transmits them to districts or central offices
and agencies.

With the organization of the Kyodan in 1940 and
1941, the American mission boards began to consider what
the effect would be on their work in Japan and to plan
for such cooperation with the united church as might
prove possible. Even before the outbreak of the war 13
of the member boards of the former Foreign Missions
Conference had agreed to a policy of cooperation. With
the outbreak of the war, there were many former Japan
missionaries and board secretaries who could hardly
conceive of the possibility of resumption of missionary
work in Japan for many years. Nevertheless, the FMC
continued to call occasional meetings of the representatives
of the boards working in Japan who had agreed to
cooperate and certain more or less definite plans were
made. With the surrender and the amazing report of the
four representatives of the American churches who came
to Japan in the fall of 1945, the Japan Committee began



154 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

vigorous study of the problem of cooperation with the
church in Japan.

A committee of six experienced missionaries was sent
to Japan early in 1946. They were specifically instructed
neither to give the impression that the boards were
trying to preserve the union or to dissolve it. They were
instructed to avoid giving any impression that financial
cooperation and cooperation in personnel would be avail
able more abundantly to separated denominations or to
a united church. It cannot be denied that each of the
six original commissioners personally hoped that the
union would survive, but it certainly cannot be rightfully
asserted that they sought to exert any pressure to that
end.

When by the summer of 1947 it became apparent
that most of the churches which had gone into the union
had determined to remain together, nearly all boards
which were cooperating with these churches decided that
a general cooperative organization should be effected in
the United States and Canada to relieve the Kyodan of the
difficulty and confusion of dealing with so many separate
boards and groups of missionaries.

As a sequel to the deputation of four who came out
immediately after the surrender, the Foreign Missions
Conference sent out a deputation consisting of three official
representatives of the Presbyterian Board, three of the
Methodist Board, one from the Lutheran, one from the
Northern Baptist and Mr. Henry G. Bovenkerk, later



THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 155

secretary of the Interboard Committee for Christian Work
in Japan, who acted as secretary of the deputation. The
deputation was joined in Japan by missionaries represen
ting the American Board (Congregational-Christian), the
Disciples, the United Church of Canada, and the Episcopal
churches. Various members of the deputation proceeded
to all the orincipal centers of Japan for direct observa
tion and conference with local Japanese Christian leaders ;
then for a solid week there was a meeting of missionaries
and Japanese Christian leaders which for inclusiveness
of representation and eminence of the individuals has
hardly been equaled in Japanese history. Naturally since
there were representatives of bodies which had already
withdrawn from the Kyodan, discussions were not re
stricted to the Kyodan, and the first impetus for the
reorganization of the National Christian Council can be
said to have come from this meeting. Nevertheless, the
presence of the representatives of most of the boards
who had agreed to cooperate with the Kyodan was
naturally taken advantage of for a meeting with Japanese
leaders of the Kyodan. Here the preliminary drafts of
an organization to be called the Interboard Committee
for Christian Work in Japan, consisting of board repre
sentatives with a central office in New York, and of the
Council of Cooperation which was to be the field agency,
were presented. There were many who felt that it was
unfortunate that the draft constitution for the Council
of Cooperation was made in New York instead of being



156 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

initially drafted in Japan. Nevertheless, the general project
was favorably received and the Kyodan appointed a
special committee to study and revise the draft constitu
tion of the Council of Cooperation. A number of impor
tant changes were made in the New York draft and the
whole document was finally adopted.

Very early in the discussion it became apparent that
if the boards really meant to take these documents
seriously and refrain from the re-establishment of in
dependent missions, some agency had to be set up to
take their place. Therefore the constitution of the
Interboard Missionary Field Committee was adopted.
This committee consists of the missionary members
of the Council of Cooperation together with the Field
Treasurer, and its functions are restricted to the concern
of the missionaries aside from their work, principally
housing, health, and language study. The Council as
originally set up consisted of 8 representatives of the
Kyodan elected by it, with its moderator as an additional
member and ex-officio chairman of the Council; eight
representatives of the National Christian Education As
sociation selected from its member schools related to the
Kyodan ; and eight missionaries technically elected by the
Interboard Committee, but commonly agreed to be one
from each of the denominations in America and Canada
cooperating with the Kyodan, namely, American Board
of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Evangelical and
Reformed Church, Evangelical United Brethren Church.



THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN is?

Division of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Church,
Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in
the U.S.A., Reformed Church in America, United Church
of Canada, and United Christian Missionary Society
(Disciples) .

The Kyodan and the National Christian Education
Association both showed their complete good faith and
firm determination to make the new machinery work by
selecting as eminent a group of men as could be found
in either group as their first members of the Council.
The first meeting of the Council was held at the Rei-
nanzaka Church on February 11, 1948. Mr. Akira Ebisawa
and the writer were elected as executive secretaries. We
were early confronted with problems of budget, but a
whole series of problems of organization presented them
selves also so that within the first 2 years 10 full
meetings of the Council had been held. As the basic
problems came nearer to solution and the members of
the executive committee grew more and more familiar
with the whole organization, general meetings became
less frequent. Nevertheless, the last general meeting in
April, 1953, was the 17th and the last meeting of the
executive committee, March 6, 1953, was the 73rd.

Whatever else may be said about this experiment it
cannot be denied that it has brought together for long
and patient consideration of the basic problems of mis
sionaries and the church the most eminent group of
Japanese leaders so meeting in the history of the Chris-



158 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

tian movement. This in itself is a great achievement.
It must be admitted that in the early days the Kyodan
as a whole had only a vague idea, if any, of the organiza
tion, structure and functions of the Council, but the
General Assembly in 1950 gave much more serious atten
tion to the Council than ever before, and the amend
ments to its constitution and the election of its members
constituted principal items on the agenda of the 1952
General Assembly.

It must be admitted that there has been, and con
tinues to be, a minority of the ministers and an even
smaller group of laymen who deplore the whole program
of aid from America either in personnel or in money.
However, the great majority of ministers and laymen
welcome the cooperation and increasingly seem to approve
the agencies which have been set up.

One of the first and most seriously considered problems
appeared within the first few months. That is, while a
central organization that seems to be capable of func
tioning with efficiency had been worked out, the evan
gelistic missionaries working in the country and small
cities found themselves without their old missions to
appeal to and without the more intimate connection with
the Japanese church historically related to their respective
missions, and so were rather frustrated and uncertain as
to how to make relationships and carry on their work.
The Council, with other specially invited Japanese leaders,
had a long meeting at Yumoto, Hakone, in the summer of



THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 159

1948 specifically to consider this problem. Some advocated
the surrender of all missionary participation in the ad
ministration of the work of the Church and the putting
of the sums available for missionaries work completely
into the hands of the Church. This was met by objections
both from the missionaries and from many of the Japanese
leaders.

The need for local planning by missionaries and
Japanese was apparent. It was finally proposed that a
special Cooperative Evangelism Committee should be set
up with representatives from the Church and from the
Council of Cooperation and with a series of such com
mittees in the various districts of the Church. The dis
trict committees were to consist of five or more Japanese
and three missionaries. The work and budgets of the
missionaries in each district are given original considera
tion by the local CEC and the recommendations as to
budgets and special projects go from the local CEC to
the Council through the central CEC. Up to the last year
or two, the number of evangelistic missionaries has been
so small as to make it practically impossible to form a
CEC in some districts consisting of evangelistic mis
sionaries living in that district. From 1953 that will no
longer be true of any of the 13 districts of the Kyodan.

The original organization of the Council of Coopera
tion provided for a " Church Section " and a " School
Section ", the former consisting of all the Kyodan mem
bers with four representatives of NCEA and six missionaries



160 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

and the latter of the eight representatives of the NCEA
with four representatives from the Kyodan and six mis
sionaries. While a few significant meetings were held by
the Church Section, with the development of the Cooper
ative Evangelism Committee it became apparent that the
CEC was largely taking over the functions that had been
assigned to the Church Section. In 1950, therefore, the
constitution was revised and the two sections were abo
lished and their places taken by the Cooperative Evan
gelism Committee and the Cooperative Education Com
mittee. The number of missionaries was reduced to three
in each case and the total number of members was some
what reduced. At the same time the General Assembly
of 1950 made the change, already referred to, providing
for greater centralization and setting up the General
Evangelism Committee. The chairman of the General
Evangelism Committee was made ex-officio a member of
the ncetral CEC.

As indicated above, with the organization of the Home
Missions Society the problem arose of its relationship to
CEC and vice versa. The Kyodan authorities insisted that
there was no thought of setting up a new agency as the
real Kyodan organ for evangelism. They provided that
both the CEC and the Home Missions Society should be
responsible to the General Evangelism Committee and
they increased the number of its representatives on CEC
from just the chairman to the chairman and two others.

The Home Missions Society is hardly beyond the



THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 161

organization stage and funds are still scarce but the
motive for its organization seems sound, and careful
safeguards have been set up to prevent a cleavage between
it and COC-CEC. Time alone will tell whether the Kyodan
itself will survive and, if so. whether the agencies for
cooperation with western mission boards will resist the
inevitable tensions of the post-treaty years, but there
seem to be ample grounds for hope. Success will require
consecration, Christian forbearance and hard work both
by Japanese and missionaries, but if these are lacking
failure is pre-determined and deserved.



162 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN AND ITS RELATIONSHIPS



ABF

X n Cath.

Ch. of God

Bible Soc.

GEAM

MBMC

PS

MCCS

SMC

SEAM

YMCA

YWCA




THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 163

ABCFM : American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions

ABF : American Baptist Foreign Mission Society

BIBLE SOC: Bible Society

CEC : Cooperative Evangelism Committee

CEDC : Christian Education Committee

COC : Council of Cooperation

CSWC : Christian Social Work Committee

Ch. of God : Church of God

E&R : Evangelical & Reformed Church

EUB: Evangelical United Brethren Church

GEAM : German East Asia Mission

IBC : Interboard Committee for Christian Work in Japan

IMFC : Interboard Missionary Field Committee

LSWA : League Social Work Association

MBMC : Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities

MCCS : Mission Covenant Church of Sweden

Meth. : Methodist Church

NCEA : National Christian Education Association

PN: Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.

PS : Presbyterian Church in the U. S.

RCA : Reformed Church in America

SEAM : Swiss East Asia Mission

SMC : Swedish Mission in China

UCC : United Church of Canada

UCMS : United Christian Missionary Society

X n Cath. : Christian Catholic Church

YMCA : Young Men s Christian Association

YWCA : Young Women s Christian Association

Some cooperate fully with the Kyodan. In other cases individual
missionaries cooperate.



164 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

THE JAPAN NATIONAL CHK1STTAN COUNCIL AND ITS RELATIONSHIPS



I B C Boards



ABF

AUK Luth
Evang. Luth.
Friends of I h il
Mennon Mis. Si Cli.l
Presb. U.S.
Prot. Epis
United Luth.



Ass. of (kxl
Ch. of God




THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
OF JAPAN

by Akira Ebisawa
General Situation and Historical Background

The National Christian Council has been rising up to
meet the rapidly changing situation of the country ever
since its reorganization in 1948. Historically speaking, the
Council was first organized in 1923 and continued to
function until 1941 when the union of 34 Protestant de
nominations was consummated. Naturally the Council had
to be disbanded at that time. However, the situation was
changed after the close of the war when again it seemed
necessary to have such an organ for the purpose of coop
eration between the different denominations and Christian
bodies. Thus the NCC was reorganized with five national
denominations and ten national Christian organizations.

Gradually the need for cooperative enterprise for
the common interests of Protestants came to be felt
keenly in order to meet the challenge of the day, and
increasingly the common tasks have been committed to
the Council so that it is now a " going concern " discharg
ing duties and responsibilities both in relation to con-
stituejicies and to international Christian organizations.
The year 1952 was especially significant in the work of
the Council as it was. a time of special opportunity in

165



166 THE CHRITIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

the history of our national life.
Activities Relative to the Ecumenical Movement

As the nation embarked upon a course of indepen
dence, now that the Peace Treaty became effective and
the period of six years of occupation ended on April 24,
1952, the National Christian Council issued a statement
of a " Message of Gratitude and Goodwill " which it sent
to Christian organizations of various countries.

The national sentiment of the general public inevitably
changed at this period, making it very difficult for our
churches to meet the situation; the uprising of reac
tionary nationalism in both left and right wings directly
began to affect the Christian movement in its relationship
to all sorts of internationl problems.

In order for the Council to make clear the Christian
viewpoint, its Commission on International Affairs which
is comprised of prominent Christian statesmen, business
men, diplomats and clergymen, made an intensive study
and issued a statement which was adopted by the Fifth
General Meeting in March, 1952, and sent to the NCC s
of different countries requesting their cooperation in the
problem of international peace.

International cooperation was greatly developed dur
ing the year not only with the churches of western
Christendom but also with the Asian Christian churches.

Dr. Rajah B. Manikam, Joint Secretary to the WCC
and the IMC, visited us in the early spring and opened



THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN COUNCIL OF JAPAN 167

the way for a closer cooperation in the ecumenical
movement. The Council was able to send three delegates
to the Willingen Conference of the IMC in Germany that
summer. By request and suggestion of Dr. Manikam the
Council made an extensive research on the ecumenical study
and submitted the reports to the Lucknow Study Conference.
In December three delegates attended that Conference.
Our youth delegation of eleven also attended the World
Youth Conference at Travancore, India, in December.

Observance of special days also helped to promote
the international consciousness of our Christians. The
World Day of Prayer was observed on February 29, as in
previous years, throughout the country under the ausuices
of the Women s Commission.

The World Communion Sunday was observed as an in
ter-church communion day on the first Sunday of October.

All these efforts of international cooperation brought
home some new knowledge and experience among our
churches in general.

Report on the Fundamental Policies for Evangelism

The Special Commission on Study of the Strategic
Policies on Evangelism in Japan has made an extensive
survey and an intensive study of that problem, and after
two years efforts, the report on the " Fundamental
Policies for Evangelism " was submitted to the Fifth
General Meeting. (We regret that the whole report cannot
be put into English except in its summarized form).



168 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

The Commission on Visitation Evangelism has continu
ed both the study and the practice of visitation evangel
ism for the last two years. It has promoted a movement of
this kind of evangelism among ministers and lay leaders.

The Commission on Family Life Movement is continu
ing its activities to create and encourage the Christian
family life consciousness in order to meet the urgent
needs of the day when the foundation of our traditional
family system is undergoing a radical change.

The Commission on the Deaconess Movement

Dr. Paul Mo ller of the German Missionary Conference
is staying among us to study and confer with our leaders
as to how to launch that movement in cooperation with
the German churches. Sisters under different sponsors
are already in this country, and two others are on their
way to Japan. The Commission is now studying how to
organize this movement together with two woman doctors
just returned from their study in Switzerland and Germany.

The Commission on Social Problem

This Commission has expressed the opinion of the
NCC on vital issues and has given its attention chiefly
to the problems of clemency for war criminals and
Eurasian children. It has issued a statement requesting
cooperation from American churches on the one hand
and has also tried to establish certain facilities for solving
these very difficult problems.



THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN COUNCIL OF JAPAN 169

New Organizational Set-up

Hitherto NCC was considered as a mere liaison agency
for council, but as the situation changed to call for com
mon activities in the interests of the whole Christian
community, two working departments were newly started
for activities in Christian literature and audio-visual aid.
Each department has its own board of directors with
representatives of the constituencies to enlist the coopera
tion of the denominations and missions. The constitution
was revised with the addition of a provision for receiving
associate members for the purpose of cooperation with
new missions and churches on the field.
Prospectus for the Centenary Movement

The one hundredth year of the opening of the Pro
testant missions in Japan will come in 1959, and a proposed
plan to commemorate the Centenary was adopted at the
General Meeting in March. The Commission on Prepara
tions drafted the prospectus, dividing the plan into three
sections :

1. Nationwide evangelistic campaign.

2. Work for commemoration, such as compilation
and publication of Christian history.

3. Christian work to reach the nation through eco
nomic and social life.

The program is to mobilize all the Christian forces
in this united movement, inviting cooperation of all the
denominations and missions having work in Japan.



JAPAN COUNCIL OF CHRISTIAN
EDUCATION

by Jonathan M. Fujila

There is still a need for full realization and under
standing of Christian education throughout local churches.
At times churches think that evangelism and Christian
education are two different matters. However, they do
not put much emphasis upon school operation and
responsibility for it. We are at the stage of introducing
its importance into the churches of Japan. This means
that the JCCE must let all Japanese know the place of
the church school activities and their importance in the
Japanese Church and her future.

On the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of May, 1952, the fourth
General Conference and Convention was held in Nagoya
at Kinjo University. The theme for this meeting was
" The Church School where future Churchmen start."
There were 402 delegates and 380 observers from 9 different
denominations from all over Japan. The group was
divided into 6 different study groups as follows:

1. How to train churchmen through church school
activities.

2. How to create better relations between the church
school and homes.

3. The future church of Japan and present church

170



JAPAN COUNCIL OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 171

school curriculum.

4. The mission of the church school in the com
munity.

5. The place of audio-visual aids in church school
education.

6. The Bible and church school teachers.

The highlight of this convention was the children s
meeting which was held in the midst of rain. A total
of 2,800 children gathered.

In the summer, the usual Church School Teachers
Training Conference was held near Karuizawa with attend
ance from 8 denominations, representing 7 nationalities
besides the Japanese. The discussion leaders, main lecturers
and other speakers totaled 22 for the group of 482
local church school teachers from all over Japan. Some
came from Korea, Okinawa and Formosa. Among the
leaders were Americans, British and Germans besides
Japanese.

The theme was " The Place of the Bible in the Church
School." The training period was divided into two dif
ferent groups and was held for two nights and three
days.

Christian Education Week was widely advertized as
it was last year and was observed on a large scale from
September 21st to the 28th. The motto was " Christ for
the Home." We used radio, newspapers and an outdoor
rally. "A Letter to Mother" written by Rev. Seishiro
Iwamura was sent to parents. More than 18,000 copies



172 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

were distributed. It was written in everyday language
so that non-Christian mothers could read the message
without difficulty.

Three reasons for changing the status of JCCE in
the near future are as follows:

1. Standpoint of ecumenical spirit and practice.

2. Wider and better services throughout Japan with
the moral support of various denominations.

3. Stabilization of financial problems.

The JCCE took final steps to be merged into the
NCC effective April, 1953. JCCE will not be an organization
by itself, but will supply vital strength to NCC.

As of December, 1952, JCCE was related to 2,516
church schools in which there were 12,790 teachers and
241,932 pupils.

Publications of JCCE :

1. An outline and writer s manual on new cur
riculum in two volumes ; completed at the end of
December, 1952, by JCCE, and presently being used
by the Kyodan and the Japan Lutheran Church for
their church school materials.

2. Teachers materials based upon Picture-set four
different types of Sunday School teachers mater
ials on the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The Picture-sets came from the United States.
Also one booklet issued for pupils use (jr. high) .

3- Textbook for summer conferences.



173

Lectures, outlines and speeches made at the

summer training school.
4. Translation :

Mary Alice Jones: "Guiding Children in Chris
tian growth".

Translators : Rev. J. M. Fujita and Rev. N.

Ebisawa.



PART III
REPORTS FROM ORGANIZATIONS

THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

IN JAPAN

%
(Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan)

by Michio Kozaki

The most significant event in 1952 for the Kyodan
was the resolution passed by the 7th General Assembly
in which it was decided to organize a Home Missions
Society which would function along with the Cooperative
Evangelism Committee. The General Evangelism Com
mittee, headed by Rev. Mitsuru Tomita, former lorisha
(war-time head of the Kyodan) and former moderator of
the Nihon Kirisuto Kyokai (Presbyterian-Reformed group) ,
has been considering ways to stimulate the spirit of
independence and self-support among members of the
Kyodan churches.

During the past seven years since the end of the
war we have been greatly blessed by the cooperative
funds from the IBC and other mission boards which are
working with the Kyodan churches. For instance, 244
new buildings have been reconstructed through this

174



THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 175

cooperation for the benefit of about 500 churches which
were destroyed. Generally speaking about two-thirds of
this expense, or 200 million yen, was provided through
these cooperative funds, and one-third was raised by the
local churches. In addition, these funds provided relief
for suffering ministers and scholarship help for their chil
dren.

It is essential for the vitality of Christians and
churches that they do as much as possible toward their
own support before accepting outside assistance. There
fore, to strengthen the Kyodan churches it is necessary
to train church members in the principle of self-sacrifice.
The Home Missions Society will be supported by Kyodan
members. The budget this year is set at 5,300,000 yen,
of which one million yen will be offered on Pentecost
Sunday from all over Japan. The Women s Committee
of the General Evangelism Committee has also decided
to raise one million yen towards this fund from among
church women. The Home Missions Society intends this
year to begin seven projects with this fund to help weak
churches to open new stations, and to start new experi
ments in professional fields. This is a definite advance
for the Kyodan, for it is doing what it should to take
its share of responsibility. If it is successful, it will be
possible to cooperate more wholeheartedly with fellow
missionary colleagues.

This is one of the most important problems for the
Kyodan because there are two extreme ways of thinking



176 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

within the churches: one which is entirely dependent
upon missionaries and foreign funds, and another which
wants to be entirely independent of foreign support and
which is too nationalistic. The creation of the Home
Missions Society, therefore, will mark an advance both
in assuming responsibility for self-support and in achiev
ing a more perfect fellowship with missionaries.

In Japan the Christians are still a very small minority
with only 93 years of Protestant work, and it is important
to be recognized by the non-Christian Japanese as respect
able peoole, not only morally but mentally. The historical
experience of the church is that unless strong well-
organised churches and church life are established the
whole nation will never be converted nor will the high
purpose, " Thy Kingdom come on earth", be achieved.

The Kyodan is advancing steadily. Last year 11,985
baptisms and an increase of 10 churches (bringing the
total number of churches to 1461) were reported.



THE INTERBOARD COMMITTEE FOR
CHRISTIAN WORK IN JAPAN

by John C. deMaagd

The Interboard Committee for Christian Work in
Japan is composed of representatives of the ten mission
boards whose work in Japan is done in cooperation
with the United Church of Christ in Japan. These boards
represent the following denominations : Congregational
Disciples, Evangelical and Reformed, Evangelical United
Brethren, Methodist (2 boards), Presbyterian U. S. A.,
Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of
Canada (2 boards). The Interboard Committee meets
monthly in New York to coordinate and plan the American
end of the program. They maintain an office at 156
Fifth Avenue where Rev. Henry Bovenkerk was the
Secretary in 1952.

In Japan the coordinating committee is the Council
of Cooperation, originally composed of eight representa
tives of the Church of Christ in Japan (Kyodan), eight
representatives of the Japan Christian Education Associa
tion, and a missionary representative of each support
ing denomination. A revision in the composition of
this Council, made to include the League of Christian
Social Workers as the fourth cooperating body, was finally
approved at the General Assembly of the United Church

177



178 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

in October of 1952 and the Council as now constituted
includes :

10 members elected by the Church of Christ in Japan,
8 members elected by the Japan Christian Educa
tion Association,

6 members elected by the League of Christian
Social Workers, and

10 missionaries, each representing one of the ten

supporting boards.

These 10 are elected by the Interboard Committee from a
double number of nominees chosen by ballot of the mis
sionaries of the respective denominations on the field.

The Moderator of the Church of Christ in Japan
is ex-officio Chairman of the Council. The Japanese
Secretary, Rev. Masaharu Tadokoro, and the English
Secretary, Rev. Darley Downs, are non-voting members.

Much of the Council s work is done through its
appointed sub-committees. But the Council is the final
authority on the assignment and location of missionaries,
the use and allocation of the budget, projected plans for
new work, and the estimates presented to the boards for
the next year s budget.

1952 marked the end of postwar reconstruction for
the IBC, and an increased emphasis on new work and
plans. The Church Reconstruction Committee was dis
banded after submitting its report of 242 churches rebuilt
with the $625,000 entrusted to it by IBC for this purpose,
augmented by funds which rt ach local group had raised



THE IBC COMMITTEE FOR CHRISTIAN WORK 179

for its own building, amounting to 45,048,000 ($125,584) .

The School Reconstruction Committee reported hav
ing checked plans and contracts for buildings on 29
campuses, toward which the IBC had contributed over
$2,000,000, and local communities an impressive additional
amount. The Committee was dismissed with sincere
thanks to Mr. Kenneth Dowie, the architect who had
worked 3 years on this project.

The women s dormitory at the Union Theological
Seminary was completed in October, the last of the
Seminary buildings toward which the IBC contributed a
total of $144,600. The Seminary now enrolls 241 students.

In addition to regular evangelistic work of the local
Cooperative Evangelism Committees carried on through
stated United Church committees, in each of the thirteen
districts one pioneer evangelistic project was started with
a budget of 200,000 for the year as experiments in
intensive evangelism.

Every year the Council s Scholarship Committee
selects candidates for graduate study scholarships in
America financed by IBC funds. Sixteen more teachers,
pastors, and social workers received scholarships in
1952, bringing the number now there under IBC aus
pices to 36. 63 who were sent to the States for one year
or more of graduate study since the war have already
returned to resume their work in Japan with increased
vision and ability. The high schools and colleges, toward
which the IBC contributes funds and 232 missionary



180 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

teachers, have an enrollment of over 69,909 students.
Concern expressed by the Council lest the schools drift
away from the churches resulted in some schools re
questing official church representation on their boards
of directors.

During the year monthly tuition high school schol
arships were given to 3,372 pastors children attending
junior and senior high schools. Some $21,000 was given to
pastors in more direct relief administered by the United
Church s Committee on Personnel.

In 1952 the IBC sent out 72 missionaries, bringing the
number now in Japan to 354. All permanent appointees
must study language until they have passed their second
year examinations, after which they are assigned by the
Council to fill the positions for which missionaries have
been requested by schools or by the church districts
(kyoku). These requests always far out-number the
available personnel



ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH

(The Nippon Sei Ko Kwai)

by Raymond J. Hammer

The Nippon Sei Ko Kwai (literally " Japan Holy
Catholic Church", but commonly referred to as the
" Japanese Episcopal Church " or the " Anglican Church
in Japan") is already within sight of the first centenary
of the arrival of its first missionary, Bishop Williams of
the American Protestant Episcopal Church, who arrived in
Japan in 1859, at a time when Christianity was still a pro
scribed religion. Bishop Williams was not only the first
missionary of the Episcopal Church to arrive in Japan,
but was also the first Protestant missionary to enter the
country. Ten years later Church of England missionaries
of the Church Missionary Society arrived, and they were
followed in 1873 by missionaries of a sister society in
the Church of England, the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel. For a time, the American and English
work were not correlated, both lots of missionaries being
subject to their own bishop, but the efforts of Bishop
Bickersteth, the English bishop at the time, led to the
integration of missionary work and the uniting of the
Japanese congregations established by both the American
and English missionaries into the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai in
1887. The name of the Church was taken from the
declaration in the Apostles Creed : " I believe ... in the

181



182 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Holy Catholic Church." The life, teaching, worship and
ministry of the Church were patterned after that of
other Churches of the Anglican Communion throughout
the world.

After the formation of the Missionary Society of the
Church of England in Canada, the Canadian Church with
the Churches in England and America became one of
the Mother Churches of the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai, and
for over thirty years before the war, apart from the
larger cities where both American and English mis
sionaries were working, the country was split up into
spheres of missionary activity and responsibility. But
despite the division into spheres, the societies engaged
constantly looked forward to a time of greater unity and
the ultimate leadership of the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai by
Japanese nationals. A symbol of the growing unity was
the establishment of the Central Theological College
more than forty years ago, which replaced three separate
colleges, formerly under the direction of the Protestant
Episcopal Mission, the Church Missionary Society and
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The
three bodies subsequently (and to the present day) had
representatives on the faculty of the Central College,
where Japanese are trained for the ministry of the
Church. (The College has this year moved to new pre
mises in Setagaya-ku, its second move since its former
buildings at Ikebukuro were destroyed during the war.
The College is post-graduate, and a variety of universities



ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH 183

are represented amongst the students.)

All the missions cooperating in the growth of the
Church were responsible for numerous institutions. The
American Mission was responsible for the founding of
St. Luke s Hospital, Tokyo (whose main building is still
in the hands of the American Army). Even in the war
years it was able to function as a private Christian
hospital, and the cross upon its tower proclaimed the
healing ministry of the Gospel. Numerous educational
institutions St. Paul s University, Tokyo, St. Margaret s
School, Tokyo, St. Agnes School, Kyoto, etc. were also
founded by the American Mission. The Church Missionary
Society was responsible for the founding of educational
institutions in Osaka (Momoyama and Poole), and the
S. P. G. in Kobe (Shoin) and Tokyo (St. Hilda s). The
Canadian Missionary Society was responsible for the
founding of a Sanatorium at Obuse in Nagano Ken and
a Kindergarten Teachers Training School at Nagoya.
All were responsible for numerous smaller ventures, too,
of educational, medical and social significance.

The move towards independence in the Sei Ko
Kwai was first seen when in 1923 Tokyo and Osaka
dioceses were formed with Japanese nationals as their
bishops. The next step came in 1940, when all the foreign
bishops resigned and the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai ceased to
be a Missionary Church of the three Mother Churches,
and became a fully independent Province of the Anglican
Communion, with all its diocesan bishops Japanese. This



184

means, too, that all former missionary property and in
stitutions were handed over to the ownership of the Japa
nese Church.

In the postwar scene, missionaries from the former
Mother Churches (and, in addition, representatives from
the Church of England in Australia and New Zealand)
have been working alongside the Japanese clergy and
workers in the advance of the Church and in the various
institutions. But the missionaries do not come by right,
but by invitation of the Japanese Church. For example,
American, Canadian and English clergy work under the
direction and assignment of Japanese bishops. The former
division into spheres of activity according to missionary
societies no longer exists, and missionaries irrespective of
their country of origin, are assigned by the Japanese bishops
according to needs. There are about 47 missionaries of the
Protestant Episcopal Church, 20 of the Canadian Church of
England, 10 from the C. M. S., 10 from the S. P. G. and
about 10 others. The Church is divided into ten dioceses
(Tokyo, S. Tokyo, North Kanto, Mid-Japan, Tohoku, Hok
kaido, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Kyushu) , with the Bishop
of Kobe (The Most Rev. Michael H.Yashiro, S. T. D.)
acting as the Presiding Bishop. There is a National
Council of the Church, which has various sub-committees
which seek to co-ordinate the work of the Church. The
membership of the Church has not yet reached its pre
war proportions, but there are approximately 9,000 com
municants and a Church membership of some 25,000



ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH 185

with a further 20,000 in contact with the Church and its
Sunday Schools.

In the year 1952-3, there have been two main events
in the life of the Church. In July, 1952, there was a
nationwide rally of the workers of the Church at Gifu,
the first occasion for 23 years that the clergy and lay-
workers of the Church had managed to meet together.
More than 200 bishops, priests and deacons were present,
and a further hundred or more workers, missionaries,
helpers and observers. The Presiding Bishop expressed
the aim of the Conference in the words : " It would meet
the need of our meeting together in fellowship as co-
workers in the Church to share each others suffering, and
to unite in common vision." In April, 1953, was held the
24th General Synod of the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai, when
three clerical and three lay representatives from each
diocese met with the bishops to hear reports from the
various committees of the National Council, to budget
and legislate for the coming three years. There were 30
bills in all, of which 4 were especially important:

1. It was agreed that plans should be put in hand
for the celebration of the centenary of missionary
activity in 1959.

2. Owing to the Capital Funds Campaign of the
American Episcopal Church, each diocese would be
able to submit a particular project for the considera
tion and approval of the National Council.

3. A proposed revision of the Prayer Book was put



186 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

forward by the Liturgical Sub-Committee appointed
by the previous Synod in 1950. (Up to the present
the Sei Ko Kwai has used largely a translation of
the English Book of Common Prayer with some
modifications and additions from the American
Prayer Book) . The revised Prayer Book was passed
for experimental use till the following Synod.
4. In the light of economic difficulties the advisability
of reducing the number of dioceses was discussed,
and also the question whether the Church should
return to the prewar system of missionary districts.
It was agreed to go forward as in the postwar years.

Contacts with other Churches of the Anglican Com
munion, etc.

Bishop Yashiro, in the years since 1948 when he
(with Bishop Yanagihara and Bishop Makita) attended the
Lambeth Conference, has visited the U. S., Australia and
New Zealand. During the summer of 1952 Bishop Yashiro
was present at both the Synod of the Canadian Church
and the General Convention of the American Episcopal
Church. Bishop Nakamura (of Tohoku) visited the Philip
pines early in 1953, and Bishop Ueda (of Hokkaido)
represented the Church at the World Council of Churches
gathering at Lucknow, India.

The Nippon Sei Ko Kwai has also given help in
personnel and money to the missionary work on Okinawa.



THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, U.S.
(Southern)

by Margaret Archibald

The Japan Mission of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States first opened work in Kochi in 1885 and in
1887. The first two missionaries were Rev. R. B. Grinnan
and Rev. R. E. McAlpine. Dr. McAlpine remained in Japan
until he retired in 1932. Dr. Grinnan resigned from the
Mission in 1898.

Number and Location of Missionaries

During this period of sixty-seven years there have
been 149 missionaries located in Kochi, Tokushima, Taka-
matsu, Marugame, and Zentsuji on the island of Shiko-
ku, and in Nagoya, Kobe, Toyohashi, Okazaki, and Gifu
on Honshu.

The Mission now numbers forty-four. Ten of these
came as new missionaries in 1952. One couple is on
furlough. There have been thirty-four new missionaries
since January, 1949. Nine of these have been transfers
from China. Twelve of the new missionaries are now in
language school and the others have begun their work
in the evangelistic and educational fields.



187



188 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Evangelistic Work

The evangelistic work of the Mission has always
been centered in the areas around the above mentioned
places. Members of the Mission have had no direct affil
iation with any church body in Japan since the war, but
are working in connection with the Reformed Church in
Japan and with former Presbyterian groups.

Educational Work

In the educational field, the Mission has had a part
in the establishment of several schools. The oldest and
largest is Kinjo Gakuin in Nagoya. The school has a
high school department in the center of the city and a
junior college and senior college in Omori, six miles out
on the Seto highway. The present enrollment is more
than 3,000. For almost twenty years the school has been
independent of the Mission, but five missionaries are now
teaching in the school and much assistance was given in
the necessary rebuilding program following the war. In
June, 1952, Southwestern University in Memphis conferred
upon the president of Kinjo Gakuin, Yoichi Ichimura, the
honorary degree of Doctor of Education.

Seiwa Girls School in Kochi was established by Miss
Annie Dowd. It was an industrial school until Miss
Dowd s retirement in 1934, when it was taken over by
the Kochi Church. At the request of the Church the
Mission again assumed support of the school in 1948. In



THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, U.S. 189

1952 a new school building and a missionary faculty
residence were completed. All government requirements
have been met and recognition is expected in 1953.

The buildings in the Rokko section of Kobe used
jointly by the seminary of the Reformed Church in Japan
and the Kobe Japanese Language School have been
constructed by the Mission since the war. The language
school, begun in 1949 for the new missionaries of the
Mission, had sixty students from twelve different mission
groups during this past year. The school uses the Na-
ganuma textbooks and follows the Naganuma system
of teaching.

Shikoku Men s Christian College was opened in Zen-
tsuji in April, 1950. A new modernly equipped library
has been added since that time. This is the first men s
school below seminary level with which the Mission has
been connected.

A kindergarten building in Kasugai, Aichi Ken, was
completed during the year and is the center for a new
church with a full-time pastor.

Medical Work

For several years the Mission has been working
towards the beginning of a medical center. Negotiations
are in process for the purchase of 5,000 tsubo of land
near Awaji station within the city limits of Osaka. The
first 20-bed section of a hospital will soon be started,
and Dr. Frank A. Brown, Jr., hopes the hospital will be



190 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

ready for its first patients by the end of 1953.
Radio

The Mission s most recent expansion has been in the
field of radio. Broadcasts were made monthly over
Station CBC, Nagoya, from October through December.
From the beginning of the new year a thirteen-week
program of broadcasts was planned under the program
name " To Christ " (Kirisuto e no Jikan) . The program
is under the direction of Rev. J. A. McAlpine of Gifu.



THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
MISSION

by Rose A. Huston

The Reformed Presbyterian Mission, after more than
fifty years in Kwan-Tung, China, was forced to leave by
the Communist occupation of South China. After spend
ing a year in Hong Kong, six members of the Mission
transferred to Japan, arriving during the summer of 1950
and settling in Kobe. Additional workers are expected
in 1953.

The Reformed Presbyterian missionaries came bear
ing the same scriptural standards and distinctive princ
iples of life and worship that were held by the church
of the Scottish Reformation, and which were instrumental
in guaranteeing to so many millions the one great freedom
to worship God according to the dictates of their own
conscience. It is their aim to establish a church based
on these principles, self-supporting, and led by a well-
trained ministry.

While spending some time in language study, work
was begun in English with Japanese interpreters and
also in English Bible classes. Evangelistic work is being
carried on by means of preaching services, Bible classes,
and private teaching in homes, hospitals, schools, and
other places, using as needs require, Japanese, English,

191



192 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Mandarin, and Cantonese languages.

While the work is primarily among the Japanese,
some work is being done for Chinese who speak only
Cantonese in connection with the Southern Presbyterian
Mission to the Chinese in Kobe, as they have no Can
tonese speaking workers.

The Mission also cooperates with The Reformation
Translation Fellowship, a group which writes and trans
lates books, magazines, and articles which emphasize
the Reformed doctrines as well as others helpful to
Christians in these perilous days. Mr. Charles H. Chao,
formerly of Manchuria, and the Rev. Samuel E. Boyle
have translated Dr. Loraine Boettner s excellent book on
predestination into Chinese, and more than a thousand
copies have been sent into Red China. Some seven
hundred copies of their magazine " The Reformed Faith "
have gone in regularly, and many letters have come
out saying how greatly both the magazine and the book
are needed and appreciated.

Though both have been put on the Communist black
list as subversive, there are still occasional brave calls
for more. These are being distributed also in every land
where refugees from Communism have fled. These
Chinese publications are prepared in Japan, printed in
Hong Kong, and distributed from there.

Mr. Boyle s book, " The Church in Red China Leans to
One Side" (English), has been distributed in many parts
of the Orient and has brought calls for anti-Communist



THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN MISSION 193

tracts and newspaper articles in both Japanese and Chi
nese. With the help of Mr. Masunage and Mr. Kataya-
ma, tracts and booklets have been printed in Japanese;
one of these is " The Reformed Presbyterian Church "
and another "Bible Truths for Young Christians" in
question and answer form. The latter is now being
printed in Chinese. Mr. T. Takase has put quite a
number of Psalms into metrical form for use in worship,
and we hope to have them printed later on.

Mr. Boyle is teaching a course on " The Psalms " in
the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church of
Japan, using Hebrew, English, and Japanese languages.
In addition, the Mission has established what is known
as " The Covenanter Book Room " with Miss Orlena
Lynn and Mr. Kaji Katayama in charge. It is prepared
to serve the Kobe area and others with dependable
Christian literature. Though it has been in operation
only a year, it is already filling a need in providing
Bibles in many languages, Japanese and Chinese books
as well as Bible commentaries and other books in Eng
lish. This is also a center for church services, Sabbath
School, and Bible classes in Japanese and English, some
of which are attended by young people of several nation
alities.



THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED JAPAN
MISSION

by Henry Bruinooge

In the spring of 1950, when the mission work of the
Christian Reformed Church in China came to a close
after some twenty-five fruitful years, the last returning
missionary was asked to stop in Japan on his return to
America. His contact was with the Reformed Church
of Christ in Japan (Nihon Kirisuto Kaikakuha Kyokai)
which officially asked that the Christian Reformed Church
assist in its program of evangelism.

Since the Reformed Church of Christ in Japan and
the Christian Reformed Church in America are churches
of Calvinistic pursuasion and hold to similar Biblical
confessions, cooperation in evangelism promises to be an
an arrangement of mutual satisfaction to both churches.
Specifically, the Christian Reformed Mission has been
asked to assist the churches in the Eastern Presbytery,
centering in the Tohoku and Kanto areas.

The first missionaries of the Christian Reformed
Church arrived in Japan in the spring of 1951 and since
that time others have come, bringing the total to eight
adults.

Because its primary objective is the establishment of
churches through evangelism, the Mission s policy is to

194



THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED JAPAN MISSION 195

have all missionaries become thoroughly acquainted with
the Japanese language as the most effective means to
carry out their aims. At present all the missionaries
are studying Japanese in Tokyo in preparation for the
work which lies ahead. In the summer and winter
of 1952 two series of evangelistic services were con
ducted in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, and it is planned to
locate one missionary family in that area to broaden
the scope of evangelism and strengthen the group of
Japanese Christians who have already been holding
meetings of their own. The prospectus also calls for
placing a missionary family in the city of Kofu, Yama-
nashi Prefecture, thus extending the work along the
Chuo Railway. One missionary is temporarily engaged
as a teacher in the Japan Evangelical Christian School
for missionary children in Kurume-machi.
I The Christian Reformed Church is not the only

church cooperating with the Nihon Kirisuto Kaikakuka
Kyokai. The Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (Southern)
is cooperating with this Japanese church in western
Japan and on Shikoku Island, and the Orthodox Presby
terian Church in the Tohoku district.

It is hoped that 1953 will see the arrival of new
missionaries to augment the present staff. The prospects
for the future are to engage in evangelism as a means
to establish churches that will be joined to the larger
body of the Reformed Church of Christ in Japan, and to
use such means as publication of tracts, translation of



196 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Christian literature, street arid cottage meetings, Gospel
services and personal witnessing, as will aid the program
of evangelism.



THE LUTHERAN CHURCHES OF
JAPAN

by A. C. Knudtcn

The year 1952 has seen some significant advances in
the enlarged work of the Lutheran Church and Missions
in Japan. The same number of groups, eleven in number,
carried forward their work, and in one or two cases were
joined by smaller groupings of Lutherans interested in
Japan missions but the major groupings remained as
before.

One Lutheran Church as Goal

The larger goal of one Lutheran Church in Japan,
either in union with the existing Lutheran Church
founded in 1892, or in some form of federation or affilia
tion with it, seems to be the one great area of common
Lutheran thinking during this year. The problem of
methods and contacts within the framework of con
stituting boards in America, Norway, and Finland, and
possibly Germany, is a point of major consideration.

Church Union \viih Fukuin Ruteru Kyokai

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Japan since its
founding has included the missions of the United Lu
theran Church in America and those of the United

197



198 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Evangelical Lutheran Church (Danish-American). To
this work the Augustana Lutheran Missions, begun in
1950, have decided to integrate the congregations resul
ting from their work in the Chugoku area (Hiroshima)
from the beginning. And to this union the Japanese
congregations of the Fukuin Ruteru Kyokai (churches
connected with the Finnish Evangelical Missionary As
sociation) decided to unite. This ceremony of official
union will take place in Tokyo in May, 1953.

The United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Japan

The total picture of this united effort in the establish
ment of one United Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Japan, then, is as follows :

1952 statistics (year-end)- ELCJ AUG FRK TOTALS

(1892) (1950) (1903)

The churches, organized 38 2 9 49

other 14 6 7 27

Pastors 35 2 7 44

Church members 6031 47 730 6808

Missionaries 46 18 13 77

Sunday Schools 82 4 12 98

To this very general statistical picture of the esta
blished Church must be added the rest of a balanced
program in the field of Christian education and elee
mosynary work. In the field of theological education
another group, namely, the Evangelical -Lutheran Mission



THE LUTHERAN CHURCHES OF JAPAN 199

(Norwegian-American), has entered in cooperation and
is providing a lecturer to the staff of the Japan Lutheran
Theological Seminary.

Other Lutheran Missions

In addition to these missionary and church activities,
those of eight other missions must be considered. In
this area statistics have not been completed as those
above but they can be estimated on the basis of figures
turned in. These eight groups have an additional mis
sionary staff of 163 (54 in the Missouri Synod group,
47 in the Evangelical Lutheran group, 41 in the groups
from Norway, and 21 in the balance). They are work
ing in some 20 congregations with some 600 church
members.

Special kinds of work have been undertaken in several
areas, for instance, the radio ministry of the Lutheran
Hour, factory ministry of the Norwegian Lutheran Free
Church in southern Mie Ken and a developing rural ministry
in Hiroshima Ken by the Augustana group. When all
statistics are in, the picture will reveal a missionary
staff for the all-Lutheran work of 240 persons, with some
50 ordained Japanese pastors, working in over 100 churches
and centers with 7,500 church members in some 30 ken
in Japan.



200 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

All-Lutheran Cooperative Work

The combined Lutheran forces meet in the All-Lutheran
Free Conference once or twice yearly to discuss plans and
programs for the maximum results in the evangelization
of Japan. Apart from this organized group working on
a free and independent basis is another group more
closely knit for purposes of publication of a common
pool of literature known as the Lutheran Literature
Society, which also meets periodically and has an ex
ecutive committee to carry forward authorized projects.
It publishes the Fukuin Shimbun with a circulation of
11,000 copies, and has recently secured a full-time mis
sionary to work in this field. A full-time Japanese worker
is being sought to carry forward evangelism through
literature.



THE LUTHERAN CHURCH-MISSOURI
SYNOD, JAPAN MISSION

by W. J. Danker

The work of the Japan Mission of the Lutheran
Church Missouri Synod continued to make progress under
God s blessings in 1952. In spite of changing conditions
in this country there were 235 baptisms reported a figure
slightly higher than that of the year before, bringing the
total membership of this four-year old mission near
the 600 mark. At this writing in February, 1953, there
are 53 missionaries in the field working in three major
areas of Hokkaido, Niigata Prefecture, and the Kanto
Plain.

The so-called vicar program under which ten seminary
students came to Japan as short-termers working through
interpreters for a period of approximately two years
each is now coming to an end. Three have already
left and the remaining seven will return to the States in
the summer for their final seminary year. This program
helped to develop momentum during the early years of
the Mission and allowed the full -term missionaries to
devote more time to language study and the manifold
tasks of establishing a new Mission. Some of these
young men are planning to return as regular missionaries.

The full-term missionaries are doing more and more
201



202 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

of their work in Japanese. The Mission has maintained
its own language school at the Tokyo Lutheran Center
which is also attended by missionaries from other groups.

The number, of unattached Bible classes for inquirers
decreased during the year. More emphasis was laid
upon the congregations already developed. STRENGTHEN
THY STAKES was the motto of the 1952 missionaries
conference and the year was marked by consolidation of
existing groups rather than by new expansion. Steward
ship began to register an improvement. Some of the
recent congregations are beginning to make small re
payments on the chapels erected by the Mission. Church
attendance is not markedly increasing but the proportion
of those attending who have become members is rising.
Regular Sunday church services are conducted at 27
places.

At this stage it is unavoidable that missionaries serve
as pastors of local congregations. To fill the need for
well-trained national workers a theological training
program is getting under way in April at the Tokyo
Lutheran Center under the direction of Dr. O. H.
Theiss, former executive secretary of the International
Walther League, who arrived in October for this purpose.
The Bible Institute carried on for the past two years is
being closed for the time being in order to permit the
Mission to concentrate available resources on the theo
logical training program, since the most pressing need is
for trained pastors rather than evangelists. Entrance



THE LUTHERAN CHURCH-MISSOURI SYNOD 203

requirements are graduation from a four-year college
and a good knowledge of English. Negotiations are being
carried on with other Lutheran groups to explore pos
sibilities of cooperative endeavor in this area.

The Mission is also active in general education. In
the fall of 1951 the Mission accepted the offer of a
private high school at Hanno, Saitama Prefecture. Seibo
Gakuin is a junior and senior high school. Rehabilitation
of the physical plant was completed in 1952. Currently
the faculty and curriculum are being strengthened. An
increased Christian emphasis is the aim for the future.

Plans for the first Lutheran elementary school first
conceived in 1950 will be carried out in April, 1953, with
the opening of the first grade of a projected six room
school at Urawa, Saitama Prefecture. It is hoped that
the elementary school will provide a much closer bond
with the home than does the Sunday School.

Production of Japanese literature was highlighted by
the publication of Luther s Small Catechism with the
complete explanation on July 1, 1952. Concordia Sunday
School leaflets, first printed in 1950, continued in uninter
rupted production. A program was launched for sending
enough of this material to Okinawa to supply 5,000
children every week.

Radio evangelism, inaugurated by the International
Lutheran Hour in the fall of 1951, expanded greatly. At
year s end, twelve stations from Kyushu to Hokkaido
were broadcasting the Gospel message in a half-hour



204

program every Sunday. The Augustana Mission cooper
ates in this effort by paying- for broadcasting time on the
Hiroshima station in its field. 1.300 pieces of mail per
week are received in response to the Bible Correspon
dence Course offered through these broadcasts which are
making a significant contribution to the Christian move
ment as a whole.

Plans were formulated for beginning medical mission
work in 1953. Dr. and Mrs. Nobutaka Azuma, who have
been doing advanced work at the Lutheran hospital in
St. Louis, Missouri, are to return this summer and will
open a small clinic in Sapporo. At the same time the
Mission is exploring the possibilities of working with
existing Japanese medical agencies rather than establish
ing large institutions of its own.

The Sapporo Youth Center s dedication was the out
standing milestone in the department of youth work. Four
youth camps were conducted in the summer. English
classes, youth clubs, and other interest groups are also
carried on.

In the new year the Mission may be expected to
emphasize the training of future Japanese pastors and
the further consolidation and building up of the local
congregations and mission stations already begun. No
significant new expansion is blueprinted.



FOREIGN MISSION BOARD

SOUTHERN BAPTIST

CONVENTION

by Edwin B. Dozier

In 1952 the Southern Baptist Japan Mission continued
to grow to 96 missionaries ready to assist 49 organized
Japan Baptist Convention (Nippon Baputesuto Remmei)
churches, 47 preaching stations, 20-odd kindergartens, 2
junior high schools, 2 senior high schools, 2 junior
colleges, 1 senior college, 1 theological seminary, 1
publishing house, 1 goodwill center, 1 rehabilitation center
and the beginnings of a hospital, in 23 of the proposed 28
prefectures. The membership of the churches had risen
by the time of the summer annual meeting to 6,017
believers, a 28% increase over 1951. Twenty-eight (28)
ordained men supplemented by 25 evangelists form the
leadership with the assistance of the missionaries. Ap
proximately half of the churches and preaching stations
are self-supporting, with none but the newest Convention-
sponsored points being entirely supported by the Conven
tion. Scriptural giving instead of the prewar system of
assessments has boosted the income of the Convention,
and churches are tithing their total income for over-all
causes as they urge their membership to give of their
tithe. The Christmas Mission Love Offering sponsored

205



206 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

by the Women s Department exceeded the dreams of the
department and totaled Y 655,000.00 for Home and Foreign
Missions. Evangelism continues as a major emphasis
even though there was no American-sponsored preaching
mission, but pastors and missionaries held a two month
simultaneous fall evangelistic campaign in 75 centers
with one to seven services and special meetings in each
place. Total tabulations have not been completed, but
the percentage of decisions over the past two years
were greater though contrasted by smaller crowds attend
ing the services.

Filling in the spots listed by the Convention in its
national outreach, the Mission in 1952 stationed personnel
in Sendai, Mito, Urawa, Yokohama, Okayama, Takama-
tsu, Matsuyama, Oita, and Kagoshima, while plans for
1953-54 are to locate missionaries in Miyazaki, Matsue,
Kanazawa, Niigata, one other Tohoku city, and a second
locality in Hokkaido.

Hampering greater growth is the bottleneck of the
scarcity of trained native workers, but the 50 young people
training in the Fukuoka seminary lend promise for the days
ahead. However, the greatest blessing and strength has
been the close bond of fellowship and love among the
brethren. A highlight of the Mission in 1952 was the
signal moving of the Holy Spirit in the annual Mission
meeting. Another significant event was the arrival of 2
of the 4 doctors to accelerate the opening of the hospital
in Kyoto early in 1954. The gift of a 10 acre summer



SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION 207

assembly site (by the Baptists in the military services)
between Atami and Numazu on Izu peninsula will greatly
strengthen the training functions of the churches.

Close cooperation and increasing skills in working
methods have helped the Mission and Convention to grow
steadily in the work. The annual pastors and mission
aries conference each spring heightens fellowship and
knowledge of one another in addition to providing inspira
tion and concerted consecration to the task. With God s
leadership Baptists should grow.



THE NORTH AMERICAN BAPTIST
GENERAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY

by Florence Miller

The North American Baptist General Missionary
Society is more commonly known by its former name of
German Baptist. Our mission headquarters is located in
Forest Park, Illinois, and our 270 churches are scattered
throughout the United States and Canada.

Our mission work before 1951 had been limited to
the fields of Europe and Africa. However, in 1951 it was
decided to open a work in Japan. Accordingly, in No
vember of 1951 the first three missionaries arrived in
Japan. These three are still in Tokyo studying the
language. However, in addition to language school, two
Sunday Schools and a beginning church work have been
carried on.

In the spring of 1952 another missionary family came
to Japan under appointment of this Mission but as mem
bers of the Youth for Christ staff. They are now
engaged in full-time evangelistic work in participation
with the Youth for Christ program.

During the year 1953 three more missionaries are
expected to join the mission family, making the number
eight in all.

In the summer of 1952 two missionaries and the
208



THE NORTH AMERICAN BAPTISTS 209

Youth for Christ team travelled to Mie Ken and there
conducted open-air meetings in all of the major cities.
The response to the preaching of the Gospel was very
encouraging everywhere. This trip also served the pur
pose of allowing an opportunity to survey the amount
of evangelical work being done in Mie Ken.

After visiting several other kens, it was decided to
begin our work in Mie Ken with headquarters at Uji-
yamada City. By August, after a home has been built, the
first three missionaries expect to begin their work in the
Ujiyamada area.

It is the plan of our missionaries to devote most of
their time to direct evangelism, remembering that " Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners."



THE MID-JAPAN BAPTIST MISSION

by Chaplain Carl Blackler

The work of the Mid-Japan Mission was opened in
Japan during the fall of 1949. The work has been carried
on through Bible classes, Sunday Schools, street meetings
and church services. Four organized churches have come
into being.

There have been fourteen missionaries on the field.
Four have returned to the United States to resign from
the Mission. Six of the ten remaining missionaries have
also presented their resignations. They shall continue
to work here as independent Baptist missionaries in con
nection with three of the organized churches.

This leaves a Mid- Japan Baptist Mission Council of
four missionaries on the field with one organized church.
The Council is now composed of missionaries Rev. and
Mrs. J. Newland Pfaff, Miss Sue Morano and Miss Doris
Youmans.



210



THE JAPAN FREE METHODIST
CHURCH

by Pearl M. Reid

Free Methodist missionary work in Japan was not
started by missionaries from America but rather by the
Japanese themselves in 1895. In the postwar period a
larger staff of missionaries has been sent to assist the
Japanese Church which in the prewar days was self-
supporting.

In 1952 the Japanese Free Methodist Mission was
composed of thirteen missionaries and one associate
missionary. Of these, four are still in language study
in Tokyo as of February, 1953.

In the rehabilitation period, funds were appropriated
for a large-scale reconstruction and repair program. At
present there are 25 organized churches and approx
imately 30 other preaching centers. In 1952 there were
2,963 full members. The majority of the churches are
self-supporting and a very definite plan is being followed
so that in the comparatively near future the church and
educational work will be entirely self-supporting. Sunday
Schools number 54 with an average attendance of 3,600
pupils. There are 8 kindergartens which are operated
by the church. Free Methodists thank God for the
material recovery from wartime losses and the spiritual

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212 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

life of the church which is also reviving in many places.
This is evidenced by the outreach to establish new
regular preaching points and the increased activity of
the lay members of the church.

The work of the Japan Free Methodist Church is
concentrated in the Kansai area with work in Tokyo,
Fukushima Ken and Sendai Shi.

Missionary activity in recent years has been pre
dominantly evangelistic. Efforts have been channeled
through the organized church whenever possible and one
missionary, Rev. Jacob DeShazer, has had a large
opportunity outside of the church. One field of service
has been through the Bible classes in the local churches
and high schools.

Osaka Christian College provides another opportunity
to make Christ better known to the youth of Japan. In
1951 dormitories, classroom buildings, church and admin
istration buildings were replaced as they had been des
troyed during the war. Along with a new kindergarten
building these daily make possible the educational pro
gram. Two years of a liberal arts college is accredited
with the government and a four-year diploma is given
in the theological department. The government also has
approved the training program for kindergarten teachers.
In 1952 the enrollment in day and night school totalled
98 pupils; the majority of these are registered in the
theological department. The students receive practical
training over the week-end in the various churches to



THE JAPAN FREE METHODIST CHURCH 213

which they are assigned to work under the supervision
of the pastors. Four senior students have acted as
student pastors during the past year. Seven will be
graduated in March, 1953, and enter Christian service.

The church and educational program are now under
the control of the Japan Free Methodist Conference and
missionaries who are members in good-standing in the
home conferences are received into this fellowship with
equal privileges.



THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST
CHURCH

by F. R. Millard

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church began its work in
Japan when Prof. Percy Grainger, a college president,
and T. Okohira, one of his students, arrived from America
in the fall of 1896. Very early, medical missionary work
was introduced and this has continued to be a prominent
phase of the work of the church.

In addition to direct evangelism the church carries
on active evangelism through its medical, educational and
publishing programs. The Japan Union Mission operates
the Japan Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing House,
the Japan Missionary College, the Tokyo Sanitarium-
Hospital and the " Voice of Prophecy," a department for
Radio Evangelism.

Local missions with headquarters in Kobe and Tokyo
carry out the general evangelistic program and look after
the interests of the churches. A Union Executive Com
mittee of 19 members (the present committee includes 8
overseas workers, 11 Japanese) is elected by the delegates
at the Union Biennial Session to carry responsibility and
direct the work in general. The president of the Union
serves as chairman.

In the spring of 1952 the Japan Missionary College
214



THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 215

(an outgrowth of Japan Junior College) expanded its
facilities by adding a new administration building, science
building and library. Prince Takamatsu delivered the
principal address at the dedication. More emphasis will
now be placed on the collegiate level with an education
department for preparing teachers for elementary schools
conducted in the churches and a ministerial department
for supplying evangelistic workers.

During 1952 a campaign was launched to raise funds
for the erection of two new units at the Tokyo Sanitarium-
Hospital. Neal Woods, M. D., joined the staff during the
year. Bessie Irvine, R. N., took over the position of
Director of Nursing Service, and Ruth Munroe, R. N.,
arrived to serve as Director of the School of Nursing.
Ogden Aaby, the new business manager, joined the staff
late in the year.

During the year 1952 the Japan Seventh-Day Adventist
Publishing House put out three new books, one of them
a health book. One hundred eighty colporteurs are
engaged in the distribution of books and magazines from
this house.

The Voice of Prophecy which began in 1948 as a
Bible Correspondence School found its voice in 1952 with
the opening of regular weekly broadcasts over Radio
Tokyo. Contracts were signed with more stations before
the year closed so that the program is now heard
weekly from Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Shizuoka, Osaka,
Nagano, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka, Nearly 40,000 students



216 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

are actively enrolled in the correspondence school. Over
15,000 of these have completed the course of study.

Five elementary schools and one kindergarten were
operated by churches during the past year and permits
have been issued for the opening of five more.

The Tokyo Evangelistic Center was dedicated in
February of 1952. In addition to a modern church with
a seating capacity of over 500, the center includes offices
for the North Japan Mission, headquarters for the " Voice
of Prophecy ", a fully equipped medical clinic operated
by the Tokyo Sanitarium-Hospital, and a young peoples
hall. In September the offices of the Japan Union Mission
were moved to a new headquarters building erected on
the compound of the evangelistic center.

The Japan Union now includes a fully established
Mission on Okinawa. Fifty-one Okinawans have been
baptized and two church buildings erected. A colporteur
is now working on the island, and an Okinawa nurse is now
studying at the Tokyo Sanitarium-Hospital in preparation
for opening medical work in Okinawa. A teacher from
Okinawa is now in Japan preparing to open a mission
school in connection with one of the two churches recently
established on the island.



THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE
MISSION

by Donald E. Nelson

" Therefore I say let this type of missionary stand,
that he is without the care of making friends, of keeping
friends, without the hope or desire of worldly goods,
without the apprehension of worldly loss, without the
care of life, without the fear of death ; of no rank, of no

country: a man of one thought the Gospel of Christ ;

a man of one purpose the glory of God; a fool and

content to be reckoned a fool for Christ. Let him be
an enthusiast, fanatic, babbler, or any other outlandish
nondescript the world may choose to denominate him ;
but still let him be nondescript. When they call him
trader, householder, citizen, man of substance, man of
the world, man of learning, or even man of common
sense, it is all over with his missionary character. They
must speak or they must die, and although they should
die they will speak. They have no rest, but hasten over
land and sea, rocks and trackless deserts. They cry aloud
and spare not, and will not be hindered. In the prisons
they lift up their voices, and in the tempests of the
ocean they are not silent. Before awful councils and
throned kings they witness in behalf of the truth.
Nothing can quench their voice but death, and in the

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218 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

article of death, ere yet the fiery flame and rolling smoke
have suffocated the organ of the soul, they speak, they
testify, they confess, they beseech, they warn, and at
length bless the cruel people." 1

The mission family of TEAM finds new meaning in
the urgency of Christ s final words to His disciples. The
Japan field is but one of the many harvest fields of the earth
into which TEAM missionaries have entered. With the
blood of martyrdom fresh upon the closing pages of last
year s history we dedicate ourselves anew to the tremen
dous task which lies before us to assist in building the
church of Jesus Christ in Japan a church of martyr-
loyalty. The martyr s crown so recently awarded to Ed
Tritt and Walter Erickson, TEAM S first missionaries to
Indonesia, is glowing evidence that soon we shall hear
the trumpet sound heralding the return of Him upon
whose shoulders the governments of earth shall be laid.

Under the leadership of Fredrik Franson, The Evan
gelical Alliance Mission entered Japan with fifteen mis
sionaries on November 23, 1891. The last missionaries
of this early group arrived in 1913 in the persons of
Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Carlson. Mr. and Mrs. C. E.
Carlson are still on the field and represent the only
senior TEAM missionaries of that early era. From 1913
until the year 1941 the missionary force never exceeded
more than six missionaries. These missionaries, however,



1. La Marechal, " God s Apostolic Missionary ".



THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE MISSION 219

sowed the seed and churches were planted. The years
immediately following the war were years of reconstruc
tion. They were hard years as everybody knows.
Churches had been destroyed, flocks had been scattered,
pastors had been either killed or dispersed, and the enemy
had come in like a flood.

The work of reconstruction was slow and the time
spent in prayer to ascertain God s will for the Mission
was endless. Young people from virtually every Chris
tian college and Bible school in the United States and
Canada answered the challenge of the Great Commission
until today we have over 157 adult missionaries in Japan.
Regardless of the fact that the average age of our mis
sionaries is about twenty-eight years, we are a forward-
moving mission with many plans for the future.

We have established the Word of Life Press which
is engaged in producing a tremendous amount of thor
oughly evangelical literature. One of our missionary
units, recently evacuated from China, has established the
Japan Sunday School Union. Other units, well qualified
in radio, have placed the Gospel on the air through a
large number of commercial radio stations. We have
several teachers in the Christian Day School as well as
a missionary staff working with our Japanese pastors in the
Alliance Bible Institute. Plans are under way to establish
a Christian college in Formosa as well as in Japan.
TEAM has decided to enter Korea, and the first of our
group will leave this spring. Heading this new work



220 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

will be Thomas Watson who is waiting permission from
the Korean government to begin construction of a 100,000
watt standard-band broadcasting station which will beam
the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in four Oriental
languages to the ordinary receiving sets of Korea, Japan,
China, Manchuria, and parts of the USSR.

We have established TEAM-AVED, the Audio-visual
Education Department which is designed to produce evan
gelical films and slides for use here in Japan as well as
in the countries from which our missionaries come.
Functioning under TEAM-AVED we have TEAM Press
Ass n, which is designed to facilitate news-gathering of
a nature germain to missionary work and to disseminate
same to the various mission periodicals, newspapers and
other organs of information of missionary interest. We
have established a Follow-up Agency whose purpose is
to correlate the work of our vast tract distribution
program, as well as our multitude of country and city
evangelistic meetings. We have no less than twenty
mobile units in operation as well as five tent teams
functioning. We have founded a school for evangelists
in the city of Shizuoka to help furnish personnel for our
tent teams and mobile units. We have two UN corres
pondents under the auspices of Christian Life magazine,
as well as a number of others who are not accredited to
the Far East Command. We are in active cooperation
with the Pocket Testament League, Inter- Varsity Christian
Fellowship, Navigators, and Youth for Christ. Thus far



THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE MISSION 221

we have 18 Japanese pastors and 19 churches.

Realizing that a missionary is impotent without a
thorough knowledge of the language, the people and
their customs, Shintoism, Buddhism, and even com
munism, we maintain a language school in Karuizawa.
Here we must study the language as well as through a
committee on orientation acquire a surface knowledge
of the nation and its problems. Perhaps we are moving
a bit slowly in this matter, but we are trying to lay a
solid foundation.

It is our goal, in cooperation with other missions of
like evangelical position, to establish a church of martyr-
loyalty in the heart of this people that we might be

able to say, as one so aptly expressed himself, " O how
I love to hear these people pray ! "



THE CHURCH OF GOD

by Arthur R. Eikamp

The Church of God began its work in Japan in 1908.
Several missionaries came to Japan for varied lengths
of service during the next twenty years. Dr. Adam W.
Miller was the last prewar missionary of the Church of
God in Japan. He returned to America in 1927 and for
the next twenty years the leadership of the Church of
God was entirely indigenous.

All of our church buildings except one were com
pletely destroyed by the war. After the war the Japanese
church asked for help in the form of a missionary from
America. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Eikamp were the first
postwar missionaries of the Church of God to come to
Japan. They arrived in 1949 and were joined a year or
so later by Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Smith. The first work
of the missionaries was to help strengthen the few con
gregations which were still in existence after the war.
This was done without regard for present connections.
Some of the congregations were within the Kyodan and
some were not. The Mission has left the question of
affiliation with the Kyodan entirely up to the congrega
tions.

The second phase of the mission work has been that
of evangelism and the establishing of new Sunday Schools
and congregations. The number of Sunday Schools has

222



THE CHURCH OP GOD 223

shown a growth of approximately 300.% and the atten
dance has shown a growth of about 1,000% since 1950.
The number of churches has shown about a 200^ growth
and the attendance in the churches has shown about a
400^ growth.

The Church of God has established a mission school,
the Tamagawa Sei Gakuin, between the Jiyugaoka and
Kuhombutsu stations in Setagaya. This is a girls junior
high school and high school as well as a co-educational
night school. In addition, a night school for the study
of English has been established at the same location.

Two children s homes are operated by members of
the church and help of various kinds is given to them
by the Mission. All of the teachers and workers are
Christians in these children s homes.

Our hope and our policy has always been that of
encouraging the church to be self-supporting and to
provide its own leadership. All of our congregations and
Sunday Schools are completely self-supporting with the
exception of one Sunday School which receives some
monthly support for the present. We need young minis
ters for the new congregations which have been es
tablished, but such preparation takes time, and we will
continue to feel that need for some time in spite of
the fact that some young men from our churches are
now preparing for the ministry.

We have only two missionary couples in Japan at
the present time, though we hope for more in the near



224 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

future. We are able to meet the needs of our program
only by utilizing the volunteer help of laymen of the
church who happen to be in Japan for one reason or
another. The volunteer work of consecrated laymen has
been responsible for a considerable share of whatever
success we have in attaining our goals.

We have plans and hopes for the future but since
the future is in the hands of God we prefer not to state
those plans here but rather to wait on the Lord and let
Him confirm or reject those plans according to His
wisdom.



THE ORIENTAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY

by Edwin L. Kilbourne

The Oriental Missionary Society in all its fields
around the world works on its established " three-fold
policy " of establishing Bible institutes ; establishing an
indigenous, self-supporting church ; and an Every Crea
ture Gospel Distribution Crusade in which it seeks to
systematically reach every home in the nation.

When the goal of a self-supporting indigenous church
has been attained, the foreign missionary staff is with
drawn and only an affiliated relationship is retained be
tween the church and the establishing mother organization.
This status was reached in Japan some thirty years ago.

The Oriental Missionary Society as such with its
missionary personnel returned to Japan in 1949 at the
invitation of the Japan Holiness Church because of the
mutual feeling that we could help in the difficult post
war rehabilitation of the church, especially in the rebuild
ing and re-establishing of the Tokyo Bible Seminary, the
training center for the national workers of the church.

This phase of our objective has been accomplished
and by mutual agreement for an indefinite period there
will be missionary teacher personnel in the Seminary.

1952 has been a successful year in the Seminary with
the regular student body numbering fifty-one and with
a faculty of nine members besides school officers. Un-

225



226 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

fortunately we have no room for more boarding students
and we are now contemplating additional dormitory space
for fifty students to thus be equipped to double our
student body. This would bring the number to near the
prewar high of one hundred and twenty-five.

A few of the present student body anticipate further
study abroad but most of them will enter the ministry
here immediately upon graduation.

There is a two-year Christian workers course and
the three-year seminary course. A special intensive one-
year s Rural Evangelism Course is now contemplated to
train workers for the Every Creature Gospel Distribution
Crusade.

About thirty-six years ago the Oriental Mission
Society inaugurated an Every Creature Crusade and in
a systematic distribution campaign visited more than
10,300,000 homes of Japan and in each gave free of charge
a Gospel portion and a salvation tract with prodigious
results in the salvation of souls and the founding of
churches.

With a new generation and ripeness like unto the
wonderful prewar days, The Oriental Missionary Society
has felt led of God to launch again into a similar crusade
but with a definite follow-up plan of conservation and
church-establishing as the distribution campaign is carried
on.

During 1952 the Crusade teams (four in number),
each with a tent and with Gospel cars and loud speaker



THE ORIENTAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY 227

equipment headed by four missionaries each with a band
of twelve Japanese co-workers, have been working in
Chiba Ken. The work in Chiba Ken has just been com
pleted every city, town, village and hamlet and, as far
as can be practically known, every home has been visited
and the literature distributed. Results ? Some 28 churches
have been established, an average of about one new
church a week, as a result of this visitation work, open-
air meetings and the nightly tent services. The tents
are usually pitched for a period of from 4 to 6 weeks.
These " churches " have from ten to sixty or seventy in
attendance at each service. More thrilling testimonies
and transformed lives it would be difficult to hear and
see anywhere in the " homelands " or elsewhere. It has
been impossible to supply pastors for all these new
centers and some ten or more have been turned over to
other evangelical organizations in Chiba Ken. These new
groups provide splendid practical " training grounds " for
our Bible Seminary students.

Early in 1953 six new Crusade missionaries are com
ing from the U. S. A. They will each have twelve
Japanese co-workers and the regular equipment. We are
reorganizing the Crusade somewhat and speeding it up
with the objective of covering all Japan within a maximum
of five years and a probable minimum of three years
with the expectancy of some 250 newly established Japan
Holiness Church groups occupying every ken in the
nation.



228 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

The Japan Holiness Church now has 80 churches, is
self-supporting and entirely nationally administered. The
task of the Oriental Missionary Society is to assist in
the pioneer work through the " Crusade," organizing
groups which will be turned over to the Church for
development into groups that will be alive and effective
evangelizing centers.

It may be pointed out that the churches supply stu
dents for the Seminary and in turn the Seminary supplies
preachers and pastors to open and maintain more churches.
The Seminary is our foundation and if it produces God s
expectancy of effective Christian workers, the future of
the work and its constant and continued growth is assured.
Within from three to five years we expect to see the
prewar " glory " of the " former house " surpassed by
" the latter " in the Church in which it has been our privi
lege to have had a share in establishing in this remarkable
nation now so rapidly returning to its place in the family
of nations and of leadership in the Orient.



THE AMERICAN ADVENT MISSION

by Floyd Powers

Although the period of Advent Christian missionary
activity in Japan is brief, the work itself has a history
of over 50 years. In 1898 Masadoru Iwagoe, a young
businessman who had been converted in America,
returned to his home town of Kurayoshi in Tottori Ken
to establish the first Advent Christian Church. He believed
that the denomination s emphases on the early return of
Christ, the resurrection and conditional immortality were
needed in Japan. He carried on rather extensive rural
evangelistic work in that area. Later, another church
was established in Osaka with Kaoru Haneda serving as
pastor.

It was not until after the war in December of 1948
that the first foreign workers, Rev. and Mrs. Frank
Toothe, came directly from China to begin the work of
the Mission. They settled in Sakai City where a third
group was organized. Since then 10 new workers have
arrived in Japan and have been engaged largely in
language study.

The emphasis in most of the Mission s work has been
on extension through the local Japanese church by means
of branch Sunday Schools and Bible classes.

In the immediate future, a program of expansion is
anticipated especially in the Tottori Ken area where the

229



230 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

work had its origin. Following the present pattern of
the Kurayoshi work, each new church will become the
center for extensive rural evangelism in its own area.



THE SWEDISH MISSION IN CHINA

by J. A. Aspberg

The Swedish Mission in China was founded in 1887
by Erik Folke, a young university student who had heard
the call of God to preach the Gospel in China. His was
the first of several Swedish missions that took up work
in China before the end of the last century. Eventually
he became an associate of the China Inland Mission, and
the Swedish Mission in China developed as an inter
denominational mission without church work in the
homeland, the missionaries retaining membership in their
respective home churches. After over sixty years of
work in China a self-supporting church of more than
12,000 communicant members was left behind when the
political situation in the country forced the missionaries
to leave their field in 1949. Some of the missionaries
went home, and the rest arrived in Japan in the spring
of 1950.

After half a year at Karuizawa the missionaries
moved to Numazu and Mishima in Shizuoka Prefecture
where premises had been bought and negotiations with
the local churches had resulted in an agreement to co
operate with a view to strengthening the churches from
within and evangelizing the neighbouring country areas.
In 1951 the city of Fujinomiya was made another center
for work, two lady workers being stationed there,

231



232 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Language study has of course taken a large share
of time so far. As regards activities in cooperation with
the local churches, a weekly Gospel meeting with inter
pretation has been held at Numazu since the beginning
of 1951, and later similar meetings have been held re
gularly in several other cities and towns. English Bible
classes have been conducted for students of several high
schools and at Nippon University at Mishima. The mission
is also trying to open up some new country centers for
the Gospel. But here are experienced great difficulties
because the local churches have no evangelists or Bible
women and very few lay workers able to do voluntary
evangelistic work.

Work among the children in several kindergartens
and in some new places, visiting the patients in hospitals,
sanatoria and a leper colony, are part of the regular
activities. Missionaries are often asked to preach at
Sunday services and other meetings. A theological
society has been organized, and several pastors come
together once a month to study some exegetical or
systematic problem under the guidance of a missionary.

One missionary, Mr. Ake Haglund, has been loaned
to the National YMCA of Japan where he is doing full-
time work as a fraternal secretary for Bible study, his
salary being paid by the Mission.

As a Mission the Swedish Mission in China wants to
remain a free evangelizing agency, and because it is not
in a position to make any financial contributions to church



THE SWEDISH MISSION IN CHINA 233

groups or other affiliations, its independent status is the
only feasible modus vivendi for such a group of mission
workers. Thus from the start this Mission has been
inclined to cooperate with already existing churches
rather than founding churches of its own. However, the
main purpose being the preaching of the Gospel to those
outside the church and winning them for Christ, future
activities in this respect will be guided and decided by
the measure of congenial cooperation and willingness and
ability to reach out to the regions beyond that is accorded
the Mission on the part of the existing churches.

Coming from another mission field and having as
background work in fairly large fast-growing congrega
tions, the viewpoints of this Mission are necessarily often
not identical with those held by missionary recruits to this
country, nor even identical with those of old-timers who
have seen missionary work only in Japan. This may be
both a strength and a weakness, and certainly it is not
palatable to those who always try to explain the slow
progress of mission work in Japan by the slogan that
" Japan is different." However, relations with the Japa
nese pastors, hard-working and courageous men as they
mostly are, have been most cordial so far, and frank
discussions have helped to make both sides conscious of
existing limitations that should be recognized as such
and removed by mutual helpfulness and understanding
as far as this is at all possible.

In September, 1952, some seventy Swedish missionaries



THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

from all over Japan gathered with a few Norwegian
colleagues at Gotemba for a conference to exchange ex
periences and discuss questions of common interest for
the future work of Swedish missions in Japan. This
conference was a great success. No Swedish mission has
worked in Japan until after the last war, and therefore
many problems are new. Professor Antei Hiyane gave
two lectures on Shintoism and Buddhism, and other
sessions were occupied with the question of language
study and problems in evangelistic work. A second con
ference of similar nature will be held at Gotemba in
September, 1953. This time it is hoped that all Scandi
navian missionaries in Japan will gather around the burn
ing questions of missionary work in Japan.

Finally a word about the name of this Mission. Re
gulations in the constitution have delayed matters, but
later this year it is hoped that announcement will be
made that it has adopted a new name, viz., The Swedish
Evangelical Orient Mission. In the homeland it shall be
known as the Swedish Mission in China and Japan, thus
giving expression to a hope that may one day be realized.



THE SWEDISH EVANGELICAL MISSION
IN JAPAN

by Folke Persson

The Swedish Evangelical Mission in Japan is not a
new and young mission society. It is over fifty years
since it came into existence and began work in Mongolia
where it had evangelistic and medical work both in Inner
and Outer Mongolia until 1924, when the latter part came
under the Red regime. After that time work has been
concentrated on Inner Mongolia where social and edu
cational work was carried out hand in hand with an
evangelistic testimony. That continued until the end of
World War II, when the political development made it
impossible for any missionaries to remain.

Through Dr. Toyohiko Kagawa s visit to Sweden in
1949, the eyes of the Mission Board were definitely turned
on Japan with its unique challenge and open door for
evangelical work.

In the very early part of 1951 the first missionaries
arrived in Japan from Hong Kong where they had taken
refuge after leaving Mongolia. By June the same year
8 missionaries of regular appointment made up its re
presentation.

The Mission has been known as the Swedish Mongol
Mission, its work concentrated on Mongolia only. For
reasons very well understandable the missionary body

235



236 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

together with the home board agreed to change its name
t o Swedish Evangelical Mission in Japan.

As the Mission s former work had been conducted
under hard working conditions, severe winters and an
extremely scattered population, there was a natural strong
pull toward Hokkaido, both at home and among most of
the workers now in Japan. It was therefore quite natural
that, when confronted with a choice of working in the
south or in the north of Japan, the choice would be
Hokkaido where the need at that time also seemed to
be the greatest.

This Mission is an " alliance " of friends from dif
ferent denominations and with no supporting churches.
Its only organizations are the home board in Stockholm,
Sweden, and the missionary conference on the field. It
has an evangelical testimony and is conservative in its
theology. In Japan its work is purely direct Bible-teach
ing with no schools and medical centers.

The Mission s prime and foremost purpose is to win
souls for Jesus Christ and to do its part in building a
spiritually strong and active national church in Japan.



THE SWEDISH ALLIANCE MISSION

by Erik Wiberg

When it became apparent that China would become
closed as a mission field, the Swedish Alliance Mission
took action to open up a new field, and this time in
Japan. These first missionaries were sent to this country
in the summer of 1951. They were led to take up work
in the cities of Hamamatsu and Toyohashi with surround
ing districts on opposite sides of the border line between
Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures. Since then work has
also been started in the cities of Iwata, Toyokawa and
Okazaki.

Up to the end of 1952, 15 missionaries had arrived
on this field, some from China and others from the home
country. Of the newcomers, five have devoted themselves
to language studies in Tokyo during most of last year.
Since three members have left the field during the year,
the present body represents only about half the number
of the foreign workers of the Swedish Alliance Mission
in China. However, this small number can probably not
be increased at present due to monetary restrictions
imposed by the Swedish government.

The S. A. M. in Japan has made it its goal to preach
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to teach the Word of
God in cooperation with all evangelical churches who
so desire. No church is to be established in the name

237



238 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

of the S. A. M., no church building is to be erected by
Mission funds. When and where Christians will be
encouraged to establish churches, these should from the
beginning be self-governing, self-supporting and self-ex
tending. This policy has been dictated by experiences
made during 50 years in China.

During 1952 the work of the Mission in Japan has
been concentrated mainly on Sunday schools, Bible classes
and evangelistic work in general. The results have been
promising and the interest on the part of the Japanese
young people has been as great as in the beginning of
the work here. No " reaction " has been noticed after
Japan has again become an independent country.

After careful consideration it has been decided to
encourage the converts of the Mission to establish
churches in connection with the Nippon Domei Kirisuto
Kyodan, the latter, though indirectly, also being a fruit
of the work of Rev. Fredrik Fransson, the founder of
the Swedish Alliance Mission. Several churches either
have been established or are in the making.



THE CENTRAL JAPAN PIONEER
MISSION

by Thelma Sterry

The C. J. P. M. was founded in 1925 by the late Miss
M. A. Burnet for work among the then largely untouched
central provinces of Japan. By the outbreak of war work
was carried on in five kens by seven missionaries and
twenty Japanese workers, most of whom had been trained
in the Mission s own Bible School. During the war years
two of the missionaries Miss Burnet and Miss Parr
were interned in the Mission Headquarters, being evacuat
ed home in November, 1945.

On their return to this country in 1947 only six of
the Japanese workers were left, and many of the con
gregations had been scattered by the claims of war work.
Gradually the work was built up again, and by the end
of 1952 there were twenty-four Japanese workers, and
thirteen new missionaries from various countries had
joined the Mission. The death of Miss Burnet in July,
1951, necessitated the formation of a Field Committee,
and 1952 was the first full year under the new administra
tion.

The work is now carried on in four kens Gumma,
Tochigi, Saitama and Shizuoka and apart from the
headquarters in Maebashi we have missionaries in three
other towns with more about to move out. During the

239



240 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

year two churches acquired their own buildings bringing
the number of church buildings up to twelve, while there
are about ten more congregations meeting regularly. In
addition to these, Bible students, pastors and missionaries
are engaged in pioneer evangelism in the surrounding
districts.

The churches connected with the Mission are formed
into the Fukuin Dendo Kyodan (Alliance of Gospel
Churches). This body, the fruit of the Mission, is self-
propagating, and although aid was necessary after the
war it is now gradually attaining self-support.

The Bible School was re-started in 1948 and provides
a three-year course for both men and women. It includes
Greek, English and music as well as the Biblical and
doctrinal subjects.

Attached to the Fukuin Dendo Kyodan is a Literature
Department which produces in addition to books and
tracts the " Fukuin Shimbun " (" Gospel Newspaper ") , of
ficial organ of the F. D. K. It has a growing circulation
not only in Japan but also among the Japanese of
Okinawa and North America.

During 1952 apart from the regular services in the
various churches many additional meetings were held.
In January and August at the annual Winter and Summer
Bible Schools Christians from the various churches
gathered for instruction in the deep things of the Word.
April saw a conference held for the deepening of
the spiritual life, which was attended by about 200 in



THE CENTRAL JAPAN PIONEER MISSION



241



all ; the cost of these three conferences was met by
the Christians themselves. Then, too, twenty of the
churches held special evangelistic campaigns as a result
of which church membership has been increased and a
growing burden for evangelism given to all.

Plans are afoot for launching out into a number of
as yet unreached towns and villages, and both foreign
and Japanese workers not only have a burden for, but a
growing expectation of, revival blessings throughout the
whole work of the Mission in this coming year.



THE JAPAN APOSTOLIC MISSION

by Leonard W. Coote

The Japan Apostolic Mission dates back to the year
before the outbreak of World War I when a young English
businessman, a professing atheist, came to Japan to work
as a secretary with Lever Brothers, soap manufacturers.
Deeply influenced by the life of Rev. J. B. Thornton as
he stayed in the missionary home under his charge,
Leonard W. Coote was thoroughly converted and made
a full surrender to take the Bible as his rule of life.

It was not very long before two or three mission
halls were opened in and around the city of Kobe where
Leonard Coote continued his employment, working in the
daytime and working for the Lord in the evenings.

At the close of his five years business contract he
heard the voice of God calling him into direct missionary
work in Japan, eventually leading him to arrange for
the mission now known as Japan Apostolic Mission, with
headquarters at Ikoma, Nara Prefecture.

Specializing in mass evangelism with evangelistic
centers at Osaka and Kyoto, large tent meetings, house
to house campaigns in the rural districts and smaller
towns, Japan Apostolic Mission also maintains a Native
Evangelistic Training School at Ikoma. Students receive
intense training in the Word and evangelistic methods
in the mornings and engage in evangelistic activities

242



THE JAPAN APOSTOLIC MISSION 243

in the afternoons and evenings. The students do the
major part of the work in the printing department which
is given over to evangelical publications in the Japanese
language.

Mr. Coote has asked God for the privilege of bring
ing to Japan 50 European missionaries after the war, and
more than half of this number have arrived. They spend
the first year of training in the language on the campus
of Ikoma Bible College before going out into the work
themselves.

Japan Apostolic Mission is an independent faith work
without any resources in homeland organizations or
churches, trusting God implicitly for the support of the
work as a whole.



THE JAPAN GOSPEL FELLOWSHIP

The first two missionaries of the Japan Gospel Fellow
ship, Miss Anne M. Pfaff and Miss Esther Stearns Bower,
had had six years experience in Japan. Two of these
years were spent in helping in another mission; two
were spent in intensive language study (and during these
years they began evangelistic work among children with
Sunday School classes, a children s paper published in
Japanese, and an English Bible class) ; the last two years
were war years (1941-1943), and one of these was spent
in an internment camp in Tokyo.

Miss Bower was the first to return to Japan under
the newly organized Japan Gospel Fellowship in May,
1947. She was joined in September, 1947, by Miss Julia
Motoyama, who was the first Japanese-American mis
sionary. Two years later six other missionaries, includ
ing Miss Pfaff, came and since then the number has
increased to thirteen now on the field or on furlough.

The headquarters of the JGF are at Hamadera in
Osaka Fu, but there are churches, Sunday Schools and
other evangelistic work in Osaka, Kyoto and Kishiwada.
In Hamadera and Kyoto we have evening Bible schools.
In 1953 Hamadera will graduate its first class of students.

Also in Hamadera is a large kindergarten which the
Lord is using not only to get the Gospel to children who
would not otherwise come to Sunday School, but also to

244



THE JAPAN GOSPEL FELLOWSHIP 245

reach the mothers and fathers who would not attend
church and who many times are inaccessible by visitation.
In the Mission Home in Hamadera there is a small
orphanage where orphaned or unwanted little girls find
a home and Christian love.

In 1953 the Japan Gospel Fellowship hopes to enlarge
its work in the areas already started and to extend to
the " regions beyond " its present stations and reach many
more for Christ.



THE JAPAN INLAND MISSION

by Hugh Kennedy

February 8, 1949, will always be an important date
in the history of the Japan Inland Mission for on that day
the Mission first began to function in Japan under that
name. However, this work had its earliest beginnings in
1931 when Mrs. Kennedy, then Miss Hoskins, a missionary
of the Elim Missionary Alliance, London, arrived in Japan
and later opened a work in the rural town of Kakogawa
and districts in Hyogo Prefecture.

This evangelical and kindergarten work continued
steadily until 1940 when conditions became very unfavour
able for effective Christian work, and missionary personnel
had to choose between possible concentration camps or
evacuation. Thus Mrs. Kennedy, very reluctantly, had
to leave the work and board the last evacuation ship for
Australia, since the journey to England was considered
too dangerous at that particular time. Arriving in
Australia she continued Christian work there, always with
the hope of some day returning to the land of her adop
tion again. After the surrender of Japan in 1945 the
Mission applied for permission to enter this country, but
it was some time before this was granted. Just about
that time our Mission was re-organized, the present name
adopted, with Home Council in Melbourne and repre
sentatives in each Australian state, New Zealand and

246



THE JAPAN INLAND MISSION 247

the British Isles.

t

Then in 1948 the way finally opened up for entering
Japan. Missionaries arrived on February 8, 1949, and
proceeded at once to Kyoto which has since become
headquarters. With all previous work and equipment
lost during the war it was necessary to lay the founda
tions of an entirely new work. After two years of steady
progress they were able to build a small chapel to ac
commodate the Christians. The prime purpose of the
Japan Inland Mission is to promote the spread of
Christianity in this country by the faithful proclamation
of the Gospel, through tract distribution and also Chris
tian literature. In addition to weekly church services
and Sunday Schools, regular meetings are held in schools
for the blind and nearby factories. Visits to rural dis
tricts have been made over the past years with a view
to establishing a work there this spring. In 1952 a small
kindergarten was started for the benefit of the neigh
bouring children and its influence is definitely felt in
many homes. A monthly Gospel meeting for women is
well-attended and bearing witness in this district.

In May, 1951, Miss Att water of Ipswich, England,
joined us in the Mission in Kyoto and has since been
studying the language with the aim of doing effectual
evangelical rural work in (he near future.

The only work in English is a Bible class held once
a week. Teachers, university students and others attend
and testify to blessings received. Also many have con-



248 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

tinued to attend the church services. The Japan Inland
Mission is an un-denominational and evangelical faith
mission believing the Bible to be the inspired Word of
God and the Gospel " the power of God unto salvation to
all who believe." (Rom. 1 : 16)



THE WORLDWIDE EVANGELIZATION
CRUSADE

The W. E. C., as it is commonly called, is an inter
denominational and evangelical missionary fellowship
founded by C. T. Studd, noted English athlete and one
of the famous " Cambridge Seven " who stirred England
and the missionary world in 1885 with the challenge of
the regions beyond, and who went out to China as pioneer
missionaries. Later Mr. Studd went to India, and then
to the heart of Africa where he established the Heart
of Africa Mission in the Belgian Congo in 1914, the first
field of the Crusade. His life was unique in complete
abandonment to the task of pioneering for God, and his
vision was for a worldwide work in which W. E. C. follows
on. The aim is the evangelization of the remaining un-
evangelized parts of the world in the shortest possible
time.

Since C. T. Studd s death in 1931, W. E. C. has ex
panded its fields until they now number a total of 20
fields. It has three major home bases London, England,
Philadelphia, U. S. A., and Sydney, Australia from which
missionaries are sent to all these fields. The Mission
deals in three branches of work : evangelism, medical
and literature. Of these, two branches (evangelism and
literature) are working now in Japan. Our personnel now
totals about 450 working in all foreign fields and home

249



250 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

bases.

W. E. C. s latest field, Japan, was opened by the
arrival of Mr. & Mrs. Lon Fulton, director of the evan
gelistic work, and Mr. Ray Oram, director of the literature
work, in October, 1951. Over a period of little more than
2. i years the Mission has grown to the total of 17 mis
sionaries. Practically all of these have spent the greater
part of their time in Japan to date studying the language.
Practical work has been limited to the area around the
headquarters in Gokanosho, Shiga Ken. There are now
small churches in three villages, but the real expansion
of the work will begin in the spring of 1953. The Mission
intends first to spread the work in Shiga Ken and Nara
Ken. There is in Shiga Ken a population of over 860,000
with only about 1,200 Christians. There is only one other
missionary society with one missionary operating in this
province, so there is yet much to be done. The Mission
expects to open up three major centers in 1958 from
which future expansion will be into villages and rural
areas. Primary emphasis is on the rural area which is
yet very much neglected. W. E. C. hopes also to open
up one central station in the southern half of Nara Ken,
from which future Nara Ken work will spread. So much
for the extensive.

In the realm of the intensive, the final and more
effective spread of the Gospel will be done by lay workers.
W. E. C. emphasis is that every Christian should be a
witnessing Christian and to this end there are plans for



THE WORLDWIDE EVANGELIZATION CRUSADE 251

a concentrated short-term Bible study course for inter
ested Christian laymen who will then carry on a witness
for Christ from their own shops or farms in their own
villages. Too, any churches W. E. C. establishes will be
guided as rapidly as possibly towards an indigenous status
self-propagating, self-supporting and self-governing.
It is the prayer of W. E. C. that God will speedily raise
up a strong Spirit-filled national movement on the part
of both clergy and laity. To this end the Mission is
attempting to guide plans and efforts.



THE JAPAN EVANGELISTIC BAND

by F. Tipton Williams

This is the year of Jubilee for the Japan Evangelistic
Band, although its founders Rev. Barclay F. Buxton
and Mr. Paget Wilkes were missionaries here some
fifteen years prior to the founding of the Band in 1903.
Both felt that there was a need for a " band " of Japan
ese and missionary workers who would devote their
energies in an interdenominational manner to the follow
ing three purposes : (1) The exercise of a spiritual minis
try amongst the existing churches by the holding of
conventions for the deepening of the spiritual life, special
evangelistic campaigns, tent missions and children s meet
ings. (2) Going out to the unreached country areas,
towns and villages, with the Gospel message. Meetings
in public halls and private homes, street meetings, tract-
evangelism, Bible classes, Scriptural " kamishibai " for
the children (young and old), and tent missions are all
used with the sole object of reaching the Japanese with
the Bread of Life. (3) The training of young men and
women for a ministry amongst their own people, parti
cularly the training of evangelists and Bible women.

During the past fifty years the above three aims have
been signally blessed of God.

The personnel of the J.E.B. at present consists of
252



THE JAPAN EVANGELISTIC BAND 253

some 20 missionaries and 16 Japanese evangelists and
Bible women, besides the Japanese staff of the Bible
School. These workers are now operating in Aichi,
Kyoto, Shiga, Hyogo, Osaka, Okayama and Tokushima
(Shikoku) prefectures. Without exception they are living
in country areas where there is a large population un
touched by the Gospel. The older missionaries are often
called upon by other outside groups to assist them in
conventions, evangelistic campaigns, etc., from time to
time. The Band considers it a high privilege thus to
minister amongst the established churches. Much spiritual
fruit has resulted.

Special work is carried on amongst students (Miss I.
Webster Smith) and railway men (Mr. Luke) . in addition
to general evangelism.

Nov. 16, 1952, witnessed the reopening of the Kobe
Mission Hall and every night. Mondays excepted, Gospel
meetings are held. This is situated in the heart of Kobe s
pleasure district. It is as a " light set upon a hill " in
the midst of cafes, gambling dens and houses of vice.
Thousands pass the doors of the hall nightly. The two
evangelists and the missionary, together with a number
of students from our Bible School, commence with a
prayer-gathering, then go out to the front of the hall
for a street meeting. This usually lasts about 30 minutes
and is immediately followed by an indoor meeting. The
center doors of the main hall are left open during the
opening part of the indoor meeting so as to permit the



254 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

passer-by not only to see what is going on but also to
hear the words of the songs being sung or the word of
invitation to enter. Because of this ministry in the Shin-
kaichi area for more than 40 years, wherever one goes
in the Kansai and Chugoku districts one meets people
who have heard the Gospel in the Kobe Mission Hall. The
missionaries praise God for the fact that a number of
churches have been formed as the result of the work of
the Mission Hall. It has been interesting and encouraging
in the past to hear from people who heard the precious
message of salvation for the first time within its walls
and through the power of the Holy Ghost have been
truly born again.

The J.E.B. has always utilized the printed page as a
means of evangelism and is happy to say that the late
Mr. Paget Wilkes " Dynamic " series is once more
available in Japanese : " Dynamic of Service " ; " Dynamic
of Faith " ; " Dynamic of Redemption^". The Rev. Goro
Sawamura s " Guide to Faith," " Guide to Christianity," as
well as a series of ten 4-page tracts have been printed.

As stated above, the third object of the Band is the
training of men and women to serve the cause of Christ.
Our founders laid great stress upon this aspect of the
work, and there is much cause for praise to God as one
sees the graduates of the Bible School in all branches
of the Church of God in Japan. Many now are mature
ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ, faithfully serving Him
and His Church and seeking always to lead others to the



THE JAPAN EVANGELISTIC BAND 255

Saviour.

There are more than 30 of the graduates of the J.E.B.
Kansai Seisho Gakko (Shioya) who are now serving in
the Christian ministry in Korea. One was put to death
by the communists, and others are still labouring for the
Master amidst untold misery and want.

Thirty-two students are studying this year, but five
will graduate in March. Of these five, four are to return
to their home areas. One will enter the ranks of the
J.E.B.



THE CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

by Clark Offner

Since missionaries of the Christian Catholic Church
first came to Japan in 1951 and have spent their time
until the present in language school, there is little to
report concerning mission work to date. However, these
missionaries are eager to clarify the position of their
church for those who are not acquainted with it lest they
be mistaken for or identified with something which they
are not.

The Christian Catholic Church was organized in
Chicago in 1896. Its basis of fellowship was purposely
made broad enough to include all true Christians of
whatever theological or doctrinal background. It is thus
that the name " Christian Catholic Church " was chosen
to identify this fellowship, emphasizing its universal or
general character and welcoming into its fellowship all
Christians willing to unite on the following broad basis
of fellowship:

(1) The Bible is the inspired Word of God the rule
of faith and practice ;

(2) Church membership is limited to those who have
repented of their sins and are trusting in Christ
for salvation ;

(3) Members must be able to make a good profes
sion declaring that they do know that they have

256



THE CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 257

truly repented, are truly trusting Christ, and have
the witness, in a measure, of the Holy Spirit ;
(4) All other questions of any kind are held to be
matters of opinion and not matters that are es
sential to church unity.

What, then, was the historical reason for the forma
tion of the Christian Catholic Church? It was organized
with the hope of injecting into the Christian Church as
a whole a new spiritual vitality and, in particular, to
restore to the church the teaching of divine healing.
The founder, Dr. John Alexander Dowie, was used of
God in a special way to bring about healings in answer
to prayer. The privilege of Christians to trust God for
physical healing was considered a vital (but lost) part
of the Christian Gospel, and through the years it
has been a particular emphasis of the Christian Catholic
Church.

In Japan these missionaries desire to work in areas
where there is presently no Christian church. Although
they have no official relationship with any larger Chris
tian organization or fellowship, they are very happy to
work with any groups or individuals who are sincerely
seeking the common goal of bringing men to repentance
for sin, faith in Christ for salvation and a life dedicated
to him.



THE POCKET TESTAMENT
LEAGUE

When General Douglas MacArthur in 1949 challenged
the Pocket Testament League with the tremendous need
for the Word of God to be placed at the disposal of the
Japanese people, and coupled with the challenge a request
for ten million copies of the Gospel of John in Japanese,
it seemed like an undertaking of tremendous proportions.
And so it proved. However, during the year 1952, the
League saw the completion of this task as the ten mil
lionth copy of the Gospel of John in Japanese rolled off
the press and was placed in the hand of one of this
country s throngs who are still without the Word of Life.

As the completion of this task drew near and new
horizons beckoned in the land of Korea, the Pocket
Testament League was faced with a great decision-
should the work in Japan be terminated completely, or
should a work be maintained here in addition to the
opening of the Korean field? After months of prayer, it
was decided to turn the greater portion of the Japanese
work into the hands of the Japanese men who had so
faithfully served in the ten million campaign. At present
they are continuing Scripture distribution in the small
villages and rural areas of Japan. Their program includes
outdoor meetings, distribution of Gospels in schools,
factories, hospitals, etc., and indoor rallies for the entire

258



THE POCKET TESTAMENT LEAGUE 259

community.

During the closing months of 1952 clearance was
granted to Pocket Testament League workers to enter
Korea with the purpose of establishing the basis for a
planned campaign to distribute one million Gospels of
John in Korean. One by one the American workers,
under the leadership of Foreign Secretary Glenn Wagner,
have left Tokyo to take up the new work in Korea.
Work has been largely limited to the Pusan area, a
city congested with refugees from the north, ROK
trainees ready to leave for front-line fighting, ROK troops
hospitalized for serious wounds, thousands of school
children, United Nations troops and ordinary residents
seeking to eke out a living for themselves and their
families. While in many other countries missionaries find
opportunities for public meetings in schools, army instal
lations, etc., rather limited, reports from Korea convince
us that it will take months even to scratch the surface
of the opportunities which await the preaching of the
Gospel message.

As they look forward this year, members of the Pocket
Testament League acknowledge that Jesus Christ alone
is the answer to the turbulent conditions which exist
here in the Far East and the world around, and with
confidence they continue to make available to millions
the Word of God in which the Son of God is revealed.



THE FAR EASTERN GOSPEL CRUSADE

by Robert A. Foster

Immediately following the Pacific war the first
members of the Crusade entered Japan. Now this fellow
ship includes about fifty individuals. Initially various types
of work were engaged in, but at the present nearly all
the members are engaged in language study as their
primary objective. The Far Eastern Gospel Crusade re
cognizes the importance of the church and of local groups
of believers but does not have any churches of its own
(or any plan to form any), and does not carry on any
work under its name. Its members desire as individuals
to find their proper place for life and witness in Japan
and among the body of Christians in Japan. At present
they are carrying on an introductory training program
for those who join the fellowship, introducing them to
the language and culture of this nation. Certain members
are working in cooperative projects such as the Pacific
Orient Broadcasting Company and the Japan Evangelical
Christian School,



260



THE FREE CHRISTIAN MISSION

by J. W. Rudolph

The Free Christian Mission is a group of mission
aries sent by Pentecostal Assemblies in different lands,
voluntarily cooperating in Japan. At the time of writ
ing there is one Norwegian- American, two Danish and
twelve Norwegians, making 15 missionaries in all.

All the missionaries have worked (from 2 to 26 years)
in China, the first arriving in Japan from Formosa in
the early part of 1950.

The missionaries of the FCM are evangelical in
doctrine, pentecostal (Acts 2 : 1-4) in experience and in
emphasis evangelistic.

Missionaries are at present located in Kobe, Kyoto,
Seto City, Mikuni, Maruoka, Katsuyama and Takefu City,
these four last mentioned places being in Fukui Ken.

As the work " began from scratch," the procedure
has generally been for the missionaries to start Sunday
Schools and Bible classes while studying the language.
Later as they spread out they have taken up evangelistic
work in a wider sense endeavouring to lead men to a
saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ with the end
in view to establish free Christian assemblies in Japan.

The first baptismal service was held near Seto City,
September 16, 1951, when the three first believers were
immersed in a river there. During the year 1952, 80

261



262 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

other believers have been baptized, making the total
number of baptisms 83 since FCM came to Japan.

During the summer of 1952 a tent was purchased
and in the evangelistic campaigns that followed more
than 500 decisions were recorded. Two new tents will
be bought before the "tent-season" of 1953 arrives. In
addition to the regular instruction in the Word of God for
the building up of the new believers faith, special " Bible
Study Weeks " are held for the deepening of the spiritual
life.



THE COVENANT MISSIONARY SOCIETY

The Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America

by William Rigmark

The Evangelical Mission Covenant Church originated
in Sweden in 1878 mainly as a result of the nation-wide
revivals during the second half of the nineteenth century.
Among the thousands of emigrants who decided to seek
a happy future life in the United States there were a
great number of Covenanters, and before long the
Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America was
organized. To begin with it felt itself called to minister
only to the Swedish people in the new country. As the
years have gone by the Swedish language has disappeared
and the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church has taken
its place among the great number of national churches
in the United States. The Evangelical Mission Covenant
Church believes in the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New
Testaments, as the Word of God and the only perfect
rule for faith, doctrine and conduct.

When the changed political situation in China made
it impossible to continue the fruitful missionary work
there, God led the Covenant missionaries to Japan. Thus
the Covenant Missionary Society of Japan was organized
in 1949. A young missionary couple, however, had been
on the field for some time previous to this,

263



264 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Missionary work was first established in the Tokyo
area. In 1950 Covenant missionaries were invited to
begin work in Kanagawa Ken. Churches have been
established in Kozu, Hiratsuka, Matsuda and other towns.
At the same time it was decided to minister to the
people in Niigata Ken. A promising work has developed
in Nagaoka City. With Nagaoka as the operational base
the work is beginning to branch out into neighboring
villages.

In 1951 the president of the Evangelical Mission
Covenant Church of America, Dr. Theodore Anderson,
visited Japan and initiated a new Covenant work in
Gumma Ken. Since the beginning of 1952 regular evan
gelistic work has been conducted in Minowa and other
towns in the vicinity of Takasaki.

Since the beginning of the Covenant work in Japan,
the need for a training institute for Gospel workers has
been urgently felt. After prayerful consideration a Bible
Institute was established in the fall of 1952 as the op
portunity to purchase suitable property presented itself.
The Bible Institute, which offers a three-year course
for young men and women, is located in Meguro-ku,
Tokyo. The Bible Institute has already proved to be an
inspiring answer to a great need, even though it func
tions under some restrictions.

Sponsored by the Covenant Missionary Society, but
by no means an exclusive Covenant project, is the Nurses
Christian Fellowship, an association of students and



THE COVENANT MISSIONARY SOCIETY 265

graduate nurses who have declared their faith in Jesus
Christ. As the Nurses Christian Fellowship is an inter
denominational organization, other missionaries help in
teaching Bible classes in various hospitals.

This work began in 1950 after a number of schools
of nursing were visited by Covenant missionary nurses.
Bible classes are conducted at twelve hospitals in the
Tokyo area, as well as in some other parts of Japan. A
special Nurses New Testament provided for by the
Gideons Society has been distributed in great numbers
by the missionary nurses.

The Covenant missionaries on the field are at present
fifteen. A few new missionaries are expected to arrive
during 1953, and two missionaries will return from
furlough.



THE YOTSUYA MISSION

The Yotsuya Mission was established by Mr. and
Mrs. W. D. Cunningham soon after they arrived in Japan
October 1, 1901. Mr. Cunningham was first appointed to
Japan by the Disciples of Christ Missionary Society, but
following an attack of polio he was refused by them.
He felt the call to Japan so urgent that they came in
dependently and have been supported by free-will offer
ings from " rope-holders " since that time. Mrs. Cunning
ham is still living at the original site of the mission 16
Wakabacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo having completed nearly
52 years of missionary service.

In keeping with the original policy of independency
the Yotsuya Mission does not belong to the Kyodan, the
EMAJ or the JBCC. We believe in the congregational
form of church government. There are 13 churches in
the Tokyo area which were established by the Yotsuya
Mission. This is just a little above the size of the Mission
at the beginning of the last war.

There are 5 full-time Japanese ministers, and the
rest of the churches are ministered to by missionaries
and seminary students. Besides Mrs. Cunningham, who
is the director, three missionary families are in the
Yotsuya Mission.

The main activity of the Mission is the maintenance
and supervision of a small seminary called Tokyo Bible

266






THE YOTSUYA MISSION 267

Seminary, located at 27 Sakurayama-machi, Nakano-ku,
Tokyo. This school now has 18 students and a faculty
of 8 Japanese preachers and missionaries.
Last year there were over 100 baptisms.



THE MENNONITE BOARD OF MISSIONS
AND CHARITIES

by Carl C. Beck

. The work of the Mennonite Board in Japan is of
recent origin, the first four missionaries having arrived
in Japan in 1949. As a result the year just ended has
been for us largely a continuation of beginnings.

As the Mennonite Church has a separate organ for
relief and welfare known as the Mennonite Central Com
mittee, and since this welfare organization has work in
Japan, the emphasis of the Board is largely evangelism,
although emergency relief always makes special demands
as was the case in a recent severe earthquake in Hokkaido
and in devastating fires in both Kushiro and Obihiro
(Hokkaido) .

The past year found only two families in actual
village evangelism and eight additional workers in language
school in Tokyo.

Since rural evangelism presented a great challenge
to many of the older church leaders in postwar Japan,
and since our group is peculiarly interested in this type
of evangelism both by temperament and by experience,
it was felt that we could perhaps make the greatest con
tribution to the total program of the Kingdom in Japan
by this kind of effort. As an especially needy area, the
Spirit seemed to indicate the eastern arm of Hokkaido.

268



THE MENNONITE BOARD OF MISSIONS 269

It is our hope that we can eventually plant in every town
and village in this area an abiding witness to our Lord,
and that God can raise unto Himself here a church,
bright and glorious, without spot or blemish, a part of
the greater Church of Jesus Christ in Japan.



THE OMI BROTHERHOOD

by Merrell Varies Hitotsuyanagi

The Omi Brotherhood, being a self-supporting organiza
tion for the evangelization of neglected areas with
headquarters in Japan and the majority of its members
Japanese, is hardly qualified to be a regular member of
the Fellowship of Christian Missionaries in Japan, although
several of its members have been directly connected
with the Fellowship since it was founded, and our founder
was its chairman in 1930-31. We have no American or
other " foreign " missionary at present although we may
have at any time.

There are two or three ways in which the Omi
Brotherhood can and does cooperate with and serve the
whole Fellowship :

1. Every department of the Brotherhood is intended
to be a demonstration of Christianity in action. Almost
every type of occupation and industry is represented
here - professional, industrial, educational, philanthropic and
evangelistic (personal, correspondence, preaching, medical,
publications, Bible courses and demonstration) . This not
only makes the Christian life as guided by the Holy
Spirit visible to the seeker, but it also enables any other
mission which does not have such facilities to use our
plant for purposes of illustration and to observe how
such methods of evangelization and rural work may be

270



THE OMI BROTHERHOOD 271

adopted or adapted without incurring expense or effort
for direct experimentation. The Brotherhood is an ex-
periment station for missions.

2. Our Architectural and Importing Departments offer
services to all missions, saving them expense and provid
ing them needed equipment.

The direction of the Brotherhood is entrusted to an
elected Executive Committee of twelve in which at least
one woman is included.



THE CHURCH OF THE FOURSQUARE
GOSPEL

by Billie Charles

The Church of the Foursquare Gospel is very young,
only thirty years old to be exact. Its headquarters and
radio station are located in Angelus Temple, the main
church, which is in Los Angeles. This church seats
5,000. Next door to it is the seminary which has an
enrollment of about 700 students. In the same area are
such buildings as a home for missionaries on furlough
and a new youth education building.

The main objective of the Church of the Foursquare
Gospel is evangelism and the establishment of churches
in every country in the world. It has mission work in
Africa, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong,
Colombia, Central America, Cuba, Japan, Mexico, Panama,
Philippine Islands, Puerto Rico, Samoan Islands, India,
Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. This year the Inter
national Church of the Foursquare Gospel is sending out
37 new missionaries plus three Gospel teams which will
make evangelistic tours of Central and South America,
the Orient and the Caribbean area.

Japan is a new field for the Church of the Foursquare
Gospel. Its missionaries first came from China in April,
1951. At the present time Rev. and Mrs. Carl Lucht are
working in Hiroshima with their own organization and

272



/ THE CHURCH OF THE FOURSQUARE GOSPEL 273

working with Youth for Christ. Their work is chiefly
mass evangelism and follow-up classes for new converts.
They also do some work with the Armed Forces there.
Also Rev. Billie Charles is studying language in Tokyo,
having children s meetings and adult Bible classes in his
home, carrying on evangelistic work in Tokorozawa and
holding Sunday school and church services in a school
building in Yachimata in Chiba Prefecture.

This summer another young couple will be coming
to Japan to help in this work. Future objectives are the
learning of Japanese language, the building of churches
and the beginning of a seminary.



THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER-DAY SAINTS

The year 1952 has been marked with definite progress
in the Japan Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints. Since the reopening of the Mission in
1948 there have been 125 missionaries assigned to the
Japan Mission. These missionaries stay from two to
three years, so at present there are 70 L. D. S. mission
aries in Japan. During 1952 there were 25 missionaries
who returned to their homes in the States and only 10
replacements. To relieve this situation of declining
numbers, Pres. Vinal G. Mauss asked the servicemen in
this area who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints to donate money to a missionary
fund. The servicemen rallied to the cause and built a
fund from which 9 Japanese nationals are being supported
as full-time missionaries. Plans are to enlarge this pro
gram so that more Japanese members may be called
into proselyting service.

On April 13, 1952, Pres. Vinal G. Mauss, under the
direction of the First Presidency of the Church, set apart
Peter Nelsen Hansen arid Dwayne N. Andersen as first
and second counselors to assist him in the mission presid
ency. This presidency is responsible not only for the
proselyting and growth of the church among the Japanese,
but also for the activities of the L. D. S. servicemen in

274



THE CHURCH OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS 275

the Far East area. There are at this time 25 branches
of the church among Japanese nationals and 80 branches
and groups organized among the servicemen. Two of
the Japanese branches are completely organized and
directed by lay members who have been called to posi
tions of leadership. The various servicemen s groups
are likewise organized so they can conduct their own
meetings and also carry on a proselyting program among
the service personnel.

The building program is going ahead with the pur
chase of homes and land in Sendai and Takasaki which
will be locations for future chapels. Plans for purchas
ing other locations in 1953 are being made.

Some outstanding activities are: the translation
work of Tatsui Sato of a number of tracts and pamphlets
along with much progress in completing the Standard
Works of the church and other source material ; also,
three Sunday School manuals for 1953 were translated
by Elder Yotaru Yoshino and published by Elder Oscar
K. Hulet ; the publishing of the Book of Mormon, addi
tional scriptural witness for Jesus Christ, into Japanese
braille through the donated services of Miss Haruko
Sakamoto, a member of the church ; the organization of
the Gumma Mixed Chorus under the direction of Elder
Ronald D. Pexton (it was composed of 25 members and
investigators from Takasaki and Maebashi who after
6 months of preparation made a concert tour performing
in the cities of Sanjo, Shibata, Kanazawa, Nagoya, Osaka,



276 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

i

Kyoto, Yokohama, Tokyo, Maebashi, and Takasaki) ; the
Mutual Improvement Association, the social and recrea
tional organization of the church, sponsored a mission-
wide basketball tournament in March and a baseball
tournament in August ; this organization also sponsored
dances, plays, and other recreational and cultural pro
grams throughout the branches of the church in Japan.
1952 has seen a growth in the number of Japanese
members being called to positions of leadership to conduct
meetings and assist in the work of the various branches
under the supervision of the missionaries. Plans for the
future are to prepare the lay members to carry more of
the responsibilities in the branches, releasing the mission
aries for more proselyting.



THE INTERNATIONAL CHILD
EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP

The International Child Evangelism Fellowship is an
interdenominational mission. Its program has been de
signed to reach the children of the world for Christ.

This ministry in Japan had its beginning in the spring
of 1948 with one missionary on the field. God has
blessed with a steady growth during the ensuing years,
increasing the number of missionaries to nine by 1952.

The work was first established in Tokyo and this
continued to be the main headquarters for the Mission.
Two outposts were established during 1952, one in Ashiya
and a second in Hiroshima.

The actual work of this Mission is first, to teach and
train native Christians to present the Gospel to children
and to lead them to Christ ; second, to hold special
evangelistic meetings for children all over Japan ; third,
to translate and print the Child Evangelism lesson material
into the native language. This is a very important phase
of the work. Much of the material is now in Japanese
and more will soon be off the press.

Teacher training classes are held throughout the areas
where this work is established. These groups come to^
gether each week for instruction and are then sent out to
present the message to the children. The average class
is made up largely of college age young people. Many

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278 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

of them are new Christians who are eager to serve the
Lord. Some of these young people are teaching as many
as six classes weekly with wonderful results.

The greatest step forward was taken last fall with
the opening of a Child Evangelism Bible School and
Teacher Training Institute. This school is held in the
Ashiya branch and offers a nine months course of study.
The first five and one-half months are devoted to a con
centrated study of the Bible and the next three and one-
half months to teacher training in child evangelism
methods and materials. Workers who have already had
their Bible training may come for just the teacher train
ing service.

Students are required to have at least a high school
education. They must be doctrinally sound and sign the
statement of faith set forth by the Mission. Before
entering the school they must read the Bible through at
least once. Each student must provide his own board,
bedding and other equipment. The tuition is free and
at present limited dormitory space is available.

Students are not limited to child evangelism workers
only. The Mission welcomes any Christians interested
in children s work who feel the need for further train
ing for rendering more effective service for the Lord.

Missionaries of the Fellowship feel that the one hope
of reaching the Japanese people for Christ is in training
native Christians. As they go out into all parts of the
islands of Japan efforts will be multiplied many times.



THE GIDEONS INTERNATIONAL

by R. J. Holzwarth

The Gideons International who are Christian business
men of all denominations are banded together with a
threefold objective:

a. Winning the lost to Christ by personal testimony.

b. Associating Christian businessmen together for
fellowship.

c. The distribution of God s Holy Word to hotels,
hospitals, schools, penal institutions, the Armed
Forces, youth in our public schools, and around
the world in over 66 countries.

We have a total of about 17,000 members in the Uni
ted States, Canada, Iceland, the British Isles, Scandina
vian countries, Europe, Australia, Mexico and Japan etc.

During the year 1952 the following Scriptures were
distributed : 3,538 total Bibles ; 7,962,280 Youth Testaments ;
13,122,384 Service Men s Testaments; 650,157 Nurses
Testaments ; and 89,721 foreign Bibles.

The Gideons came to Japan on June 9, 1950, in res
ponse to General MacArthur s request for .Scriptures for
the Japanese. On September 1, 1950, a group of Japanese
businessmen was formed into a local Gideon group in
Tokyo. The writer has been privileged to be the repre
sentative here from June 9, 1950, to December 18, 1950,

279



280 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

and again from November 25, 1951.

Last year Gideon camps were formed in Sapporo,
Sendai, Osaka, Fukuoka and Kyoto. This gives us a total
now of six Gideon groups in Japan and, the Lord willing,
we will establish another sometime in March at Kobe.

The three-year objective is to have about 14 groups
organized in Japan and to distribute approximately 400.
000 bilingual Japanese and English New Testaments to
the university students. Gideons also are now presenting
a New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs to high
school students and hotels.

Scripture distribution in Japan includes not only
hotels but hospitals and penal institutions as well.
This of course is done through the Japanese Christian
businessmen who are making the presentations.

On September 27 and 28, 1952, the first National
Convention was held in Japan and the following were
selected as the national officers : president, Takeo
Igarashi, president of Hakuyosha Co., Tokyo; 1st v-
president, Kanzaburo Momotani, Osaka ; 2nd v-president,
Ryuji Tsuruhara, Fukuoka ; secretary, Kakumaro Kem-
motsu, Tokyo ; treasurer, Kiichi Kobayashi, president of
Lion Dentrifice Co., Tokyo ; chaplain, Sadatoshi Sukegawa,
Sapporo ; Bible secretary, Rikichi Sato, Sendai.

During the Convention period in 1952, Bibles were pre
sented to Ambassadors Murphy, Walker, Dening, Tong and
Canadian Counsellor Menzies. Special Bibles were presented
to General Clark, General Weyland and Admiral Briscoe.



THE JAPAN YOUTH FOR CHRIST

by Sam Wolgemuth

Youth For Christ International had its beginnings in
the year 1945 under the leadership of Dr. Torrey Johnson
who became its first president. The work initially was
planned to reach American youth who, because of the
accentuated program of public amusements and increas
ing vices, were being lost to the church. God graciously
blessed this ministry and multitudes of young people
across the States were brought to a saving knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ. In more recent years under
the leadership of Dr. Bob Cook, now president of YFCI,
Youth For Christ, in addition to its youth program in
the States, has caught the missionary vision. This vision
lias taken youth leaders to 78 countries of the world.
These men have endeavored to work with missionaries
and pastors in mass evangelistic efforts. The best equip
ment and methods available in our modern times have
been utilized to present clearly and to the masses the
claims of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the lives of men.
" Geared to the times but anchored to the rock " has
rather clearly characterized the endeavors.

It is the ever-increasing desire of YFC men in Japan
that seekers who have given evidence to a desire to know
the Lord Jesus Christ shall first of all be instructed in

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282 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

the Word by careful follow-up which is carried on under
the capable leadership of the Navigator staff who work
in cooperation with Youth For Christ. YFC recognizes
the importance of the church and encourages all seekers
to affiliate with a church in their area where the Gospel
message is clearly presented. By this method there are
men and women in every prefecture of Japan who are
studying the Word and share in local church programs.

This year, 1953, will be particularly important in the
history of Japan Youth For Christ since the Sixth Annual
World Congress on Evangelism will be conducted here.
Combining with missionaries and pastors throughout the
islands, the YFC staff with the advice of an Advisory
Council consisting of mission leaders and leading Japan
ese pastors, will join forces with the churches to make
Christ known to multitudes who have never received
the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.

To share in this unprecedented venture of faith,
approximately 500 Christian leaders from all parts of the
world will come to Japan during the month of August.
Prayer groups are giving particular attention to this
Congress, and Christians everywhere are believing that
1953 will prove to be a great year of spiritual harvest
in Japan.



THE NAVIGATORS

Twenty years ago a young man, temporarily in jail
for a minor offense, promised the God he knew nothing
about that he would serve Him if He would help him
get out of trouble. Shortly thereafter Dawson Trotman
attended a young people s Sunday evening meeting and
became a participant in a contest between the " Reds "
and the "Blues." Noting the various possibilities for
winning points, Trotman saw that memorizing the 10
verses listed on the contest sheet would bring the great
est total of points.

A few weeks later, as he was on his way to work
in the lumber yard in Lomita, California, he was
impressed by the words " hath everlasting life." Seeking
the source of those words, he glanced at the little cards
on which he had written the contest verses for easy
reference during the free moments of the day. Coming
to John 5 : 24, he realized the desirability of having eternal
life, and at that moment settled it with God. Immediately
he began working on a system for helping others to
memorize God s Word.

Five years later, Trotman was led to contact Les
Spencer, a man in the U.S. Navy, who asked for help in
learning the Scriptures and in dealing with men as he
had seen Trotman do. As Spencer progressed, he became
the means of reaching other men in the Navy, who In

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284 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

turn reached others. At the close of World War II, the
Navigators had men on 1,000 ships, shore stations, and
army camps. As a result of several world trips by
Trotman, missionaries from more than 40 foreign countries
have requested Navigator-trained men to lay the founda
tion of such work around the world. Since 1948, when
Roy Robertson went to China as the first foreign repre
sentative, the Navigators have sent men to England,
France, Germany, Italy, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Formosa,
the Philippines, Okinawa, Japan, Korea, and South
America.

In 1950, at the request of Billy Graham, Trotman
became Personal Work Counsellor for the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Crusade and has directed the personal work
and follow-up for all of the city-wide rallies. In each of
these, a carefully selected group of young men and
women with Navigator training have assisted in the
training of personal workers and in the setting up of a
" Follow-up Office " to continue to help the converts after
the Crusade has moved on to another city.

In the summer of 1951 Roy Robertson came to Japan
from Formosa and China at the request of Youth For
Christ to set up a system of follow-up based on methods
the Navigators had found successful in the United States
and in Formosa. A system of Bible study (particularly
adapted to the Orient) and memory work was translated
and printed for correspondence, using the principle of
teaching the student to study the Word of God for him-



THE NAVIGATORS 28$

self. This system begins simply in the Gospel of John
and later spreads to other books in the New Testament
and to the Old Testament, laying a foundation step by
step of basic truths for victorious Christian living. The
ultimate objective is to give each student such a working
knowledge of the Word of God that he will be able to
win his friends to Christ and to assist them in their
spiritual growth.

Except for the cost of Y 80 to cover the cost of
mailing the four progressive steps of the Topical Memory
System, all materials are sent free of charge to anyone
who sends his name and address to the Bible Investiga
tion Correspondence School, Central P. O. Box 533,
Tokyo.

Such organizations as Youth For Christ, Pocket
Testament League, Oriental Missionary Society, and Bible
Meditation League have entrusted the Navigators with
the responsibility of caring for their spiritual babes by
this method of correspondence study. The names of all
students are filed geographically and will be shared with
any missionary who desires to contact and help the
students in his area. Many of these students are located
in areas where some evangelism has been done but where
there is no missionary or native church to give the
spiritual assistance necessary for growth. To be of the
most possible assistance to these, each study is graded
individually when returned to the office, and any questions
that are not fully understood are explained. If there is



286 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

an indication that the student has not come into a real
knowledge of Jesus Christ, some good explanatory in
formation is sent with the second lesson.

In addition to the correspondence course, the Navi
gators sponsor two weekly lecture classes for students
in the Tokyo area. A follow-up class for Youth For
Christ converts teaches the basics of successful Christian
living. An advanced training school teaches the students
to do personal work. This training is applied as these
advanced students serve as personal workers among
those who come seeking Christ at the monthly Youth
For Christ rally in Kyoritsu Kodo auditorium.

True to their early beginnings, the Navigators have
had an increasing ministry among the United States
servicemen in Japan. A full-time representative is di
recting the Servicemen s Center in Yokosuka sponsored
by the Christian Servicemen s Association. Another
representative works extensively with the men in the
Air Force on bases near Tokyo. The Tokyo Office is the
headquarters for distribution of English materials in the
Orient for servicemen and missionaries.

With the strong emphasis upon mass evangelism which
will come to Japan in August during the Youth For
Christ Sixth Annual World Congress on Evangelism, and
with the increasing work among the U. S. servicemen,
the Navigators anticipate greater opportunities to fulfill
Paul s command to Timothy to train " faithful men, who
shall be able to teach others also."



THE INTER-VARSITY CHRISTIAN
FELLOWSHIP

by Irene Webster Smith

The Inter- Varsity Christian Fellowship is not a new
organisation, but a very old one, having started in Cam
bridge University in England in 1877. It was from this
group that the famous " Cambridge Seven " went forth
to do and dare for God in foreign fields.

In 1928 the British Inter- Varsity students were chal
lenged with the tremendous need for a faithful witness
to Jesus Christ and His saving power and to the Bible,
God s inerrant Word, among students in other universities
in the British Commonwealth. From this sprang the
Australian and New Zealand branches of the Fellowship.
Students responded by selling their sports equipment to
buy Dr. Howard Guinness a one-way ticket to Canada.
An adventure of faith had begun.

In 1937 history repeated itself when the Christian
students of Toronto saved their lunch money to help
finance the beginning of the American movement. For
approximately two years it was part of the Canadian
Inter- Varsity work, but in the spring of 1940 it was
decided that the work in the United States should begin
its independent existence, with headquarters in Chicago,
but that links between the work in the two countries

287



*28S THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

should be maintained. The board members of the newly
organised independent work and its general secretary,
Mr. C. Stacey Woods, were faced with the tremendous
task of establishing on the campuses of more than 1200
colleges and universities in the United States a vital
witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. But they faced it in
faith and God honoured their faith. God has permitted
them to see not only a constant growth of the work to
which they have given themselves in prayer and effort,
but in 1946 He permitted them to see history again repeat
itself when I.V.C.F. students in the United States, by their
gifts, made possible the sending forth of labourers to the
harvest fields of Latin America, the Orient, India and
Europe.

In June, 1947, an insignificant group of university
students gathered in Nippon Medical University. Unno
ticed, they met every Saturday at a definite time and
were led in Bible study by Mr. Roy Hasegawa. In Sep
tember Mr. Charles Hummel, who was here in the Occupa
tion, joined him in starting an evangelistic meeting
which was held in a building next door to our present
student center. In the same year I was working with
students in Kyoto, but in October moved to Tokyo to
help in the work. From this small beginning sprang the
Japan I.V.C.F. Many young missionaries have taught
Bible classes for us in many colleges, and as a result
students came to the Saviour and began to witness for
Christ on their own campuses, and so others were won



THE INTER-VARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 289

to Christ. We gathered frequently to pray together, and,
as one young Japanese said, " our fellowship with one
another could be said to have exceeded that of a family,
and sometimes several of us would spend long times of
fellowship and prayer together."

In 1948 we had our first summer conference and now
our spring and summer conferences are regular events.
At the last conference thirty colleges were represented
from Hokkaido to Kyushu.

In early spring, 1949, the Rev. John Schwab, who
had been active in I.V.C.F. work in the University of
Texas, joined us. During this time many students were
led to a saving knowledge of Christ at the Saturday
evening meetings which continued in a rented room
close to Meiji University. Feeling the need of something
more permanent for Bible study, prayer and follow-up
meetings, we began praying and early in 1950 God mir
aculously gave us a suitable place in Surugadai, Kanda,
Tokyo, within five minutes walk of five or six univer
sities. In 1951 Mr. Ken S. Roundhill, formerly a staff
worker of I V.C.F., came to Japan and was led to help
us in student campus evangelism.

Inter- Varsity Christian Fellowship mainly functions
on campus amongst the students themselves, and occas
ionally they have evangelistic meetings and special
speakers. Once a month, students from many universities
gather for prayer and to encourage one another with
news of their own campus, Many of the graduates are



290

today training in seminaries and Bible colleges for the
Lord s work.

Students have been publishing their own monthly
magazine, " Kirisutosha," which from now on will be
issued quarterly. Tracts suitable for university students
are also being published.

We are grateful for the growth and function of the
Kirisutosha Gakuseikai the Japan counterpart to the
I.V.C.F., and for the counsel given to this side of the
work by the council which meets regularly.

The establishing of evangelical indigenous student
groups in Japanese universities, we feel, will do much
towards winning tomorrow s leaders for Christ and His
Church today. We trust the I.V.C.F. will be used to
that end.



THE YMCA OF JAPAN

by Howard L. Haag

This year 1953 will go down in history as a most
eventful point of reference in Japan. With all the inter
national galaxy of issues and problems in parade here in
the Far East, those who are interested in catching up
the interesting forward steps of progress of Christ s Way
in Japan may well stop to remember a significant event
which took place in 1903. It was just 50 years ago that
the two movements, the City Young Men s Christian
Associations and the Student Young Men s Christian
Association, joined forces to create the National Com
mittee of the Young Men s Christian Associations of
Japan.

This National Committee which is now the coordina
ting body uniting all phases of the Association movement
becomes, not a central board of control, but a federation
of locally autonomous organizations. This characteristic
of local autonomy of the YMCA is one which is little
understood generally. It is essential to the Association
movement around the world. Each city, student, or com
munity YMCA is an entity in itself, except as some of
the large associations do reach out into the city in which
they have their central bodies and create branches. The

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292 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

general rule still remains, however, that local associations
are self-governing, self-directing, self-financing and quite
independent of each and every other association. Thus it
is that each national movement is quite independent from
each and every other national Association movement. It
is a mistaken idea that the World s Alliance in Geneva,
Switzerland, in any way controls national YMCA move
ments. The World s Alliance by its very nature is an
alliance of member organizations, namely, the various
national councils or committees of the YMCA within
some seventy nations. The same relationship exists
between the member national movements in the World s
Alliance as exists between the local associations of a
given nation and its own national council or com
mittee.

Often inquiries are made as to the relationship of
the National Committee of the Young Men s Christian
Associations of Japan with the International Committee of
the Young Men s Christian Associations of North America.
The fact of the matter is that there is no other relation
ship save that of the latter being an aiding movement.
Legally and formally there is no authoritative relationship.
The International Committee has for the last seventy
years held itself ready to stand by to aid by lending
leadership when that aid has been called for. It has
also, in times of disaster such as devastation by war or
other calamities, been ready to render some financial aid
in reconstruction of buildings or the training of staff. This



THE YMCA OF JAPAN 293

aid, however, is always given with complete assurance
to the national movement that its autonomy will not in
any way be infringed upon. As it lends fraternal secre
taries, these men go to the asking country to work under
the guidance of the national movement and without any
authority other than they may have as specialists in one
of the many phases of the total YMCA work. An
example of this may be found in the case of the fraternal
secretaries working with the National Committee of the
YMCA of Japan. Here, upon request of the National
Committee, we have five fraternal secretaries, one in
general administration, one in student work, one in boys
work and camping, one in physical and recreation work
and one in Christian emphasis. Nor are all these men
from the United States. One is from the Canadian
Association and one is from the Swedish Association. In
each case these men work with a counterpart secretary
who is the senior Japanese director of the department
of work in question. Each of these departments has its
own national departmental committee which is a sub
committee of the National Committee and works in
coordination with the local student and city associations
which make up the national movement.

When reviewing the history of the National Com
mittee of the YMCA of Japan it must be noted that
though this body is now celebrating its fiftieth anniver
sary, the local student and city associations which make
it up are in many cases much older than this. The Osaka



294 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

YMCA was founded in 1882. The Tokyo Association
was founded in 1880. It was largely the call of
student work which caused the first fraternal secretary,
John T. Swift, to come to Japan. When he arrived in
1889 he found the two above-mentioned associations "in
good condition." They were ministering to Christian
education of students and otherwise conducting programs
of value to the young men of the cities. It was under
the leadership of men like Mr. S. Niwa of Tokyo that
the city association movement was built. With Mr. I.
Fujita as first secretary, the Tokyo Imperial University
YMCA was founded. These two will serve as examples
to show that the two movements were growing side
by side. As the city associations spread and grew,
the student associations did likewise. City buildings
were built and began to serve the vast number of
young men who crowded the cities of Japan. The
universities likewise called for more and more of the
student associations. Though not all had buildings
the movement grew in strength. It was natural that
these two phases of the YMCA work should have their
own federations. Though there was no "split" in the
structure of the YMCA as a whole, the very divergence
of the nature of the work from the beginning led to the
development of these two phases. It was natural also
as time went on and common problems and overlap
ping functions brought these two national groups into
constant contact, that there would be thought of getting



THE YMCA OF JAPAN 295

together in some kind of federation as exists in other
countries of the world. The National Council or the
assembly of representatives of both these bodies was
called for. In 1903 the final formation was made and the
National Committee in its present form came into being.
These have been fifty rich years. Growth has been
beyond the expectations of the founding fathers. Today
the student work extends into 158 universities in Japan.
Some 5,000 students are affiliated together in this enter
prise which is undoubtedly the largest and strongest
national Christian student body of the land. At the same
time the city associations have grown. Today there are
33 city associations affiliated in the National Committee.
Many other cities are in process of establishing local
associations and asking for instructions as to how to
become affiliated. The city associations are extending
their work in the field of boys activities. It is felt that
this age group between grade school and university is one
which should have major attention. For this purpose a
National Boys Work Committee has been organized. In
this department the Hi-Y Clubs unite to further their
work among high school students. They have their
National Hi-Y Fellowship. Over one hundred clubs are a
part of this movement today. This Boys Work Com
mittee has relationship to the work of seven boys camps
throughout the nation. These camps are largely under
the direction of local city associations. The National
Committee assists in program and training of leaders,



296 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

A phase of work re-activated since the war is the
emphasis on recreation and physical education. This
was a great work of the YMCA of Japan under the
leadership of Franklin Brown. It has been recently
renewed with a fraternal secretary working with a special
national committee and Japanese staff cooperating with
local associations.

Better methods of Christian education are now being
emphasized in local and student associations since a
National Christian Work Committee is working with
another fraternal secretary and Japanese staff. Here
again the National Committee finds ways of supplemen
ting the work of the local Y and aiding it to make its
work more effective and far-reaching.

Thus the National Committee of the Young Men s
Christian Associations of Japan celebrates . its fiftieth
year with a strong forward-looking program. In the
years to come new associations will be formed. New
staff will be trained. New laymen will throw their lives
into this great Christian service to supplement the work
of the Christian churches of Japan.



THE SALVATION ARMY

by Charles Davidson

Salvationists in Japan continued throughout the year
1952 to steadily pursue the Army s postwar program
of spiritual and physical renewal. Highlighting the year
was the visit of General Albert Orsborn, international
leader from London, whose week-long campaign, follow
ing an extensive tour through the United States, had
been the subject of earnest prayer and happy anticipa
tion. An able and inspired evangelist, General Orsborn
thrilled his audiences in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and
Kobe, and Salvationists rejoiced in the evidence of the
blessing of the Holy Spirit upon these gatherings as
hundreds confessed their need of Christ. The Emperor
graciously received the General who also had opportunity
for cordial interviews and discussions with the Prime
Minister, the Supreme Commander and other leading
personalities.

Increasing emphasis is being placed upon outdoor
evangelism, even at the smaller centers where truly it
is a matter of two or three gathering together in the
Master s name. Efforts also are being made to replace
at least some of the Salvation Army literature destroyed
in 1940. Publications recently issued of immediate inter
est to Salvationists but also of general interest to other

297



298 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

Christians include some of the writings of the late
beloved Gunpei Yamaniuro, and also of one of his dear
friends, Samuel Logan Brengle of the U.S.A. Several
additional centers of evangelism have been opened,
notably in Okayama, Tokyo and Hokkaido, in each of
which a new establishment has been erected. ,

The training of selected young men and women for
full-time service continues. Likewise periodic training
institutes are arranged for all those sharing responsibility
for young people s activities. Of special note and benefit
was the refresher course organized for all postwar
officers, in addition to which a group of more than 100
" local officers " (lay- workers) spent three days in
council and conference with Commissioner Uyemura. The
Army s social service operations continue to reflect the
basic precept of service to God and service to man. It
is felt that with the many admirable social reforms under
taken by the authorities and public preoccupation with
a materialistic philosophy, the danger of religion being
relegated to the sidelines or removed entirely presents
an acute and constant challenge to the Christian social
worker. Improved techniques and improved equipment
call for better approaches on the spiritual level. Earnest
efforts are being made along these lines. During 1952 a
new home for young women was opened in Tokyo,
the financing of which was shared equally by the
organization in Japan and its good friends in the U.S.A.
A well-equipped dormitory for nurses was also added to



THE SALVATION ARMY 299

the facilities of the Army s Suginami Sanitarium for
T.B. patients.

Representing International Headquarters, London,
Colonel Davidson made several visits to Korea to
encourage Salvationists there, and organized the dispatch
of food, clothing and funds to help maintain the Army s
operations in that distressed and war-torn country.



THE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE
COMMITTEE

by Anna Brinton

The work of the American Friends Service Committee
in Japan includes relief, social service and peace educa
tion.

More than $250,000 worth of relief supplies con
tributed by the AFSC was distributed by LARA in 1952
before the LARA program came to an end. Powdered
whole milk and clothing made up the bulk of the ship
ments. Milk stations and orphanages are especially
grateful for the sustained support which continued for
six years from 1946-1952.

Three neighborhood centers have continued to be
maintained, two in Tokyo and one in Mito. The center
at Toyama Heights, Tokyo, is situated in a housing
project with a population of 5,000 middle-class people.
Its activities include classes in abacus calculation,
art, flower arrangement, folk games and dances, the
making and manipulation of puppets, and music, includ
ing chorus (both Japanese and English), piano playing
and recorded music. A sewing room equipped with three
machines is available each morning. There is a women s
group which often engages in sewing for relief projects.
Equipment is available for such sports as baseball, volley
ball and ping-pong. Within the past year study groups

300



THE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE 301

have discussed current events and the theory and practice
of the Society of Friends. A kindergarten with an
enrollment of 75 children forms an important part of the
program. The library, open six evenings a week, is
frequented largely by students. The well- warmed hall is
used for public meetings. Participants in the center s
activity increasingly draw in others both from within
and from outside the community.

The other Tokyo center is in the government camp
for repatriated and displaced persons at Setagaya Go.
Here in a comparatively small slum area as many as 8,000
people are living under crowded and primitive conditions
in old Japanese army barracks. The recreational, intel
lectual and cultural program of the neighborhood center
is designed to stir people out of the mental and spiritual
lethargy arising from their depressed condition and pro
vide some meaning and interest in life. With the regular
help of a volunteer doctor, health instruction is given.
There is also a kindergarten. It is estimated that within
a week four to five hundred people use the center in
one way or another. A day nursery initiated in 1949 is
serving 65 children (ages two to four) of day-laboring
mothers. It is housed in a building beside the center.

The neighborhood center in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture,
is situated in the premises of the Friends Meeting. It
offers a program similar to that of the center at Toyama
Heights.

Weekend work camps, 21 in all, were carried on in






302 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN



the Tokyo area between March and November, 1952.
Seven were at Kodomo-no-machi, an orphanage outside
of Tokyo. Three were at a home for dependent women
and children inside the city and the rest were at Setagaya
Go. Their purpose is to provide peace education by means
of an opportunity for young people from a variety of
backgrounds to cooperate in manual work to meet com
munity needs and to help the local people to realize what
their own responsibilities are. Playgrounds and in some
cases roads have been developed and existing facilities
have been repaired and improved. Besides mitigating
psychological tensions, work camps have taught people
how to help themselves to improve their depressed con
ditions.

An International Student Seminar has been held in
Japan under the auspices of the American Friends Service
Committee each year since 1949. As in Austria, Denmark,
France, Germany, Holland, the United States, India and
elsewhere, these seminars have brought together for
from two to seven weeks 30 to 60 young men and women
of many lands and diverse experience. They live, work,
study and meditate together. The object is to build a
durable peace by creating mutual friendship and under
standing that transcends barriers of nationality, race and
culture. It is also hoped to inculcate a sense of personal
responsibility for peace and practical peace-making.

In the summer of 1952 two seminars were held
in Japan, one at Tsuda College in Tokyo (enrollment



THfe AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE 303

60) and one at Kobe College in the Kansai (enrollment
42) . They were attended by both men and women. Nine
nationalities were represented. Leaders, who shared all
aspects of the seminar life (recreation, meditation and
worship as well as the lectures and discussions), came
from Japan, the USA, India, France, Great Britain and
Germany. The theme of both seminars was " Nationalism
and World Peace." An effort was made to go beyond
academic analysis to a more practical or personal approach
to the problems that confront emergent Asia. After
occasional heated arguments it was deeply moving to
feel a sense of penitence in the group as a whole and
an even closer fellowship than before. The whole exper
ience of living together and sharing responsibility for all
the seminar s activities contributed effectively to the
attainment of its objectives. During the winter, reunions
and occasional lectures or series of lectures help to con
tinue the process begun in the seminars.



THE FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION

by Paul M. Sekiya

During the year 1952 the FOR attempted to promote
the cause of Christian pacifism by nourishing the grass
roots of the movement by means of group studies, month
ly meetings and the annual conference. The main effort
has been directed towards arousing public opinion and
taking a firm stand against rearmament and the rising
tide of thought-control which is a forboding of the re
birth of a police state.

The second National Conference of FOR held at
Nishinomiya in August provided a unique opportunity for
mutual acquaintance as well as encouragement bringing
about a closer fellowship among the members residing
great distances apart. The conference issued two state
ments, one against rearmament and the other for the
acceleration of the release of Japanese war criminals.

During the summer members of FOR participated in
a work camp for eight days, digging a well for a com
munity of outcast people (known as " Eta ") in a village
in Shiga Prefecture. Such projects help to break down
barriers between the village people and the outcasts.
Similar projects should be undertaken hereafter by FOR
to improve relationships between Japanese and Koreans.

In the general election for members of the House of
Representatives on October 1, it was encouraging that

304



THE FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION 305

the Socialist Party, standing against rearmament, gained
strength especially in the urban districts although the
Liberal Party favoring rearmament won a majority of
votes. FOR must redouble its effort to stem the tide of
rearmament and thought-control in the future.

Items of special emphasis for the year of 1953 are
as follows :

(1) Formation of cells in colleges and universities.
An FOR group has been formed at Doshisha
University in Kyoto.

(2) Work camp project with a definite program of
reconciliation similar to the one in Shiga Prefec
ture mentioned in this article.

(3) Prayer and lecture meetings.

(4) Increased publication and literary activity :

a. Monthly organ, "Yuwa"

b. Pamphlets published at irregular intervals

c. Leaflets

d. Writing or translating a standard book on
Christian pacifism

(5) Systematic visits to local FOR groups by teams
consisting of two leaders per team.

In 1952 FOR raised 142,000 in Japan and received
336,000 from the United States. It had 200 members
and 21 associate members in addition to at least 22 known
sympathizers in the Tokyo area alone. Of the 200
members 31 are American and Canadian missionaries.
During 1952 about 70 Japanese persons and 15 missionaries






306 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

joined the FOR in Japan. There are now 24 chapters
located in the following places: Sapporo, Otaru, Obihiro,
Kushiro, Hakodate, Fukushima, Tokyo, Yokosuka, Gumma,
Shizuoka, Nagano, Hachiman-machi, Wakayama, Kyoto,
Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka.
Nagasaki, Sasebo and Kagoshima.



THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF
GOSPEL MISSIONS, INC.

by Hugh Moreton

The IUGM is the largest association of rescue missions
in the world, though it is a newcomer to Japan. How
ever, its forty years of experience qualifies it to launch a
long-overdue ministry in Japan. Its impact upon the
modern world can be appraised by its aggregate invest
ments excess of $27,000,000 with annual budgets exceed
ing $4,000,000. Its enterprises sprawl all over the United
States. Recently it has flung out branches to Europe,
Africa and Israel. In 1951 its first beacon in the Far
East, the Tokyo Gospel Mission, was established. The
Mission, as a vanguard of other rescue missions to be
anchored in the big industrial cities of Japan, is organized
as a vital, strategic bridgehead, as New York was the
historic IUGM base from which radiated out rescue
ministries across the American continent.

As a fellowship, the IUGM is an association of rescue
missions in good standing with the evangelical churches
and having community endorsement. It is therefore not
a competitor with local churches but is rather their com
plement. Its special emphasis in Japan is the poor, the
underprivileged, the lowly. It seeks to furnish for this
class the emancipating Gospel as a full-orbed dynamic
for physical, mental and spiritual maladies. Its media

307



308 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

are useful employment, men s dormitories, hostels, or
phanages, women s homes, clinics and the like. Materially
and spiritually its business is to serve those who from
misfortune or disease are destitute, derelict, or delinquent.

The Mission cannot escape the grim challenge of
human debris swirling like flotsam and jetsam in the wake
of World War II. The appalling wave of demoralization
that swept into Japan like a tidal wave was reflected in
criminal statistics, vagrancy, street-girls and clandestine
dope-peddlars. Although the 800,000 demolished homes
of the world s third largest metropolis have in these
eight years been largely replaced and the number of
3,000,000 homeless has been reduced, the field of service
for a handful of missionaries is practically limitless and
the need is urgent.

The activites of the IUGM in Japan are necessarily
still in the pioneering stage, but it is a cause for gratitude
that during 1952 a humble beginning has been registered
in four fields of specialized Christian service, a narrative
of which follows.

Orphans

That the Welfare Ministry during 1952 registered
26,594 orphans in orphanages throughout Japan (4,620 in
Tokyo) of whom 482 were of mixed parentage is
plausible. However, if the estimation be accurate, 20,000
to 200,000 offspring of mixed illegitimate unions are dis
tinctly the responsibility of rescue missions, as are other



THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF GOSPEL MISSIONS 309

uncared for miscellaneous orphans. Accordingly, to cope
with the large number of vagrant, homeless orphans at
large, the first building unit under lUGM s comprehensive
program to open its doors during 1952 was an orphanage
situated in Musashi Sakai. The year also witnessed the
launching of a vigorous Sunday School and Bible classes
at the Tokyo Metropolitan Shakujii Orphanage, the first
Christian enterprise in its long 81 years history !

Prostitutes

In spite of lUGM s being a probationer it cannot be
inactive before the tragedy and pathos of 17 red-light
districts in Tokyo unofficially authorized by the govern
ment. Since the Prostitution Penalties Bill was pigeon
holed in the second 1952 Diet session, harlotry is de facto
permitted, which makes Japan about the only nation
where there is no law directly to combat prostitution.
The work is complicated by 70,000 to 80,000 girls cater
ing exclusively to members of the United Nations forces.
Any attempt to instigate measures for the manumission
of these unfortunate girls has to be considered in the
light of the sad and startling fact that they earn some
$200,000,000 in foreign exchange for their country, and
this item is second only to special procurement demands
in Japan s favorable balance of invisible trade! In 1945
the problem v/as relatively simple with 537 specially
licensed restaurants employing professional women. In
1952 that number had spiraled to 1,082. This delicate



310 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

job bristling with complexities is to be tackled by a team
of skilled, spiritual workers, patient and expert in the
art. The Metropolitan Police Department arrested in the
first half of the year under review 3,671 prostitutes of
whom 1,382 were consorting with non- Japanese.

With painstaking care IUGM surveyed these 17
notorious city segments, not failing to render Christian
witness to the girls and their landlords. In one case at
Tamanoi (an area with about 200 " special cafes " and
nearly 1,000 girls) a girl declared that she had been under
Christian influence in Karuizawa ! It is common for these
young country women to be sold from Y10,000 to Y20,000,
most of them hailing from the Tohoku District. In some
cases children are " sold " for a pittance. The compensa
tion for this sacrifice of virtue is frequently Yl,000 and
occasionally 400 a month. The youngest girl traded
in this shameful way was nine years old! We search
our hearts and ask : " What would Christ say and do
about these cases? " The wretchedness of the pernicious
business is slightly mitigated when we learn that 885
human traffic brokers (who normally charge Y2,000 to
Y3,000 for each transaction) were arrested during the
first half of 1952. Christian agencies accepting the re
sponsibility for this type of work can never rest till
positive, successful steps are taken to " rescue the perish
ing" and properly rehabilitate them. The Mission ac
cordingly plans to establish a home for girls.



. THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF GOSPEL MISSIONS 311

Vagrancy

In the 20 larger cities of Japan (each with a popula
tion of over 200,000) there are 188 slum areas compris
ing 45,884 households with 181,279 inmates. In Tokyo
there are as many as 54 slum districts and 5,000 indigents
with over 1,760 households concentrated in the shanties
of Ueno Park, Sumida Park, Akashigawa and Ochanomizu ;
this is in addition to the more than 8,900 vagrants housed
in 33 dormitories. As a Mission we are grateful for the
efforts being made by the government to combat the
need. Under the Daily Life Security Law as many as
2,000,000 persons (2.5% of the total population) are now
receiving public assistance. This, together with valiant
efforts of other relief agencies at work in Japan, must be
implemented. Food, clothing, practical assistance, tinctur
ed and imbued with the Spirit of Christ, have been the
year s ministries to vagrant communities including the
Ueno subway group.

Other Work

With over 80,000 persons in Japan narcotic addicts last
year (women accounting for about 40% of registered ad
dicts) medical and spiritual aid must be rendered. Therefore
ministries were furnished to Kanto Medical Reformatory,
Tama Boys Reformatory and the Murayama Leprosarium.
Personal evangelism amongst the homosexuals of Ueno
Park during early evenings was conducted.



312 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

With a view to establishing a network of rescue
missions embracing the principal cities of Japan, a
panoramic survey of Kyushu, Hokkaido and Honshu
Islands was achieved. The Japan board relays fortnightly
on-the-spot reports to the American board (of which
rescue specialists Mrs. Billy Sunday and Dr. Homer
Rodeheaver are members). To veteran Christian churches
and missions in Japan we ask to be an adjunct. In the
spirit of the early bondslaves of Christ we offer unstint-
ingly cooperation with and contribution to the work of
God in Japan,



JAPAN BIBLE SOCIETY

by T. Miyakoda

Table of Circulation for 1952

Bibles New Testaments Portions Braille Total
38,455 255,419 1,461,010 5,274 1,760,158

We often read the saying of journalists that " at
present the outstanding characteristic in the Japanese
reading world is the rivalry between communist books
and the Bible. These books are seen in every city and
town and are read widely. It will be interesting to see
which will win the mind of the Japanese people. So many
Scriptures have been sold and read by Japanese after
the war." Because of this situation, Japanese journalism
has never missed an opportunity of touching on Bible
work. They are not ignorant of the fact that the Bible
has been the best seller during those days and they have
been criticizing Japan s postwar social situation quoting
Biblical texts. For instance, one of the biggest newspapers,
Asahi, denounced too gorgeous Christmas sales and
celebrations, pointing out that, while more than three
million Scriptures had been read by so many people dur
ing the year, yet the average Japanese did not truly
understand the significance of the birth of Christ. Asahi
continued, " Our people ought to re-read the Bible on
this Christmas occasion."

313



314 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

liible reading among Japanese

It is a peculiar situation that although during the last
3 years the Japanese people bought more than ten million
copies of the Scriptures church attendance has not in
creased proportionately. In Fukushima Prefecture three
of our colporteur pastors arranged Bible lectures by Old
and New Testament scholars in 3 cities. They charged
20 yen for entrance fees, yet they had an audience which
was from outside the churches.

It is said that there are about fifty thousand " non-
church " Christians in Japan, and it is thought that their
numbers have increased lately. It is reported that 3,000
copies of the big Bible Dictionary (Y2,500 a copy) and
more than ten thousand copies of the small Bible
Dictionary have been sold by a Christian publisher one
month after publication. According to the publisher most
of the books were sold to people who do not belong to
the churches. This situation will not be a surprise if it
is remembered that more than 99% of the people in
Japan are literate. Clearly here is >a field awaiting
evangelization, the field being those who have the Bible
and are studying it.

Two years ago a member of our staff asked if it
would be all right to send twelve copies of the Hebrew
Bible to Shizuoka. We wrote to our colporteur pastor who
had enquired for these Hebrew Bibles. There was no
mistake about his request. We found in Shizuoka that



JAPAN BIBLE SOCIETY



315



an Old Testament study group had been organized in
one of the churches. Japan Bible Society has been
getting many Greek, Hebrew, German, French and Latin
Scriptures from the American Bible Society, the British
and Foreign Bible Society and other Bible societies.
During the last 4 years we have sold :



English


Bibles
16,189


Test.
82,166


Portion
422,350


Braille Total
65 520,770


Hebrew


401






401


German ....


560


527




1,087


French


211


222


96


528


Greek




1002




1,002


Latin




161




161


Chinese


2


2




4


Korean


.... 4,750


16,788


72,334


93,872














22,113


100,868


494,779


65 617,825



Japanese are ready to accept the Bible

From April to November, 1952, we sold 1,353,541 copies
of Scriptures. This number is low compared with four
million for 1951. The reasons are:

(1) a change in the system of distribution and

(2) too much emphasis laid on the early publication
of the new colloquial version.

Firstly, we have wasted too much time planning and
rearranging the distribution system, and secondly, sales
were held up because people have hesitated to buy the
classical version of the Scriptures because of the announce-



316 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

merit that the new and better colloquial version \va&
coming so soon. Yet, according to our colporteurs re
ports, people are wishing to buy and read the Scriptures.

Year of colloquial versions

1952 will be remembered as the year colloquial ver
sions were much discussed in Japanese reading circles. Mr.
Tsukamoto, one of the leaders among " non-church " in
dependent Christian groups, announced the projected
publication in April, 1954, of his translation of the New
Testament while Dr. Kagawa s Kirisuto Shimbun version
of the New Testament came out in November fulfill
ing great expectations. Every time, and on every one
of the newspapers pages where these individual col
loquial translations are introduced, our J. B. S. revision
work is mentioned and the hope expressed that a better
and more digested authorized colloquial version may be
worked out soon by the Japan Bible Society.

There should be no need of mentioning that among
the drastic changes in Japan that took place after the war,
the change of the language style might be counted as
one of the biggest, especially in the educational world.
Government, and even the Imperial Family, have adopted
the colloquial style, abandoning the long cherished
literary style. In the grammar and high schools only
colloquial language is being used and young people
graduate who are able to read only in colloquial.

In this situation, while our Japanese Bible has been



JAPAN BIBLE SOCIETY 317

respected and loved as beautiful Japanese, it lias come 1
to be placed among the classics and has lost its power
with the youngsters. There has been an urgent need for
a colloquial authorized Bible, and the J. B. S. (with the
help of A. B. S. and B. F. B. S.) started work on this
Colloquial Version in 1951. It was started with the
expectation that both the Old and New Testament
would be completed within three years by 1954.

Special distributions

We have received requests from many Bible societies
for Japanese Scriptures. We find these are for Japanese
P. O. W.,s who must remain behind in various parts of
Asia. Stimulated by this new r s, J. B. S. specially distribut
ed Scriptures among foreign people in Japan. Naturally,
most of these went to the Koreans. We distributed about
1,000 copies of Korean Scriptures among the Koreans who
are on Tsushima Island, which lies between Japan and
Korea, and about 1,000 copies for the Koreans who are
in prisons throughout the country.

Last year we sent two trained colporteurs to Rebun
and Rishiri, the most northerly islands off Hokkaido.
Those islands had never been touched by our colporteurs
even before the war, and when our colporteurs landed
and visited the head officers of the islands, they were
introduced among the crowds at shrine festivals and
were given the opportunity of selling over 3,000 copies.
They were also invited to many village meetings to speak



318 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

on the Word of God.

Rev. T. Miyakoda, the general secretary, and Mr.
M. Sakata, attended the United Bible Societies General
Conference at Ootacamund in South India and their visit
to many Bible Societies is recorded with many thanks.

The appointment of a representative of the J. B. S.
to the standing committee of the U. B. S. is a matter
of pride and satisfaction to all.

Step towards self-support

This year at the autumn general directors meeting
we appointed 50 members of an Advisory Council. The
first advisory meetings were held in December at Osaka
and Tokyo. Mr. D. Takei, president of Showa Sangyo
Co., was elected chairman. Mr. Watanabe, president of
Sanwa Bank, vice-chairman, Mr. Hata (Tokyo) , manager
of Asahi Slate Co., and Mr. Anekawa (Osaka), business
man, were elected secretaries.

Supporting members reached 300 by the end of the
fiscal year, November 30th. Contributions of all sorts
reached Y737,501.25. We have been able to contribute
our share for revision work by giving Y590,000.00.



MUKYOKAI

(The Non-Church Group)

by Goro Mayeda

Since Mukyokai people attach no importance to any
organization and hence keep no statistics, it is impossible
to write an annual report with exact figures specifically
valid for 1952 as distinct from the year before. These
lines are, therefore, a supplement to the brief survey of
the movement given by the same author in the Year
book of 1951.

Generally speaking, Mukyokai is growing strongly.
Invisible though the movement is, the increase of the
subscribers to Mukyokai magazines (mostly for Bible
study) and the development of Bible study groups show
how deeply and widely the movement is taking root in
Tokyo and elsewhere. Especially young students take
an interest in Mukyokai because many of them have
been disappointed or even disgusted by foreign-sponsored
propaganda in spiritual fields coming from both sides of
the Pacific On the one hand, in obedience to the orders
of the " peace-offensive " they stopped throwing acid-
bottles and many universities and colleges experienced a
calm campus life toward the end of 1952, but it does
not mean that materialism decayed. On the other hand,
foreign-aided pastors and missionaries do not appeal
very much to the students because their approach is

319



320 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

rather " dollar-ly " than scholarly. Unfortunately the
intellectual level of Japanese clergymen is on the average
much lower than that of university professors. It goes
without saying that the mounting antipathy against the
foreign " Christian " troops helps to cause misunder
standing concerning Christianity. By the way, most
Japanese intellectuals are quite indifferent to the so-called
independence given in 1952. This lack of intellect and
blind obedience to foreigners keep many young people
away from the churches. In this connection it should
be pointed out that faith is personal ; since a nation
consists of persons similar in custom and language, there
is a national form of Christian life distinct from other
nations for instance, German Christians live and think
differently from English Christians. Thus, faith can be
and should be national ; that is, its fruits should not be
forced from outside but should democratically come out
of the people who receive the Gospel.

These two points, the one intellectual and ethical
and the other democratic, are stressed by Mukyokai s
advocate, Kanzo Uchimura, and his followers. Mukyokai
has many leaders who are actually university professors
or of professor s level ; they are all completely independent
from foreign missions and foreign-aided organizations.

However, Mukyokai adherents are not only intellec
tuals but also common people. Especially in rural areas
it is improving. Magazines are sent from various leaders,
and the articles help in the conduct of family worship



MUKYOKAI 321

and Bible study with full respect to Japanese customs
and ethics. H. Ishiwara and H. Masaike (both editors
of their own periodicals) are working as itinerant leaders
among farmers and fishermen. Development among both
intellectuals and non-intellectuals is one of the character
istics of the recent Mukyokai movement.

Further, Mukyckai is not only national but wishes
to be universal. Its " non-church " (i. e., rejection of ec
clesiastical organization, water baptism, tangible sacra
ments, etc.) and by faith alone principles have been warmly
received by the Korean and Formosan peoples. Since
Uchimura s days they have had periodicals and Bible
study groups, and after the war fellowship between Japa
nese and non-Japanese Mukyokai people is becoming
closer. Aid to Korean friends is one of the examples.
In fact, many Mukyokai people are internationally minded ;
world peace is their sincere wish.

K. Kurosaki s 3 volume Abridged Commentaries on
the Old Testament were completed in 1952. This means
that his life work (in addition to his 10 volume New
Testament Commentaries, 1 vol. Abridged New Testament
Commentary, and Greek- Japanese Concordance) has been
brought to perfection. A thanksgiving meeting was held
in Osaka.

T. Tsukamoto is preparing his New Testament
translation in colloquial Japanese. It was first completely
published in his own magazine, so he is the pioneer in
this matter, What will be printed in 1953 will be a



322 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN

revised and annotated edition.

In addition to his duties as president of the Uni
versity of Tokyo, T. Yanaihara holds his Bible study
meeting every Sunday and continues his monthly magazine.

The fundamentalistic movement launched by some
people of Kyushu, where the Korean War was more
tragically felt than elsewhere, had some influence on
Mukyokai people. But in the course of 1952 it became
a local and sectarian phenomenon at the city of Kuma-
moto. In spite of the fact that Mukyokai has no
systematic dogma or organized leadership, severe criticism
against paganization was made from the Biblical view
point, and Mukyokai as a whole proved its soundness and
strength as an invisible group of faith-centric Christians.

It is also characteristic for 1952 that Mukyokai people
no longer criticized as bitterly the so-called churches.
It may be that they are too busy in fresh evangelization
of the seventy million Japanese to whom the Gospel is
unknown to deal with 200 or 300 thousand ready-made
" Christians." But, if Mukyokai has caused a new counter-
reformation among the churches and hence made criticism
unnecessary, its aim of reformation might be considered
as fulfilled. In other words, Mukyokai is not anti-
ecclesiastical, but it is working for the Kingdom of God
where neither protestantism nor Mukyokai (non-church)
exist, but where all are one through Jesus Christ and there
is one real Church which is His body.

For further discussion refer to the article, " The



MUKYOKAI 323

Non-Church Group," by T. Suzuki, in The Japan Chris
tian Quarterly, vol. XVIII, No. 2, Spring 1952, and
" Mukyokai " by G. Mayeda in the 1951 edition of
The Japan Christian Yearbook.



CHAPTER III
THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP

THE EVANGELICAL MISSIONS
ASSOCIATION OF JAPAN

by Francis B. Sorley

This organization came into existence in the summer
of 1947 when a number of evangelical mission groups
and individuals were gathered together. Many of them
had just recently started missionary work in Japan and
felt the need for fellowship and consultation with other
missionaries of kindred faith and purpose. There has
been fellowship and a unity of spirit and purpose with
the National Association of Evangelicals and the Evan
gelicals Foreign Missions Association in America, but
there is no organic connection with either of the above
or with any other missionary organization at the present
time, nor is any contemplated.

The EMAJ was established as a cooperative fellow
ship devoted to the propagation of the Christian faith
and providing means for united action and cooperation
in such activities as : promotion of Christian fellow
ship, development of field comity, provision of field
information and representation before the government
when necessary. It is neither the purpose nor the inten-

324



THE EVANGELICAL MISSIONS ASSOCIATION 325

tion of the Association to interfere with the program of
associated mission groups nor to dictate to them regard
ing any matter whatsoever.

Membership in the Association is open to individual
missionaries as well as to mission groups who subscribe
to the statement of faith which has been adopted as
expressing the conservative theological position of the
evangelical Christian bodies it represents. In his final
report to the Association, Dr. Bishop stated that 417
missionaries belonging to 53 evangelical mission boards
and from several different countries have at one time or
another been members of the Evangelical Missions
Association of Japan. Many who have gone to rural
areas in Japan are no longer able to enjoy active fellow
ship in the regular meetings. Other co-workers in Japan
are welcome to join for fellowship and mutually profit
able activities.



FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN
MISSIONARIES IN JAPAN

by Sigurd Aske

Historically the FOV; dates back to 1902 when the
Standing Committee of Cooperating Missions was organ
ized. Twenty delegates met at the first meeting at which
time five standing committees were appointed. By 1911
the number of delegates had doubled, as had the number
of committees.

That year the Standing Committee on Cooperation
became the Conference of Federated Missions, or, as the
body later came to be known, The Federation of Christian
Missions in Japan.

The peak of activity was reached around 1918 when
some eighty regular delegates attended the annual con
ference. No less than seventeen standing committees
were appointed to cope with the increasing load of work.

When the National Christian Council came into being
in 1923 as the organ of cooperation for all missions and
churches in Japan, the future purpose of the Federation
was defined as being " for fellowship, education and in
spiration." Relieved of the burden of many routine duties
the Federation now was able to accomplish more in the
way of spiritual inspiration and challenge. However, the
fact that the body continued to operate with much of
the old machinery, its membership still consisting of duly

326



FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES 327

appointed delegates from member missions, led to some
confusion both among members of the Federation and
among the Japanese church organizations.

The change from being a delegated federation of
missions to a voluntary fellowship of missionaries with
individual membership took place in 1937, when the first
conference was held under the present name of Fellow
ship of Christian Missionaries in Japan. The new name
and constitution eliminated every semblance of duplica
tion or interference with the work of other cooperative
bodies. At the same time greater emphasis was given
to the annual conference, which from now on became
entirely inspirational in character, coupled with practical
discussion of live missionary issues. From 1941 until the
postwar reorganization meeting in Tokyo in the summer
of 1947, the Fellowship went into partial eclipse.

As the name would indicate, the FCM is a mission
ary fellowship, a loosely organized body where Protestant
missionaries from all over Japan meet for spiritual in
spiration and frank discussion of contemporary mission
problems. The Fellowship counts among its several
hundred members missionaries from almost every type
of mission. Not a few hold dual membership, belonging
both to the FCM and to the EMAJ (Evangelical Missions
Association of Japan).

The 1952 Annual Conference was held in Karuizawn
in the latter part of August. " Evangelism and the Chang
ing Situation was the theme of the conference which



328 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP

was ably planned and directed by the Executive Com
mittee consisting of the following persons : Caroline Peck-
ham, president ; E. Luther Copeland, vice-president ;
Helene H. Harden, secretary, and Thomas W. Grubbs,
treasurer.

Dr. Floyd Shacklock, editor of the Japan Christian
Quarterly since its reappearance in 1951, returned to
duties in the United States and resigned his editorship.
The FCM feels deeply grateful to Dr. Shacklock and to
Mr. Dean Leeper, assistant editor, for the great amount
of able effort put into the editorship of the Quarterly.
To Dr. Willis Browning, editor, and Mr. Everett Kleinjans,
assistant editor, appointed at the 1952 Annual Conference,
go our prayers and good wishes.

The Annual Conference also regretfully accepted the
resignation of the editors of the Japan Christian Year
book, Messrs. William F. Asbury and Laton E. Holmgren,
since their duties took them to places outside Japan.
Present editors are Rev. B. L. Hinchman and Rev. R.
W. Wood.

These two Fellowship-sponsored publications are meet
ing a very definite need in missionary circles in this
country. They also provide interested groups in other
lands, such as mission headquarters, theological seminaries
and such institutions, with an indispensable source of
information on the missionary movement in Japan.

Area conferences were held this year as usual. The
Kansai group met in Kyoto in December, 1952, under the



FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES 329

chairmanship of Dr. David C. Stubbs to discuss " Chris
tian Literature in Japan." Similar conferences were
held in the Kanto and Kyushu areas.



IN MEMOKIAM

Compiled by A. J. Stirewalt

Of the twenty-four persons whose names are reported,
nineteen were called from earth during the past year.
The other five had not been previously reported.

These fellow-workers served their age, they did what
they could, they bore testimony, they labored, and we
have entered into their labors. It is for the Lord of the
Harvest to judge their works and to say " well done "
to those who have done well. But it is for us to honor
their memory and to thank God for calling them and
enabling them to accomplish things which have become
a heritage to our day and to oar efforts. Perhaps the
greatest honor that can be shown anyone after his
decease is to accomplish the hopes which he cherished
but was unable to attain. Devoted faithfulness on our
part to our Lord both glorifies our Lord and honors our
predecessors who expended their lives in behalf of that
for which we have offered ours.

Peace be to their ashes honor to their memory and
unto themselves eternal joy in the presence of Him who
was slain for their salvation ; and praise to God for their
lives and for what they accomplished in His name.

MR. GURNEY BINFORD

Mr. Giirney Binford of the Friends Mission was
330



IN MEMORIAM 331

born September 15, 1865. He first arrived in Japan in
November, 1893, and last left in October, 1936. He and
Mrs. Binford gave their full service of forty-three years
to rural evangelism in Mito and Shimotsuka in Ibaraki
Prefecture where their lives were closely identified with
the people of those two localities. They were devoted
to their work and were faithful unto the end. Mr. Binford
died at Whittier, Calif., Sept. 13, 1951.

REV. GEORGE ERNEST BOTT, D.D.

Rev. George Ernest Bott, D.D., United Church of
Canada, son of John Carter Bott and his wife Caroline,
was born in Sunderland, Ontario, Canada, Nov. 23, 1892,
and died suddenly in Tokyo, March 5, 1952. He served
in the first World War, was married to Edith Ellen
Clark of Toronto in the summer of 1921, and they came
to Japan as missionaries of the Canadian Methodist
Church in the autumn of the same year. After spending
two years in evangelistic work in Kofu they moved to
Tokyo where from 1925 until his death he devoted his
life to social work in which he served with a Christ-like
compassion. After repatriation in 1942 he served with
the Ottawa Research Council. In the spring of 1946 he
returned to Japan and with his Board s permission served
as representative of Church World Service and director
of Licensed Agency for Relief in Asia which ministered
to the needs of unnumbered people at a time of dire
need.



332 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP

MISS MARGUERITE AMY BURNET

Miss Burnet was born in Norwich, England, Nov. 24,
1878 and died in Maebashi, Gumma Prefecture, July
2, 1951. She came to Japan in 1917. Her denominational
affiliation was with the Anglican Church. In 1925 she
founded the Central Japan Pioneer Mission of which she
was superintendent. Her places of residence and work
were : Tokyo, Ashio in Tochigi Prefecture, Ota, Tateba-
yashi, Maebashi. Her service was given to evangelistic
work and teaching.

MRS. KAETHE BUSS

Mrs. Kaethe Buss (nee Kaethe Wenzel) was born in
Schneeberg, Schlesien, Germany, in 1905. In September,
1930, she came to Japan under the Liebenzell Mission and
was married to Rev. B. Buss who had come two years
earlier. Just before World War II the Buss family returned
from their first furlough and were in Japan until April,
1951, when they again went on furlough, and on May
21, 1952, Mrs. Buss departed this life in the Macklin
Hospital, Saskatchewan, Canada. She, with her husband,
resided and worked in Noborito in Kanagawa Prefecture,
Hachioji, Tokyo, and Karuizawa (during the war) . After
the war they became missionaries of the Evangelical
Alliance Mission. She was identified with her husband in
evangelism with special emphasis on Sunday School and
youth work.



IN MEMORIAM 333

REV. W. HARVEY CLARKE, D.D.

Rev. W. Harvey Clarke, D.D., Southern Baptist Coi>
vention, was born in Albany, Ga., July 4, 1861. He came
to Japan in 1898 and on Nov. 8 of the following year, in
Yokohama, was married to Miss Lucille Daniel of Atlanta,
Ga. Mrs. Clarke departed this life on May 3, 1933, while
returning to the United States aboard the Asama Maru
with her husband one day before reaching San Francisco
(see obituary 1934 Christian Yearbook). Dr. Clarke s
entire service was given to evangelistic work, first in
Kumamoto and later in Tokyo. His service extended
from 1898 until 1936 and was characterized by his kind
and sympathetic attitude toward the people among whom
he faithfully labored. His passing took place in the home
of his daughter, Mrs. C.A. Eden, in Gastonia, N.C., on
February 2, 1943. Dr. and Mrs. Clarke are succeeded in
their work in Japan by their son, Rev. Coleman D. Clarke
of Kyoto.

MISS ANNA EVANS

Miss Anna Evans, Church of England, was born in
1861 in Llaufallteg, Carmarthenshire, England. She arrived
in Japan in 1894 and last left in 1924. By profession she
was a nurse and rendered her service in medical work in
Hakodate. Her death took place February 11, 1951, in
Swansea, South Wales.



334 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP

MRS. CHARLES S. DAVIDSON

Mrs. Charles S. Davidson (nee Florence May Bower) ,
Methodist Church, was born in Bewick, Pa., June 17,1881,
received her education in Wyoming Seminary, Kingston,
Pa., was married to Rev. Charles S. Davidson June 1, 1905,
and sailed for Japan the autumn of that year. They
resided at Aoyama Gakuin where Dr. Davidson was
previously engaged in educational work. She and her
husband left Japan in 1918. She passed away May 22, 1951.

MISS GRETCHEN GARST

Miss Gretchen Garst, Disciples of Christ Church, was
born of missionary parents, Capt. Charles E. Garst, a
graduate of West Point, and Laura Delaney Garst, in
Akita City, Japan, April 1, 1887, and died in Des Moines,
Iowa, April 25, 1952. After finishing her education in the
United States, she came to Japan as a missionary in 1912
and did outstanding kindergarten work in Akita and
Fukushima. Having lived in Japan during her childhood
she was well equipped for the work as regards under
standing the people, their customs and language. After
discontinuing the work here in 1925 she devoted herself to
parent education in schools and settlements in Chicago.

MRS. MARY PALMER GORBOLD

Mrs. Mary Matthews Palmer Gorbold, Presbyterian
Church in the United States, was born in Ashley, Mo.,



IN MEMORIAM 335

December 1, 1866, and died suddenly January 8, 1952, at
her home in Pasadena, Calif. She came to Japan in 1892
as a single missionary, and taught in the Presbyterian
Girls School in Yamaguchi. After her marriage to Rev.
Raymond P. Gorbold they lived in Kyoto where she
became active in kindergarten work, and in 1917, two
years after the death of Dr. Gorbold, she became principal
of Osaka Jo Gakuin. Later, after her resignation from
this, she engaged in evangelistic work in Osaka. She
retired in 1934 after forty-two years of faithful work.

BISHOP H. J. HAMILTON, D.D.

The Right Reverend Heber James Hamilton, D.D.,
Anglican Church, was born in December, 1862, in Colling-
wood, Ontario, Canada. After having engaged in the
practice of law he entered the ministry in 1887 and
later served as dean of residence for Wycliffe College.
He came to Japan in 1892 and retired in 1934 after forty-
two years of service. He established the mission school
for the blind in Gifu, built the first tuberculosis sanitarium
in the mountains of Japan, and in 1912 became the first
bishop of the diocese of mid-Japan. He emphasized
training Japanese for the ministry and was highly pleased
when a Japanese succeeded him as bishop on his retire
ment. He served in Gifu and Nagoya. After retirement
he resided in Toronto where he died January 4, 1952, at
the age of 89. Mrs. Hamilton passed away in March,
1951. He instituted many measures designed to help the



336 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP

churches attain self-support. He was a scholar, a borri
evangelist of the evangelical type, and an outstanding
missionary,

MRS. A, T. HOWARD

Mrs. A.T. Howard, United Brethren Church, arrived
in Japan with her husband in 1898 after having given one
year of missionary service in Africa. Their service here
was rendered in Tokyo during a period of fifteen years.
They left Japan in 1913. She died at Greencastle, Indiana,
January 17, 1952. Three children survive her ; one son, J.
Gordon Howard, is president of Otterbein College, Wester-
ville, Ohio.

MRS. W. B. McILWAINE

Mrs. W. B. Mcllwaine (nee Harriet Jones) , Presbyterian
South, was born in Brunswick County, Va., Aug. 10, 1864.
In the fall of 1889 she went as a missionary to China.
On January 1, 1891, in Soochow, China, she was married
to Rev. W. B. Mcllwaine. They made their home in
Kochi, Japan, until their retirement in 1932. After that
she resided at Health Springs, S. Carolina, where she died
May 29, 1952. Her forty-three years of missionary service
were devoted to evangelistic work. Her son, Dr. W.A.
Mcllwaine, continues the work of his parents through
service in the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kobe.



IN MEMORIAM 337

REV. TAAVI MINKKINEN

Rev. Taavi Minkkinen, Lutheran Evangelical Associa
tion of Finland, was born in Pylkoenmaeki, Finland, on
January 29, 1878. After his education in the schools of
Finland he was married to Naimi Johanna Linkkonen
with whom he came to Japan in the autumn of 1905.
They spent five terms of service for their Lord in this
country and left Japan in June, 1945, just two months
before the end of the war. Three months later he was
bereaved of his wife. His forty years of service were
given to evangelistic work in Shimo Suwa, Fukushima,
Kami Suwa, Tokyo, and lida. He was president of his
mission several times. By nature he was quiet and a
man of faith and was much loved by his co-workers and
associates. His passing was in the home of one of his
daughters in Lieksa, Finland, February 20, 1952.

MISS ALICE MAUDE MONK

Miss Alice Maude Monk, Presbyterian Church U.S.A.,
was born in Onawa, Iowa, March 14, 1872, but seven
years later the family moved to Chicago. In 1904
she came to Japan and from 1905 to 1941 was
associated with Hokusei Jo Gakuen (girls school) in
Sapporo. During a large part of this period she served
as principal. Returning to the United States in 1941, she
resided with her sister in Washington, D.C., and died
July 2, 1952. Her influence on both the scholastic and



338 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP

Christian life of Hokusei Jo Gakuen was very considerable
and has so been recognized by both the administration
and the alumnae.

MISS EDITH LOUISA BEATRICE NORTON

Miss Edith Louisa Beatrice Norton, Church of Eng
land, was born in Wanstead, Essex, England, in 1870,
arrived in Japan in 1900, and was engaged in evangelistic
work in Nagasaki, Hakodate, and Sapporo. Her services
continued until October, 1931, when she returned to Eng
land. She was called to her heavenly home on May
18, 1952.

REV. ERNEST ISAAC OBEE

Rev. Ernest Isaac Obee, Methodist Church, was born
October 15, 1874, received education at Adrian College
which gave him the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy
and, in 1916, his M.A. In 1904 he was married to Miss
Charlotte Shields (deceased March 15, 1940) and came to
Japan in October of the same year. He was connected
with the Nagoya Boys School and afterwards with
evangelistic and educational work in Tokyo. He retired
from the work in September, 1940, after thirty-six years
of service, and died at Whitehouse, Ohio.

MRS. HENRY CONRAD OSTROM

Mrs. Henry Conrad Ostrom, Presbyterian South, sailed
for Japan with her husband January 21, 1911, and last left



IN MEMORIAM 339

Japan June 23, 1937, after having devoted twenty-seven
years to the cause of Christ in this country. She died
in North Carolina May 21, 1952. Her work was chiefly
among students in the Kobe area where her husband
was engaged in teaching in the theological seminary of
his mission.

MISS HELEN M. PALMER

Miss Helen M. Palmer, Presbyterian Church in the
U.S., was born in Parkville, Mo., December 8, 1896, and
came to Japan in 1921. The following year she was
assigned to work in Osaka Jo Gakuin (girls school)
where her entire service in Japan was rendered. She
returned to America on the exchange ship in 1943, came
back in 1946, and resumed her work. She underwent a
serious operation in 1950 which was apparently successful,
but when on furlough her illness suddenly reappeared
and she died in Kansas City, Mo., June 12, 1952. The
spontaneous expressions of affection and gratitude on the
part of her students and associates indicate the high
esteem with which they regarded her Christian character
and unselfish service.

MRS. FREDERICK PARROTT, M. D.

Mrs. Frederick Parrott, Episcopal Church, whose
husband was secretary of the British and Foreign Bible
Society in Kobe, left Japan in 1930 after having given
more than thirty years in behalf of the establishment of



340 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP

the Lord s Kingdom in this country. She resided in Kobe
with her husband and did medical work among the poor,
and also closely identified herself with the outstanding
work of her husband in the circulation of the Scriptures
in the southern half of Japan. She had unusual success
in leading Bible classes and many prominent men in the
Kansai area were her students. She was the author of
many vignettes of the lives of her Japanese women
friends. Her passing was in England in Dec., 1951.

MRS. ANNIE M. PINSENT

Mrs. Annie M. Pinsent, United Church of Canada,
was born May 13, 1873, in St. John s, Newfoundland. Early
left a widow, she attended the Methodist Church Train
ing School for Christian Workers in Toronto and in
August, 1905, was appointed by her board to come
to Japan. Her first term was in Kanazawa and Shi-
zuoka. Subsequent terms were spent in Shizuoka and
Toyama, but mostly in Tokyo. Her entire service was
given to evangelistic work which in Tokyo was mostly
among students and graduates of Toyo Eiwa Jo Gakko
(girls school). She left Japan well before the outbreak
of World War II and spent the years of retirement in
her old home in Newfoundland where she passed away
December 14, 1950, at the age of seventy -seven.

MISS SUSAN A. SEARLE, L.H.D.
Miss Susan A. Searle, American Board, was born in



IN MK MORI AM 341

1858 at Niles, Michigan, where she spent her childhood.
She graduated from Wellesley College in 1881, taught
two years in Carleton College, arrived in Japan in 1883
and joined the faculty of Kobe Girls School which later
became Kobe College, of which she became president
in 1892 and continued as such until 1915. In 1929 she
retired and returned to the United States, but visited
Japan again in 1934 at the time of the dedication of the
new Kobe College campus at Okadayama, Nishinomiya.
On this campus is a small worship chapel called " Searle
Chapel." Miss Searle was a beloved teacher and a real
spiritual leader. Her influence with the alumnae of the
College was, and is, far-reaching. Her passing was at
Pilgrim Place, Claremont, Calif., Oct. 25, 1951.

MRS. JOHN WALKER VINSON

Mrs. John Walker Vinson, Presbyterian South, was
born in Tainan, China, November 1, 1918, and died in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, January 22, 1952. She first sailed for
Japan Aug. 31, 1950, and left July 9, 1951. Mrs. Vinson was
appointed to China in Dec., 1941, being already on the
field as a missionary of the Presbyterian Church in the
U.S. Later she married Rev. John Vinson, Jr., of the mis
sion of the Presbyterian Church South and together they
went to the Philippines for language study. After intern
ment and a subsequent rest at home she returned with
her husband to China after the war, but they were again
driven out, this time by the Communists. The Vinsons



342 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP

then offered themselves for service in Japan and were
engaged in language study in Kobe when Mrs. Vinson
was stricken with poliomyelitis. She was flown to America
in an iron lung and died in Oklahoma. She was a fourth
generation missionary in China. Her husband and two
small sons survive her.

REV. WILLIAM ALBERT WILSON

Rev. William Albert Wilson, Methodist Church, was
born in Sutherland, North Carolina, Dec. 20, 1861, graduated
from the University of N.C. in 1889 and sailed for Japan
the following summer. He was married to Miss Mary
McClellen (deceased) in Shanghai July 27,1893. His service
was given to evangelistic and educational work, and after
forty-two years he retired in 1942. His passing was in
Durham, N. Carolina, February 18, 1951, at the age of
almost ninety.

MRS. MARGARET POYNTER WOODWARD

Mrs. Margaret Poynter Woodward, Church of Eng
land, died June 10, 1952, at Uppingham Rectory, Rutland
shire, England. She and Rev. Harry Woodward (deceased)
were married February 25, 1902, and reached Japan the
next month. Their entire service was rendered in Fuku-
yama. They left Japan in 1913.



CHAPTER IV
DIRECTORIES

Japanese Church Headquarters and Officers

Headquarters of Other Religious and Social
Organizations

Christian Social Welfare Agencies, with Addresses

Mission Boards and Societies

Missionaries by Missions

Missionaries by Towns

Alphabetical List of Missionaries, with Addresses











T

Since the Japanese economy was already operating on a semi- war, or at least preparedness, basis in 1934-36, and since on the other hand the American economy was just emerg ing from its most disastrous depression in 1935-39 the above figures may tend to overstate the disparity between Japanese and American economic development in the past two decades. Nevertheless, the difference is entirely too great to be discounted entirely. In the second place, the population of Japan increased from the base years 1934-36 until 1952 by almost pre cisely the same percentage as the increase in industrial production. For one thing this means that the physical volume of industrial output per person showed no in crease at all. This again is not the indication of a dynamic economy. Again, it points clearly to the problem of acute population pressure in Japan, assuredly one of the most persistent of the problems of the Japanese economy and one which is likely to become more serious before it will be solved. In the third place, it will be noted that for the most part the increase in productive activity was in the heavy industries, and that some of the basic soft goods indus tries (especially the highly important textile industries) 20 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 still reveal signs of acute depression. Indeed, the figure for industrial production as a whole advanced only be cause the increases in the production of the heavy goods industries more than counterbalanced the decreases in the soft goods lines. People do not wear or eat pig-iron and steel ingots ! A high production in these categories, devoted to peace time ends, will probably result ultimately in the improvement in the standard of living of the masses but in the initial stages the effect may be pre cisely the opposite. Another striking indication of the same fact is the contrast between production of passenger cars for trains and the production of freight cars and of bus and truck chassis. The latter, which of course are used largely by industrial concerns and by the American security forces, show a healthy growth. The average person, however, must still ride on dangerously over crowded trains because despite the growth in population in the meantime fewer passenger cars for trains are being produced today than were manufactured approxi mately 20 years ago. In the fourth place, production especially of heavy goods would need to proceed at a high pace for a num ber of years to make up for the heavy destruction of the war. Modern wars are destructive in two ways. The most obvious destruction is the physical loss of homes, factories, schools, hospitals, railway rolling stock, high ways, bridges, power plants and the like. It is a well- known fact that there were only two cities of over 100,000 THE ECONOMIC SITUATION 21 population which were not at least partially destroyed by American air raids. It has been estimated that 40 per cent of the area of 66 major cities was destroyed by these raids. The great Japanese merchant marine was virtually wiped out. The amount of wood, steel, cement, and glass required to replace these tremendous losses would in itself tax the productive powers of any advanced industrial nation for a number of years. Total war, however, results in a more subtle destruction of capital goods than the spectacular and catastrophic destruction inflicted from the air. In normal periods of peace busi nessmen plan so that replacements of buildings, machin ery and equipment may proceed smoothly from year to year rather than be concentrated at irregular intervals. Similarly school boards and hospital boards plan replace ments of their facilities so that only a few need to be built in any one year. On the other hand, a country that is engaged in a total war needs to direct all pos sible productive effort during war time to the production of military supplies. As a result, the productive machin ery of a country gradually wears out during the course of a war and is not replaced. Therefore, many of the factories and much of the machinery in Japan which were not destroyed by bombs were relatively useless after the war because they were either worn out or hopelessly obsolete. This same factor was present in the United States and helps to explain the shortages of essential goods there following the war, even though 22 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 production in America was maintained at a high level throughout the war and there was no destruction from the air. In the fifth place, Japan in 1952 was still suffering from the virtual paralysis of her economy in the four year period of 1945 through 1948. Pig iron, for example, which was being produced in 1952 at a rate of 80 per cent above the level before the war was being produced at only about one-half of its prewar volume as late as 1948, and the figures for the preceding three years were still lower. A large amount of production at a high level for a number of years will be required to make up for the losses occasioned by the slow pace of production in the immediate postwar years. Foreign Trade The above points show why there is no room for complacency concerning the present state of the Japanese economy. It has shown remarkable recovery but it still shows many of the ill effects of a disastrous war. When one turns from a consideration of production to a study of Japanese foreign trade the result is still more dis quieting. When one makes allowances for the changes in the value of the yen, imports to Japan in 1952 were about 19 per cent less than they had been in 1936 and, more significantly still, exports were 45 per cent less. This helps to explain why Japanese people seem fairly well dressed in spite of the fact that the Japan- THE ECONOMIC SITUATION 23 ese textile industry as a whole was running at less than half of its prewar rate. Japan has simply lost a substantial share of its former export market for tex tiles. The loss of this market is particularly serious in view of the fact that Japan in some way must find the means to pay for raw materials not available in adequate quantities domestically and also for its approximate 15 per cent food deficit. FOREIGN TRADE OF JAPAN PROPER, 1936 and 1952 (in percentages) Exports Imports 1936 1952 1936 1952 27 22 38 52 22 14 31 34 51 51 38 29 27 0.4 14 1 11 11 12 8 5 4 3 2 11 16 12 11 100 54 100 18.4 100 48 100 37 North and South America United States Asia China (including Manchuria) Europe United Kingdom Other regions Total Source : Annual Returns of the Foreign Trade of Japan, and Industrial Statistics Monthly of the Statistics Department of the Bank of Japan. In many respects the above table showing the dis tribution of the foreign trade of Japan is more significant than the bare fact that Japan s foreign trade has not shown the recovery manifested by Japanese industrial produc tion statistics. In 1952 Japan was importing a larger 24 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 percentage of its needs from the United States than was the case before the war, but Japan is exporting a con siderably smaller percentage of its surplus to the United States than was true before the war. In sharp contrast, Japan was importing less from Europe and Asia than she did before the war but was maintaining her prewar proportion of exports to these areas. This was true in spite of the fact that highly important areas in Asia were behind the iron curtain in 1952. Trade with China, for example, was almost non-existent in 1952 whereas (largely because of Japanese interests in Manchuria) it was roughly of the same order of importance as the United States trade with Japan before the war, Japan also obviously was suffering from the virtual cessation of trade with North Korea. Although the condensed figures in the above table do not indicate this fact, Japanese trade with India and Pakistan was very important in 1952. In fact, this bifur cated country with its low standard of living bought nearly as much from Japan as wealthy United States. On the other hand, Japan bought only about one-fifth as much from India and Pakistan as Japan bought from the United States in 1952. It is probable that this situation, if it persists, will cause India and Pakistan either to take measures to curtail imports from Japan or to insist that Japan expand its purchases in the Indian market. These figures point up in bold relief a basic uneasiness about the future of the Japanese economy. Before the THE ECONOMIC SITUATION 25 war Japan was able to maintain merchandise imports in excess of exports because of Japanese income from foreign investments and from her merchant marine. During the war both of these sources of foreign exchange were lost. Since the war Japan has been able to import more from the United States than she has exported to the United States largely because American security forces have been spending money in Japan at the rate of something over one-half billion dollars each year. This sum, of course, is not as large as the United States has been spending for military and economic aid to Europe, but it raises the persistently disturbing question: What will happen to the Japanese economy when the spending stops? Clearly the only long run solution to the problem is to develop new export markets abroad. The question re mains: where and how? The most natural market for Japanese exports would appear to be Korea, China, and the southeast Asian countries rather than the United States because these former areas are much closer geographically to Japan than is the United States. It must be remembered, however, that the foreign trade map of a country is basically a map of transportation costs and these costs are by no means always directly proportional to geographic distance. Transportation costs over seas are much less than trans portation costs over land, especially where inland trans portation facilities are only poorly developed as they are in much of southeast Asia. It may, therefore, be much 26 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 cheaper to transport goods over the vast expanse of the Pacific to the United States than it is to transport the same goods to an inland area in southeast Asia that is much closer to Japan. The American tariff is by no means the only difficulty the Japanese economy will encounter in attempting a further penetration of the American market, but it most assuredly is that aspect of the Japanese problem which Christians in America are in the best position to meet. When American protectionist interests back in the middle of the 19th century saw that their " infant industry " argument for a protective tariff was hardly applicable to an economy where industrial giants had replaced the erstwhile infants, the argument was shifted to the " pau per labor " argument. Tariffs were held to be necessary to protect the high level of wages prevailing in the United States against unfair competition with the " pau per " levels obtaining abroad. This utterly fallacious argument made a profound impression in the United States, and since it was accepted as " true " it obviously applied with greater cogency to Japan and other Oriental countries than it did to Canada and the countries of western Europe. As a result, new classifications were inserted in the American tariff which were designed to impose higher rates of duty on low-cost Japanese pro ducts than were levied upon products from other parts of the world. Even when the United States started to reduce its tariffs through the Reciprocal Trade Agree- THE ECONOMIC SITUATION 27 ments program in the 1930 s extraordinary effort was made to insure that American tariff " concessions " were not extended to Japan. In my study of the Anglo-Ameri can trade agreement concluded in 1938, for example, I found that over 40 specific tariff reclassifications had been made so as to exclude Japan from the benefits of the agreement. It is a well known fact that the staple export from Japan to the United States before the war was raw silk and that the development of synthetic fibers in the United States has largely destroyed this market. Japan cannot continue to buy from the United States unless some export can be found which will substitute for this loss. Appar ently there will always be some selfish individuals in the United States whose blood pressure will invariably rise whenever Japan is successful in finding a product suitable for exporting to the United States, whether that product be tuna fish, silk scarves, or optical goods. Perhaps in the past Americans with an international point of view have been too prone to emphasize only the economic fal lacy inherent in this selfishness (and that it is a profound fallacy any economist would agree) but not sufficiently alert to show how basically un-Christian it is. Can Japan penetrate the southeast Asian market ? The figures quoted above would indicate that Japan al ready has to an extent that is far greater than is com monly realized. There are, however, some significant obstacles. In so far as these areas are colonial areas 28 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 Japan must face the protectionist sentiment of British and Western European manufacturers who tend to regard the colonies as their own private markets and who accordingly have imposed protectionist devices more insidious than even the unconscionable American tariff. For example, Rockefeller Foundation experts found that the only per manent cure for hookworm in some of these areas would result when the natives wore shoes. The importation of cheap rubber shoes from Japan, designed to meet this need, however, alarmed shoe manufacturers in Britain and they in turn persuaded the British goverment to impose a quota on shoe imports from Japan which virtually destroyed the Japanese market in these colonial areas. Hookworm persists because the natives, unable to pay for the higher priced British shoes, were forced to go barefoot. Another obstacle to the extension of Japanese shoes in southeast Asia is that Japanese militarism has left a legacy of hate in some of these areas which only time can erase. Finally, Japan no longer enjoys the ad vantages of early industrialization which were hers before the war. In this respect, Japan s external economic posi tion is somewhat analogous to that of Great Britain, and Japan may be faced in the years ahead with some of the same problems which have plagued Britain in postwar years. Can Japan penetrate the markets of communist Asia? Unfortunately, this question is usually considered on an emotional rather than a rational basis by both pro- and 29 anti-communists so that any answer may cause the reader to try to categorize the political views of the respondent. Several pertinent points may, however, be noted. In the first place, there is often a tendency to exaggerate the potentialities of the market in communist China. An American once wrote a book on China entitled " 400 Mil lion Customers ", but he forgot that large segments of this vast group subsist under a standard of living that affords little chance for the purchase of even low cost products from abroad. Except for relatively large exports of capital goods for the economic development of Man churia after 1931 Japan exported relatively little to China even in the period before the Sino-Japanese war. Even if the miracle happened and trade with China became relatively free of Communist controls, it would not be surprising if the total volume of trade remained smaller than most of the enthusiastic proponents of such trade expect. In the second place, trade between relatively free economies (such as Japan) and the highly controlled economies characteristic of communist countries, although not impossible, is fraught with grave difficulties. Since the days of Hitler s trade agreements of the 1930 s many businessmen in the free economies have wondered whether a balance of trade was really worth the effort it caused. In spite of these admitted difficulties, the American attitude of banning trade between Japan and communist China in a large variety of categories does not seem to 30 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 be the wisest course to follow. Certainly it is a policy which is not likely to impress Japanese people with the Christian goodwill of their American neighbors. Even though Japan is an independent nation the United States has succeeded in imposing more restrictions upon Japa nese trade with communist China than are imposed upon American trade with Soviet Russia. This is another area in which informed Christian opinion in America could point the way to a better arrangement. The Price Level In conclusion, two other factors in the Japanese economy deserve at least brief attention, namely the developments in the price level (cost of living) and the developments in labor-management relations. During 1952 the retail price level fell slightly below that prevailing in 1951, largely because of the mild economic recession ex perienced in Japan after about the middle of the year. The consumer price index in Tokyo, however, remained fairly steady at about the level prevailing at the end of 1951, and because of the rise of prices in 1951 the average price level for 1952 was actually somewhat higher than the average for the entire year of 1951. One of the remarkable features of the economy of postwar Japan is the degree of price stability which has been achieved since 1949 following the runaway inflation of the im mediate postwar years. Japan s prices increased only 17 per cent since 1949 and this compares favorably with the THE ECONOMIC SITUATION 31 United States in the same period. One of the problems frequently discussed in government and financial circles in Japan, especially after the onset of the slight reces sion in mid- 1952, was whether Japan was not pursuing a policy that tended to be too deflationary. This was more than a post-independence reaction to the austerities im posed by the " Dodge line ", and debate on this question is likely to persist if the recession continues. Price level changes, however, can hardly be called a major economic problem of 1952. Labor Relations Because of the recession following mid-1952, unemploy ment in Japan increased somewhat during the year. It is difficult to assess the precise magnitude of the increase because of the widespread prevalence of partial unemploy ment. Official estimates of approximately 500,000 wholly out of work and a slightly larger number presently laid off due to a " temporary " curtailment of operations at their factories are not alarmingly high for an economy with a labor force of the size of the Japanese. In addi tion, however, there are official estimates of over 5 mil lion persons employed only part of the time and therefore unable to earn full pay. Furthermore, there were some indications that this type of unemployment was increasing at the end of the year. Another of Japan s basic economic problems which was unresolved at the end of the year was the level of 32 THE GENERAL ^ RVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 wages of workingmen. Japan needs export markets, and in order to capture these markets Japanese costs of pro duction must be maintained at a low level. Is this objec tive compatible with the legitimate interests of the nearly 6 million members of Japanese trade-unions and the many millions more nonunionized Japanese workers for higher rates of pay? Many observers are skeptical. The official statistics show that trade-union member ship increased by approximately 33,000 during 1952. This small increase, however, was less than the increase in the number of wage earners. Furthermore, total union membership was still nearly a million short of the peak figure reached in 1948. The most significant strikes during the year were by the coal miners and the electrical workers. The coal miners dispute resulted in a cessation of mining from October 13 until the dispute was settled on December 7 when the workers were granted a 7 per cent increase in pay, an incentive allowance of Y300 per month and a loan of Y5,000 for each miner. The loss of coal resulted in grave power shortages which were aggravated by the unusually dry winter (less hydroelectric power) and the periodic work stoppages by the electrical workers union. The first wave of power stoppages were imposed by the union on September 24 and they continued intermittently until the dispute was finally settled on December 18. In spite of the seriousness of these strikes, in neither case did the Japanese government intervene with drastic action to force their settlement. THE SOCIAL SITUATION by Kazutaka Watanabe The year 1952 was one of the most significant years in the long history of Japan, for it was then that she again became an independent country after seven long years of occupation. Japan, which had remained aloof from the struggles and sufferings of Europe and America during the last two thousand years, had blindly entered into war with the entire world and had been taught a valuable and painful lesson by the unconditional surrender and a long foreign occupation. In a way the years of occupation served as an initiation for Japan into the history of reflection and suffering of mankind. In April, 1952, Japan successfully emerged from the initiation ordeal and was admitted as a full-fledged mem ber into the world family of nations. Consequently, there was every reason to believe that this important and his toric year should be filled with significant political and social events. Without going into detail it will be help ful to make a general survey of the most noteworthy characteristics of the events of this year. The most characteristic feature of 1952 was that it was the year of " declaration of war by the communists against capitalism " and simultaneously the year of 33 34 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 " counter-attack by capitalism " combined with rightism and imperialism. The communists declared that " the defeat in the war was exactly what we wanted," and that " the occupation was the ideal preparation for the coming revolution in Japan." The capitalists, on the other hand, maintained that the menace of communism inside and outside Japan was very effective ustification for their raison d etre, and the Korean war served to encourage the industrial barons who are closely connected with latent militarists.The more rigid and far-reaching the occupation policies became the more the communists welcomed them, for they felt these policies would necessarily create more antagonism and resistance among the masses of the people who would thus be led into anti- American and pro-Soviet sentiments. At the same time the governmental authorities, weak as they were, did not hesitate to utilize the name and power of SCAP to revise the labor laws, promulgate the Subversive Activities Prevention Law, and strengthen the Police Reserve. Masses of non-thinking people were caught between these two camps which played irresponsibly upon the emotions and feelings of the people.1952 marked the formal opening of World War III which is not merely a geographic war but a class war.In Korea this has burst into a full-scale clash of armies. In Japan two " armies " went into action with pistols, clubs, fire-bombs, bamboo spears and tear gas.THE SOCIAL SITUATION 35 The communists in Japan who number around one million, including 500,000 communist Koreans, often attacked police stations, government offices, railway stations, employment offices, and even private homes. One significant episode in this involved the overturning and burning of U. S.military cars in the celebrated May Day riot in Tokyo.社会的状況 35日本の共産主義者は１００万人で、そのうち５０万人の朝鮮人共産主義者を含む。彼らはしばしば、警察署、役所、駅、職業安定所、さらには民家を襲った。そのうちの重要なエピソードの一つに、東京メーデー祭暴動があり、彼らはアメリカ軍、軍用車を転倒させ、燃やした。Three basic principles were given to the Japan Communist Party to be practiced during the early stages of the revolutionary years in Japan. The first two came to a successful climax in 1952, and the third was in the process of being applied.1) The first principle was that of the " democratic front ". The meaning of the word " democracy " has been very ambiguous in Japan. Communists, socialists,and conservatives have used the word, but with different meanings. Both the communists and the Occupation cried for " democracy ". It is clear, however, that the communists meant the word in the sense of a " dictator ship of the proletariat " and intended in the name of democracy to destroy all authority except that of the proletariat. The Japanese, who have had too many authorities and too much authority in every section of life, were jolted greatly when all traditional authoritieswere superceded by a foreign authority. Even the Divine Emperor was obliged to take orders from the new Supreme Commander! The entire nation was demilitarized for the first time, and all wartime leaders were purged.36 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 Teachers, parents, and police lost their authority. Parents became extremely hesitant to discipline their children for fear of being called feudalistic and reactionary.Teachers traded discipline for flattery in order to escape being labelled undemocratic. Policemen gave their own cigarettes to outraged drunkards in order to avoid being reported as " bureaucratic ". Arrogance disappeared, but with it vanished the sense of duty and the sense ofdignity. Authorities sloughed off responsibility, and license reigned. Consequently, for the last seven years the Japanese have been drifting in confusion without any internal leadership. This need for internal leadership has been one of the reasons for the surprisingly rapid progress ofthe Japan Communist Party. With the cessation of the occupation in 1952 the last real authority, in Japan disappeared. Only Gen. MacArthur could have stopped the well-planned general strike of 3 million workers in 1947. It is not surprising, therefore, that on May Day, 1952, only 3 days after independence,5,000 communists, Koreans, laborers and students battled an equal number of police on the Imperial Plaza, a street war in which nine died and seven hundred were wounded.Since there is no final authority in Japan, it will not be long before she is driven to join either the " free world " or the " Soviet bloc ", and the year 1952 reflected her leaderless vascillation between the two.2) The second Communist principle was called " the race front ". This was cultivated during the occupation.THE SOCIAL SITUATION 37 Unquestionably this occupation was the most ideal in history, a fact for which almost all Japanese, including nationalists and militarists, express admiration. But even the most ideal occupation is an unpleasant experience for the nation which is occupied, and thus psychological antagonism and passive resistance were found in the hearts of almost all Japanese. People grumbled againstoccupation policies ; even intellectuals who understood the situation whispered criticisms. The communists played upon these feelings with the slogan " American freedom is oppression ", pointing to the fact that the Japanese were prohibited from writing or speaking in criticism of occupation policies. Democracy taught by the occupation guaranteed freedom of speech, but military necessity had to limit this freedom.It was very natural, therefore, that with independence newspapers, magazines, pamphlets and books were filled with articles exposing so-called " inside stories " of what went on under the occupation that could not be published before. Dissatisfaction on the part of the people nowburst into expression, but 95% of the people became perfectly satisfied with the freedom to speak, 4% used this freedom to express themselves in speaking and writing, and only a negligible number expressed it in physical actions. This physical expression was seen in the burning of several U. S. cars on May Day and also in the numerous "Yankee Go Home " street demonstrations in large cities all over Japan. The aim was obviously that of rupturing the present relationship between America38 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 and Japan. Japan is able to maintain order and peace in the country only because of the existence of the Security Forces and the Police Reserves supported by America. But for these forces, Japan could have plunged into total disorder immediately after independence.The Japanese people, in whose minds the memory of fierce air raids, starvation, etc., is still fresh, naturally abhor war of any kind and are against foreign military bases, rearmament and anything connected with war because they imagine these things excite the communists and bring about war. This strong anti-war sentiment is reflected in all social and political phenomena in Japanand came to a climax in 1952. The problem of rearmament was, in fact, the central issue for all political parties at the time of the October, 1952, general elections. It is not an exaggeration to say that the whole nation hung on the point of war or peace, for to their thinking rearmament necessarily meant war. And this rearmament was said to be strongly desired by America who only a few years ago strongly " suggested "Article 9 of the newConstitution which renounces war forever. This contradiction or change of attitude in American policy toward Japan made the problem more complicated.Communist slogans such as "Don t be America s bullet-stoppers ", " Don t be America s employed soldiers ", " Japan has become America s colony ", etc., caught the minds ofJapanese easily and rapidly. Communists claimed that the presence of many American military bases placedTHE SOCIAL SITUATION 39 Japan in danger of becoming a battlefield thus the cries of " No more war ; go home Yankee ". Inflation, which had been curbed by Mr. Dodge under the Occupation, began to increase again with the start of the Korean War, and prices have been going up ever since makingliving hard again. Claiming that these difficult living conditions and the menace of war were the prices Japan paid for independence and the Mutual Security Pact, the communists attacked the Security Pact and the " single Peace Treaty ". Riots in 1952 throughout Japan mobilized tensof thousands of people around these slogans. Still, they reflect but a minority of Japan s population.3) The third Communist principle was called the " world front " or the " Stalin line ". The year 1952 was the climax of the first two principles, and the third began in that year. The underground revolutionary army showed part of its armor in 1952 flame-bottles made their appearance, public utilities were occupied by force, a Father land Defence Corps and guerillas were trained in the mountains, courts and prisons were attacked, etc.Thus in 1952 an internally chaotic Japan was becoming externally dislocated in its relationship with America, being legally independent but psychologically anti-American.The communists hoped to foster anti-war sentiment to the point where all U. N. forces would be withdrawn from Japan, at which time the long-planned revolution could be brought about.This intention could be readily seen in the tactics 40 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 shown by the communists at the time of the October general elections. They could have secured several seats in the Diet if they had so desired, but they did not mean to win any. Rather they used the election campaign as a means for spreading their ideas, for thousands of peopleflooded party rallies to hear what each party had to say. As the communists knew they could not control the power in the government at this time, they used the platform to undermine confidence in the other parties with charges of corruption, etc., and to establish the Communist Party as the champion of the people.The failure of the Diet to seat a single Communist can didate came as a surprise to the nation which had expected them to get from 5 to 10 seats. The general reaction wasthat the period of enthusiasm for communism was over and that the nation showed its sound judgment in the election. Several non-communist intellectuals expressedtheir regrets that communist criticism of the majority party would not be heard in the Diet.However, the loss of Diet seats was not a sign of retreat by the Communist Party. On the contrary, the votes they polled in this election far surpassed those of the previous general election. The figures for the past few years follow: General election in April 1946 2,139,000 votes April 1947 1,600,000 Jan. 1949 3,000,000 April 1951 320,000 Oct. 1952 891,000 THE SOCIAL SITUATION 41 The Communists boasted that they obtained one mil lion votes, three times what they received in the 1951 general elections. " In spite of all oppression and persecu tion, the anger and indignation of the working people exploded in this one million votes." The Subversive Activities Prevention Law, the reactionary Yoshida govern ment, the expulsion of red students from universities, the refusal to employ reds by business concerns, the return of the " good old days " along with independence, etc., created a feeling among many of the people that the days of communism were gone. Nevertheless, it increased. The most serious matter as to the attitude of the Communist Party concerning this election was their open declaration that they would no longer take part in the parliamentary system but would fight outside and against it. They felt that the time of the " Stalin line " was approaching and that it was too critical a time to meddle with the Diet. Rather, the time had come to organize armed guerillas, the " armed core of a revolutionary army," in order to " emancipate Japan from being a colony of America." " The footsteps of the Emancipation Army are heard at the door." In the face of fierce attacks by the communists on these three fronts (the " democratic front," " race front," and " world front") , Japanese capitalists (however vague and broad this word may be) were not sitting idly by. 42 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 They rallied themselves, under the banner of national prosperity and security to wage a desperate and aggres sive fight against the flood of communism. During the first half of the occupation they were almost totally deprived by the unions of the power of management and control of personnel, and were largely salary-paying tools of the workers. Management was left to the mercy of the unions led by communists. Occupation policy was to encourage the trade-union movement, and though SCAP was aware of the red elements in the movement, they could not do much about it, and this left management confused and frustrated. However, in July, 1948, when government officials were prohibited from engaging in collective bargaining or in strikes, and in August, 1950, when the " red purge " began among the more important enterprises, management began to stand on its own feet and take the offensive. Moreover, the Korean War strengthened them tremen dously to the point where they were prepared not only to retake the ground they had lost but to advance fur ther against the unions. However, the Occupation detect ed their undemocratic motives and sought to restrict their excesses. The coming of independence in 1952 lifted all these bonds and left Japanese capitalists free to pursue their purposes. With the aid of the reactionary government and fortified by public sentiment against the communist iltme-bottle tactics, they were prepared to start a large- THE SOCIAL SITUATION 43 scale offensive against the union movement, red and non- red. They sought, if possible, to reduce the unions to management-sponsored organizations. Japanese enterpri sers associations strengthened their secretariats and issued many surprisingly strong and reactionary state ments. Their declaration that they would refuse to employ any red-tinted graduates of universities was sufficiently effective to dissolve almost all student poli tical movements inside and outside schools. Graduating students at company examinations and interviews unan imously declared themselves against communism and for the Subversive Activities Prevention Law in order to pass the examinations. In the face of this offensive, the average age of members of union executive committees became much younger, in many cases by ten years. Union members with families feared connection with union administration because of the danger of being labelled "dangerous persons " by management and thus of being quickly dis charged. Consequently, these young union officers, many just over twenty, stood on inferior ground when bargain ing with older management representatives. Moreover, without experience and maturity they often were impa tient, resorted to violence, and drove members into awk ward situations, thus losing the respect not only of the members but of the public as well and giving the whole union movement an unsound and undesirable appearance. Management, of course, lost no time taking advantage of 44 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 their mistakes to denounce the unions. In order to meet the demand for military Roods brought on by the Korean, War, the Japanese armaments industry had to be centralized as before. Centralization of any kind creates power in the hands of the executives, and certain groups of enterprisers became very powerful not only in business circles but also in the government and Diet. Industrial barons again began to give orders to all important organizations, both public and private. Their strong desire was to go back to the prewar regime, erasing all laws and regulations put forth during the occupation. They could not think in any terms except those of prewar capitalism with its close connection with imperialism and militarism, and they desired to return to these ways again. However, " democracy " which has been Japan s na tional motto for the last seven years, instead of " national prosperity and strong armed forces " which had been Japan s slogan for the last fifty years until the end of the war, prevented them from going too far and too rapidly. The public which had tasted democracy would not easily tolerate its destruction. But the May Day riots gave them their chance. The flame-bottle fights and riots all over Japan following the May Day riots prepared ideal ground for the post-independence activities of the reac tionary capitalists. Now they could openly stand against the reds and against all progressives. Though the public did not welcome the return of the reactionary capitalists, THE SOCIAL SITUATION 45 abhorrence of communist violence has made them accept the second best, i.e., capitalism. The Socialist Party divi ded into left and right wings, the left near the commu nists, and the right near the conservatives, leaving no ground for socialism. The Korean War and the threat of communist forces in Korea gave support to the conservative capitalists desire to amend the Constitution, particularly Article 9, and to re-establish a Japanese army and navy. Despite nationwide opposition to the Subversive Activities Pre vention Law, it was passed. The conservatives came back strongly into power in 1952. One example of the reaction of labor to this move ment is seen in the strikes by the electrical workers and miners which took place at the end of 1952. They were the worst and most entangled strikes in the history of the labor union movement in Japan. The number of participants was not as large as that of the general strike which had been planned for 1947 when 3 million workers were to take part, nor as large as the strike in 1948 when two million workers participated. This time the number was less than half a million, but as the industries involved affected the everyday lives of millions of citizens and also the development of various important industries they were extraordinarily important strikes. Many people denounced the strikes and failed to see the significant underlying issue which was not wages but union security. They were, in fact, defensive actions against the offensive by 46 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 management. The unions were being divided and weak ened by the management offensive, and they felt that it was their last chance to strike before it was too late. Finally the government stepped in and the strikes were ended. The year 1952, then, was the year when independence gave Japan the chance to learn what democracy means through struggle and suffering. She could breathe freely once again, and she was free to make her own policies. Modifications were begun in many of the occupation- sponsored reforms ; some of the modifications were demo cratic, but some were feudalistic and reactionary. It was the year also when class-war emerged into the open. For the first four years of the occupation this had favored the progressive forces, but it slowly came to a balance and during the last half of 1952 it swung in favor of conservative capitalism. The struggle has been severe, and there is no one, no organization, and no party in Japan which has been able to stop it. It may be good that Japan passes through this time of " storm and pres sure ", for through its struggles and sufferings Japan may learn the ways of democracy. THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS by Tctsutaro Ariga I. SHRINE SHINTO 1. Rebuilding of the Grand Shrine Progresses The drive to raise 700 million yen for the rebuilding of the Grand Shrine of Ise has made great progress during 1952. The drive is sponsored by an association which was specially organised for the purpose in the fall of 1949. It is called " The Association for Supporting the Periodical Rebuilding of the Ise Shrine " (Ise-jingu Shikinen-sengu Hosankai), and has as its chairman Mr. Naotake Sato, former speaker of the House of Councillors. By October, 1952, 59^ of the goal amount had been raised ; five of the prefectural branches of the association were reported to have fulfilled or surpassed their quotas. According to Mr. Sato s statement that appeared in the October 13 issue of the Shrine News (Jinja Shimpo, weekly organ of the Shrine Headquarters*), the appeal for money had been receiving a wide response, pledges being sent not only from all over Japan but also from Japanese people living in the United States, Hawaii, and *In the Christian Yearbook 1951 " Jinja Honcho " is trans lated as " Shrine Association," but honclio literally means head quarters and thus implies a claim to be more than an association. 47 48 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 Brazil. According to his statement Mr. Sato expects that nearly ten million people will have joined his Associa tion by the end of 1952. (It seems, however, the net result at the year s end was not so good as that.) He also emphasizes that the movement to help rebuild the Grand Shrine is an affair not only of the Shrine Shintoists but also of all other Japanese regardless of their religious beliefs. He even says, " In recent years there are not a few Christians who are earnest venerators of the Grand Shrine." It may be worth while to ponder just exactly what he means or to what facts he is alluding here. It is a long-established custom that the Grand Shrine should be rebuilt every twenty years in precisely the same style as before. The accomplishment of the fifty-ninth rebuilding has been postponed from 1949 to 1953. Grand ceremonies will most probably take place on October 2-4, 1953, when the divine symbols and articles will be carried into the new buildings. At least the two main shrines of Naiku and Geku will have been completed by that time. A great number of pilgrims are expected to come from all over the country for the occasion and for the following festivities which will continue until May 10, 1954. 2. A Metamorphosis of the Hosankai Contemplated It is important to note in this connection that the central committee of the Association for Supporting the Periodical Rebuilding passed a resolution on December 9, 1952, to convert the association into a permanent organi- THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 49 zation after the completion of rebuilding. It will then be called " The Association of Ise Shrine Venerators " (Ise-jingu Sukei-kai), and its aim will be "to contribute to the peaceful development of the Japanese people by arousing their national consciousness and by promoting the spirit of Shinto." It will uphold and support the Ise Shrine, unite all its venerators as well as all shrines in the country with Ise as their center, and plan works and activities to promote the cause of Shrine Shinto. The association is scheduled to be organised within one month after the grand ceremonies in October. This organization, in case it is made, will together with the Shrine Headquarters help consolidate and streng then Shinto forces. It may be added here that the Shrine Headquarters has had as its president since May, 1952, Priestess Fusako Kitashirakawa of the Ise Shrine, a daugh ter of the Emperor Meiji. The vice-president is Mr. Nobusuke Takatsukasa whose son has married one of the present Emperor s daughters. Those who have read the account of Shinto in the Christian Yearbook 1951 will be interested to know that the Sumiyoshi Shrine, Osaka, finally came under the Headquarters in September, 1952. A number of minor shrines also joined the association during the year. 50 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 3. Popularity Regained Not only in connection with the rebuilding of the Ise Shrine but also in other respects there are signs that show the recovery of Shinto s strength from the heavy blows it received in consequence of the war. Each year sees a remarkable increase in the number of worshippers who come to shrines on festal occasions. Figures given by newspapers are only rough estimates and are apt to be exaggerated (cf. Christian Yearbook, 1951, p. 64f.), but one must accept the fact that the railway station near the Meiji Shrine found it necessary to build an additional platform for the special use of pilgrims on New Year s Day, 1953. On November 3, the centennial of the birth of the Emperor Meiji, some 200,000 are said to have used that station in order to visit the shrine. On the occasion of the centennial a supporters as sociation similar to that for the Ise Shrine was organised to restore the Meiji Shrine which is now in ruinous con dition. 500 million yen is expected to be necessary for the purpose. The high priest of the shrine is Mr. Taka- tsukasa. One might get the impression that Shrine Shinto was becoming, not again a full state religion to be sure, but a semi-state religion. Curiously enough, while it was actually a state religion the government declared it not be a religion but a part of the functions of the state, and thus established in this sophisticated way a super-religion THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 51 supported by public money. The result of the war put an end to this condition of Shinto, and all shrines have now to register as voluntary religious institutions. But Japanese people in general still associate Shinto closely with the Imperial Household as well as with the destiny of the nation. Actually it is very difficult to draw a line where state functions end and the religious functions of Shinto begin. The Emperor himself went to the Ise Shrine on June 3, 1952, to report to his ancestral goddess on the Peace Treaty having taken effect, while any rite of religious significance was scrupulously avoided at the installation ceremony of the Crown Prince on November 10. Incidentally, this installation ceremony gave occasion to an interesting discussion between two leading scholars of Tokyo University. Dr. Yanaihara, President of the University, who had attended the cererhony, remarked in a newspaper that he had missed there any religious significance and suggested that the ceremony could have symbolized the Prince humbly accepting his appointment from God. This statement was then criticised by Prof. Miyazawa who said that the religionless ceremony was quite correct from the standpoint of the present constitu tion of Japan which sharply separates religion and state. The regained popularity of Shinto, however, is not simply due to its close association with the Imperial Family and to the influence of the national policies of the period prior to August 14, 1945, but also, perhaps chiefly, due to the optimistic life-affirming philosophy of Shinto 52 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 itself. In marked contrast to this the philosophy of Buddhism as it is popularly understood is pessimistic, life-negating, and otherworldly. It is therefore psycho logically understandable that most Japanese go to Shinto shrines to pray for happiness and prosperity in this life on earth and to have wedding ceremonies performed, while the same persons go to Buddhist temples on the memorial days of the dead and for funeral services. Of course, they could be married by a Buddhist priest before a Buddhist altar or be buried with Shinto rites when they die, but people in most cases do not prefer to be married or to die that way. It would be a great mistake, however, to think that Shinto shrines are today financially well off. Spoiled by long years of state support, Shinto priests haven t yet learned how to organise their believers so that they will pay regular dues. They just depend on the free-will offerings of occasional visitors to their shrines and on fees for weddings and other rites specially performed by request. So except for very rare cases priests have to support themselves chiefly by school-teaching or other kinds of work. 4. Shinto Sects The Religions Section of the Education Office lists, as of April 2, 1951, 255 Shinto sects, including Shrine Headquarters. Of these sects 23 are regarded as vari eties of Shrine Shinto, while 98 are the thirteen older THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 53 sects* and those that have branched off from them. The remaining 134 are entirely new sects of Shinto coloring. Some of the sects will be discussed later under section III. II. BUDDHISM 1. Revival of Sectarianism In the prewar period there were 53 sects and denominations of Japanese Buddhism.** The Religious Bodies Law of 1941 reduced their number to 28. After the war the law was abolished and complete freedom of religion has been guaranteed by the new Constitution. As a result, not only those prewar sects and denomina tions which had lost their independence have been re established, but also a great number of new sects have arisen. There are over 200 of these, so that the total *One of the 13 sects, Izumo Taishakyo, was merged with the Izumo Grand Shrine into a new shrine organisation called Izumo Oyashiro-kyo on March 31, 1951. As a result it had to secede from the Federation of Shinto Sects. Cf. Christian Yearbook, 1951, p. 66f. ** Whenever it is found necessary to distinguish between shu and ha, the present writer has used " sect " for the former and " denomination " for the latter. There are 13 major shu in Japanese Buddhism : Tendai, Shingon, Ritsu, Jodo, Rinzai, Soto, Obaku, Shin, Nichiren, Ji, Yuzu-nembutsu, Hosso, and Kegon. Each of them, except Ji and Kegon, has been differentiated into several ha. But the term " sect " has also been used to indicate any independent religious organisation, whether it is technically shu or ha. 54 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 number of Buddhist sects and denominations amounts to 257, as of April 2, 1951. Most of them can be classified with such major sects as Tendai, Shingon, Jodo, Rinzai, etc., but there are 31 sects which defy any classification. The fact that a large proportion of the new Buddhist sects belong either to the Shingon (58 sects) or to the Nichiren (61 sects) varieties may be taken as indicating that these two shu provide particularly fertile soil for the budding of new religious movements. One is tempted to ask whether this sudden growth of new sects and denominations means strength or weak ness in Japanese Buddhism, but no ready answer can be expected. For each sest must be studied individually as to the circumstances of its rise, the character of its leaders, and its tenets and practices before any generalisation can be made. One has to note, however, that this phenomenon has appeared after government subsidies ceased to come to Buddhist temples. These new sects as well as the older ones have now to depend entirely upon their own financial resources. The very fact that they exist means that they have the means. So to say the least one can find in this phenomenon the strong tenacity of Buddhist tradition and its ability to adapt itself to the postwar situation of Japan. THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 55 2. Democracy Introduced Another feature in the postwar development of Japanese Buddhism is found in the efforts made by various sects to democratize their organisations. More voice has been given to the laity than ever before. For instance, in the Jodo-Shin Sect since 1951 important matters are decided by a general assembly in which both clergy and laity are represented. There is also a wide spread tendency to relieve the chief priest of a sect of his administrative responsibilities so that he is now regarded purely as its religious figurehead, while adminis trative officers are chosen by election from among the clergy. This is about the farthest point Buddhist sects can go in the direction of democratisation. Chief-priest hood is still hereditary in the Jodo-Shin as well as the Shin Sects ; in other sects, too, chief priests are appointed not by election but by some other traditional methods. 3. The World Conference of the Buddhists Among the most recent events the meeting in Tokyo of the Second World Conference of Buddhists, September 25-30, 1952, must be especially noted because of its in ternational and interdenominational significance. The first conference had been held in Ceylon in 1950, which Mr. Rosen Takashima, Chief Abbot of the Soto Sect, attended as the Japanese delegate. The Tokyo conference met in the Honganji Temple, Tsukiji, where 170 delegates 56 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 from 18 countries sat together with 450 Japanese dele gates. Most of the foreigners were from the traditionally Buddhist sections of the Orient. The conference then moved to Kyoto to hold its final session on October 5 in the Higashi Honganji Temple. It passed the following statement : " In the present world of severe suffering the welfare of mankind as well as the safety of our nation are being jeopardized. At this juncture, we as representatives of the Buddhists of all nations solemnly pledge ourselves before the hallowed presence of the Buddha to unite the Buddhist forces of the world in His gracious Light ; to preach the Truth of the Buddha to all the peoples of the world ; and to endeavor to promote the way of mutual service with the spirit of love and trust, in order to further the cause of permanent peace and happiness in the spirit of Selflessness taught by the Buddha." This kind of conference will certainly help bring various Buddhist groups to mutual understanding. But differences between Hinayana and Mahayana and other differences between various sects will not be easily overcome. Apparently those Buddhists at the conference showed their willingness to seek for means to unite the Buddhist forces of the world in spite of the existing differences. 4. How to Pasture Their Flocks Abroad Since 1950 several Buddhist leaders have visited THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 57 America chiefly for the purpose of renewing contacts with the issei and nisei Buddhists there. In 1952 both chief priests of the Higashi and the Nishi Honganji went abroad for the second time after the war. Mr. Kocho Otani, chief priest of Higashi, accompanied by his wife, left Japan in June for an extensive tour through America, Brazil and Europe. They are expected to come home in the middle of March. Mr. Kosho Otani, chief priest of Nishi, likev/ise accompanied by his wife, left Japan in February for the United States and Canada ; they returned late in December. Kocho s heir, Kosho, has been staying in America for graduate studies since 1950. He is now at Union Theolo gical Seminary in New York according to information given by the headquarters of Higashi. Japanese Buddhists living in the United States, Ha waii, Canada, and Brazil still turn to their mother churches in Japan for religious leadership. But the number of issei people is decreasing and most nisei people cannot read Japanese. More need is felt, therefore, for Buddhist literature in English and for English-speak ing teachers and preachers. Furthermore, there are more western people today than ever before who are eager to know something about Buddhism for either religious or academic reasons. So some sects are making serious attempts to interpret their doctrines in English. " The Young East ", edited by the Honganji, Tokyo, and " The Buddhist Magazine ", edited by the Nishi Honganji are 58 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 both meant for English readers. . Buddhist leaders in Japan are today quite missionary- conscious. They believe they have something unique to offer to all mankind. It will be, however, a tremendous task to have even a selection of Japanese Buddhist literature translated correctly into understandable English. The present writer is informed that two persons in Kyoto, the one Japanese, the other American, are now transla ting certain Zen books. They are working independently from each other. The career and accomplishments of Dr. Daisetsu Suzuki, who is still lecturing in America, are sources of inspiration to all those Buddhist scholars who are interested in the world mission of the " Way of Enlightenment ". 5. In the Academic Circles In the academic circles of Japan Buddhism is pretty well represented. There are Buddhist universities such as Taisho, Toyo, Otani, Ryukoku, Hanazono, etc.. where courses in Buddhism are taught mainly for the training of priests. But Buddhism is also taught in secular universities such as Waseda, Nihon, and some national universities. Tokyo University has on its faculty Profs. Miyamoto, Shoson, Ryobun Yuki, and Shinsho Hanayama, all competent scholars, while at Kyoto University Prof. Masato Nagao and Zenryu Tsukamoto are teaching as well as doing research work. These leading scholars together with many others THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 59 are members of the Nippon Buddhist Research Associa tion (Nippon Bukkyo Gakkai) organised in 1928. In October, 1951, another association, the Japanese Associa tion of Indian and Buddhist Studies (Nippon Indogaku Bukkyo Gakkai) was organised, which includes scholars engaged in non-Buddhist Indian studies as well as Buddhist scholars. Many of the latter belong to both associations. There is a growing tendency among Japanese Buddhist scholars to go back from the traditional Chinese texts to the Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan texts in their search for the original meaning of their religion. Dr. Susumu Yama- guchi of the Otani University and Dr. Nagao of Kyoto are scholars of international reputation in the field of Tibetan Iripitaka. III. NEW POPULAR SECTS 1. What Are the New Sects ? Besides the Shinto and Buddhist sects there are 153 new sects that cannot be classified under any known category. Actually, however, there are often found fea tures common to many of the newly risen sects, whether they are Shintoistic or otherwise. They are all indigen ous religious movements grown on the soil of Japan. All of them have more or less simple messages that would appeal to the popular mind, however, superstitious they may sometimes appear. So it is quite understandable that the book entite 60 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 " Handbook of New Religions " (Shinko-shukyo Kaisetsu) has discussed as " new religions " Konkokyo, Tenrikyo, Reiyukai-kyodan, Omoto Aisen-en, PL-kyodan, Tenshoko Daijingukyo, and Sekai Messhiakyo. The book has been written by scholars of the Jodo-Sect under the direction of its Council of Doctors (Kangaku-ryo) and appeared in July, 1952. Each of the sects has been carefully studied, described, and discussed by a different writer. The des criptions are on the whole quite objectively done, while criticisms are made from the distinctly Jodo Shinshu standpoint. The very fact that one of the strongest Buddhist sects in Japan should have undertaken such a study is noteworthy. The older religious bodies are naturally be ing alarmed by the rise and rapid spread of new inde pendent Sects, and it speaks well for the Jodo Shinshu (so-called Nishi Honganji) to have made a careful study of them instead of rejecting them outright or laughing them off. The book will continue for some time to be a convenient handbook for all those who care to know something about these sects. It is expected that a second volume will be out sometime in 1953 which will describe the following sects: Dotoku Kagaku, Honmichi-Hombu, Tenri Hondo, Rissho Koseikai, Tenchikodo Zenrinkai, Eno kyo, Manji Kyodan, Shinsen Reidokyo, and Nippon Jehovah Kyodan. THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 61 2. Tenrikyo Flourishing Perhaps neither Tenrikyo nor Konkokyo should be called new religions since they are both about a century old. But they are still new in the sense that they are quite independent from the older religious traditions of Japan in spite of the fact that they are usually classified as Shinto sects. Mrs. Miki Nakayama, foundress of the Tenri relig ion, is said to have received a divine revelation on Nov. 26, 1837. She had been a devout adherent of Jodo Bud dhism, but the occasion for her revelatory experience was rather provided by a shamanistic practice of a shu- genja, a monk of a syncretic type. He was invited to her home to pray for the healing of her husband and eldest son. The monk had to conjure a divine spirit, so she offered herself to serve as his medium. Quite un expectedly, however, a new god hitherto unknown spoke through her announcing his name as " Motp-no-kami " or " Jitsu-no-kami ", which means the original or true god, and claiming her to be his abode. For two days and two nights members of her family kept asking the god to withdraw from her, but they finally submitted and received her as the god s shrine. Later the god came to be called " Tenrio-no-mikoto." According to the teachings of Tenrikyo, the god Tenrio-no-mikoto is the father of all mankind, fostering his children with constant care so that they live happy 62 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 and joyous lives (yokigurashi) . The optimism of yoki- gurashi is indeed quite characteristic of the sect. It teaches : death is simply putting off one s garment ; the soul, being immortal, will come back to life in a new garment ; sins are nothing but " dust " (hokori) gathered on one s soul or mind to be removed by mental cleansing ; sickness is a physical effect of mental " dust " ; remove the cause, and the effect will be eliminated im mediately. Tenrikyo is the largest and best developed of all the newer religions. Having passed through various difficulties and even persecutions, its adherents have firm conviction of its truth. As of Mar. 31, 1952, it had 13,994 churches, 78,885 preachers, and 219,953 " confirmed " fol lowers, besides over one million common believers. There are also day nurseries, orphanages, old people s homes, hospitals, sanitoriums, and other social welfare work. In Tambaichi, Nara Prefecture, where its headquarters is situated, there are schools of all grades from kindergarten to university. From the Tenri University Press are issued " Bulletin of Tenri University ", " Yamato Bunka ", and a bimonthly " Bulletin of the Institute of Religious Culture ", all of high academic quality. The Department of Koreanology of the University edits " Chosen Gakuho ". The following are some of the articles that appeared recently in these publications : " Christianity under the Chinese Communist Government ", " Christianity in the Soviet Union ", " The THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 63 NCCC in America ", " The NCWC in America ", " Judaism in America " (Bulletin of the Institute of Religious Culture, No. 18, Nov., 1952) ; " On Subjectivity in Religion : the Essential Construction of Believing ", " Relacion del Martirio de los 26 Christianos Crucificandos en Nagasaqui el 5 de Febrero de 1597 " (in Japanese translation, Yamato Bunka, No. 32, Nov., 1952). On April 18, 1952, the Tenri headquarters announced that there will be a grand celebration of the seventieth anniversary of Mrs. Nakayama s " ascension " in 1956. October 30 November 1 there were gathered some 15,000 leading priests of the sect in Tambaichi to be in structed about preparations for the coming occasion. Mr. Shozen Nakayama, present head of the sect, said in an address that the spirit of fukugen (return to the beginning) should be the spirit pervading the anniversary. By fukugen, however, he does not mean a return to the past but making a fresh start by returning to the original purity of the foundress s faith. The address has been printed in the monthly " Michi-no-Tomo ", Dec., 1952. 3. Is Konkokyo Declining? Another remarkable religion is Konkokyo. It also claims that its founder, Mr. Bunjiro Konko, received a special revelation on Oct. 21, 1859, that he should from thenceforth devote his whole life to the ministry of inter cession and counselling for people. His god he called " Tenchi-kane-no-kami", who is believed to be the only 64 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 true god, creator and father of all. Having experienced his oneness with this god, Mr. Konko called himself "Ikigami-konko-daijin" (Konko-god-manifest-in-life) . Thus Konkokyo is a monotheistic religion with Mr. Bunjiro Konko as its revealer. It emphasizes the parental care of the father-god of all men and teaches love, gratitude, and trust as the basic virtues of man. It is a religion of simplicity and practicability. It rejects all charms and amulets as well as all superstitious beliefs in days and directions. As in the case of Tenrikyo, Konkokyo also classifies its adherents into two classes: kyoto or confirmed fol lowers, and shinto or common believers. The latest available statistics give, as of Dec. 31, 1950, the number of kyoto as 89,947 and of shinto as 548,026, the total be ing 637,973. The number of preachers is 3,292, including 1,299 women preachers. There are 1,589 churches belong ing to this sect. The sect was far stronger in prewar days. The number of its " common " believers in 1930 stood at 705,944 ; this increased to 1,043,416 by 1935 and reached the highest peak of 1,151,977 in 1940. Thus the most urgent problem of the sect is how to recover its prewar strength. In 1949 there was started a movement called " Otoritsugi-joju-shinjin-seikatsu Undo " to strengthen the religious life of the sect. The year 1953 is expected to be a great year for the sect because, besides being the fifth year of the undo, the year will THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 65 commemorate the 70th anniversary of the death of Mr. Matajiro Konko as well as the 60th anniversary of the death of his immediate successor, and will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the dedication of Mr. Setsutane Konko as the head of the sect. What results will come out of the programs and activities of this special year are yet to be seen. 4. More Human Beings Deified A more distinctly Shintoistic sect is Shinrikyo or the Divine Reason Religion which claims to have 907 churches, 4,474 priests, and 1,365,116 adherents at the end of 1952. The sect worships eighteen Shinto divinities and regards its founder, Mr. Tsunehiko Kannagibe (1834-1906), as a direct descendant of Nigihayahi-no-mikoto, a grandson of the Sun-goddess. He also claimed to have received a special revelation which commanded him to enter a career of religious ministry. The revelation is said to have occurred on Oct. 16, 1876. The sect is now preparing the founder s writings. Probably more and more emphasis is going to be placed on his person as mediator between the divine and the human. Omoto Aizen-en is another sect which deifies human beings. Back in 1892 Mrs. Naoko Deguchi (1836-1918) began receiving inspirations which she recorded in black and white. They were then collected and became the scripture of the sect. She and her son-in-law, Wanisaburo Deguchi (1871-1948), are believed to be two manifestations 66 THE GENERAL SURVEY OF JAPAN IN 1952 of the divine in the pantheon headed by the supreme god Omoto-sume-okami. The sect, once suppressed by the government in 1936, is now steadily growing again. It teaches love, purity, optimism, progress and unity as the most basic principles of human life and society. It shows a vital interest in world peace. i 5. Gods Walking on the Streets The " living deities " (ikigami) above mentioned are all persons of the past, but there are others which are living now. One of them is Mrs. Sayo Kitamura (born 1900) , the Okami-sama or Great Goddess of Tenshoko Dai- jingu-kyo, popularly called the " Dancing Religion ". The decisive date for this sect was Aug. 11, 1945 when Mrs. Kitamura announced herself to be the only daughter of the Heavenly Goddess, Tenshoko Daijingu. Her home is in Tafuse, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where the headquarters of the sect is situated, but she is constantly travelling and in 1952 went as far as Hawaii to preach, sing and dance. According to her teachings, the goddess Tenshoko Dai jingu is the same being as the Heavenly Father of the Christians and the Buddha (hombutsu) of the Buddhists. The same absolute God was taught 3,000 (sic) years ago by Gautama, 2,000 years ago by Christ, and is now in these last days speaking through Sayo-san ! Her words are often crude but always clever, sometimes revealing genuine religious insights. THE NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS 67 Mr. Jikan Okada, founder of the World Messianic Religion (Sekai Messhiakyo), does not call himself a god but claims himself to be the Messiah who has come to earth to save mankind from the three evils of sickness, poverty, and war, and to establish a perfect world of peace, truth, goodness, and beauty. He says he is a greater one than Christ, Buddha, Mohammed, or Con fucius. His god whom he calls Jehovah has, however, other names also : Amida, Miroku, Kannon, and Izunome- no-kami. He is well-read and writes constantly. He is opposed to modern medicine. He defines sickness as a physiological phenomenon of self-purification which should not be interfered with by artificial methods. He also says, however, that diseases are sometimes caused by evil dem ons. A pamphlet has just been put out with the date of Jan. 1, 1953, which is entitled " Saving America " (" Am- erika wo Sukuu ") . Oddly enough it is written all in Japanese although the author promises that it will be later translated into English. CHAPTER II THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN PART I CHRISTIAN WORK EVANGELISTIC TRENDS by Isamu Omura The contents of this report on " Evangelistic Trends " will be limited to materials from the United Church of Christ in Japan (Kyodan). All Protestant Churches in Japan (1951-1952) Churches Ministers Members 2,966 3,978 214,260 Kyodan Only Churches Ministers Members 1,461 1,242 136,452 The most important event in evangelistic trends in 1952 was the establishment of the Naikoku Dendokai (Home Missions Society) by the Seventh General Assembly of the Kyodan in October. It is one of the two com mittees in the General Evangelistic Committee (Sogo Dendo linkai) which is responsible for all the evangelistic activities of the Kyodan. 68 EVANGELISTIC TRENDS 69 General Evangelism Comm. Home Missions Society Cooperative Evangelism Committee There is a double significance to the establishment of the Home Missions Society : a. First, it is to promote a self-supporting missionary spirit and to strengthen mutual help among indigenous churches belonging to the Kyodan. Since the World War II ended, more than 260 million yen ($722,000) of emergency aid has been given through the Interboard Committee of North America. Even in 1952 the total budget for evangelism in the Kyodan was Y 17,430,000 ($48,417), and of this budget only Y 2,350,000 ($6,528.00), or 134%, came from the indigenous churches, while Y 14,935,000, or 85.6%, was from the Interboard Committee. Of course, we shall never be able to overestimate the contribution which this financial aid made to the evange listic activities of the Japanese church which has faced a great missionary opportunity during the time of pain and sorrow caused by the tragedy and damage of the war. Since, however, the recovery of national independence in 1952 and the great improvement in the living standard of the Japanese people, there have been heard voices within Kyodan circles which regret the fact that the self-supporting spirit of the churches has been weakened 70 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN because of such great financial support from the Inter- board Committee. As a matter of fact, there have been two traditional characteristics in the history of Japanese Protestantism ; i. e., the super-denominationalistic, and the self-supporting tendencies. The Home Missions Society is the answer to these voices on the one hand, and it will encourage the spirit of our Lord s saying, " It is more blessed to give than to receive," on the other. b. Secondly, I want to mention here that it is a great misunderstanding to consider that the establishment of the Home Missions Society is a result of a narrow and exclusive spirit which rejects cooperative hands from abroad. Of course, there are some regrettable facts which confuse the independence of the church with national independence. Some say that the evangelization of Japan should be done solely by the Japanese. Consequently, for them the Home Missions Society seems to be con sidered as the organ which, in the future, makes ecumeni cal cooperation unnecessary. But that is not the real idea of this committee. The missionary obligation in Japan is not only the obligation of the Japanese church, but also that of the world church. " Mission in Unity " is the vital obligation of the church. The real aim of the Home Missions Society is to foster the spirit of positive participation in this " Mission in Unity " in the Japanese setting. The main articles in the Constitution of the Home Missions Society are as follows : EVANGELISTIC TRENDS 71 1. The United Church of Christ in Japan sets up the Home Missions Society under the General Evangelism Committee for the purpose of encouraging the missionary spirit among the Kyodan churches to evangelize the whole nation by means of indigenous funds. 2. Duties of the Society: a. Investigation and planning of the mission in this country. b. Opening of pioneer evangelism. c. Raising funds from Kyodan churches. 3. The Society promotes the purpose of No. 1 and 2 through close cooperation with the Cooperative Evangelism Committee (CEC). The Cooperative Evangelism Committee (CEC) is another sub-committee in the General Evangelism Com mittee. Legally, CEC is one of the sub-committees of the Council of Cooperation, which is the ecumenical coopera tive organ of the Kyodan and the Interboard Committee ; but, functionally, it works under the General Evangelism Committee. There are two major functions of CEC. They are the planning and promoting of pioneer evange lism in the unoccupied areas on the one hand, and the assignment of evangelistic missionaries on the other. The members of CEC are composed of Japanese and missionary representatives. Its funds are from the Inter- board Committee. In the fiscal year of 1952 the CEC with a budget of Y 3,500,000 has founded 19 pioneer churches where there were no churches before. Among 72 them 9 churches already have gotten more than 20 members, and 11 churches had more than 20 attendants at Sunday services at the end of a year. Five-year Evangelistic Program The Five-year Evangelistic program of the Kyodan, which started in 1949, has marked an epoch in the history of Japanese evangelism. The main results of the program are : a. Positive penetration of the Gospel into the rural areas where there were very few churches. b. The awakening of lay evangelism especially visita tion evangelism. c. Vocational or occupational evangelism for the mass of workers in industries and mines. 1953 is the concluding year of the program. There fore the General Evangelism Committee is planning a special program for the year. a. " Harvest and Advance " is the slogan with the Bible text of John 4 : 35. " Lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest." b. Special emphasis will be laid on strategic programs in each local prefecture throughout the nation. c. A national conference on " The Mission of the Church " is to be held in September. A special Youth Emphasis Program is set up for 1953 especially for evangelism among students. RURAL WORK by E. Frank Gary The Situation In the on-going life and mission of the Christian church in Japan, the undertaking of rural evangelism and rural work in general is not a new departure. From the beginning the church touched the life of the rural areas, if by no other means than the witness of those who had been converted in urban areas and had returned to their native villages. But in a peculiar way in the postwar days the church has become conscious of the crying need of more intense rural evangelism. It has become clear that during the late war much of the strongest support for the forces of militarism came from the rural areas and that here was often found the centers of the most virulent nationalism. And in many cases these were precisely the areas where Christian influence was most negligible. Furthermore, as the church, recup erating from the wounds of war, took stock of itself and considered its strategy for the new day, it became sharply conscious of the disproportion in evangelistic emphases. In the past the concern with educational institutions and urban evangelism in general had doomed rural evangelism to remain a subsidiary and much-neglected area of the church s work. The evident concentration of missionaries in urban areas and educational institutions only served 73 74 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN to underline what was true of the church at large. The postwar church, then, has come to realize that former patterns and proportions are no longer adequate. The result has been that rural evangelism has begun to assume unprecedented importance in the total planning of the church. The increasing use of the term " pioneer evangelism " is another evidence of this concern, for, while the term does include pioneer areas as factory and mine evangelism, the major area of pioneer evangelism continues to be in the rural field. The proportion of money devoted to rural evangelism has increased greatly and the category of missionary sought from foreign churches has become increasingly that of the rural evangelist. In this time of sharpened awareness of and emphasis upon rural evangelism, what is the actual situation that the church faces? In view of the magnitude of the task that remains to be done the situation is that the church is undertaking the evangelism of rural Japan relatively from scratch. After some ninety-odd years of Protestant Christianity in Japan the church is largely an urban phenomenon. This is not confined to the metropolitan areas, for even in the prefectures the centers of Christian activity are overwhelmingly the towns and cities. (A glance at the statistics in the Kirisutokyo Nenkan and the Japanese Christian Yearbook for 1951 will be sufficient to confirm this fact.) The writer has been interested to note in his own prefecture that even those churches RURAL WORK 75 which consider themselves, and are considered by others, as rural churches are largely situated in towns often of considerable size. One is tempted to think that the term " nocho " would be more appropriate than " noson " when applied to the existing evangelistic situation! It is true that the town often plays a large role in the total life of the rural area, and consequently the fact that the church is in a town need not disqualify it as a rural church. But the truth of the matter is that in all too many cases the town church is indifferent to the challenge of the surrounding rural area. If it touches the life of that area, it is more by accident than by design. In short, as the church in its fresh orientation and awareness considers the urgency of rural evangelism, it faces what is practically an untapped constituency with its own special demands and problems. Problems in the Rural Areas 1. Most of the problems are related to or derived from the basic underlying problem of how to transform the Japanese church from an urban church to one in which the rural church has at least an equal place. Nor should the recent awareness of rural evangelism which has been mentioned be taken as a universal awareness in the church. There still remains much education to be done on the lower levels and particularly among church congregations who must provide the drive and initiative for aggressive rural evangelism. There is a 76 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN natural human tendency to exploit the easiest areas of opportunity first, and there is no doubt that the cities and towns bring quicker results for the amount of energy expended. Yet, it would seem imperative that the whole church become fired by the pressing need for more widespread rural evangelism. As long as the church is satisfied to remain predominantly an urban church, the drive for rural work will be cut off at the source. Hence we have a need for the will to transform the church. And it may well be that the dynamic for such a change in the church will have to come from the laity. 2. One of the great problems facing the church as it contemplates increased activity in the rural field is that of financial support. The effective undertaking of pioneer work may in many cases necessitate opening up areas where there is no financial support for the evan gelist. Indeed, it may be that there will be little in the way of self-support for many years because results are not achieved as quickly as in the urban districts. But the Japanese church is a relatively poor church, and to date it has often proved difficult to get even the necessary support for already-existing work. At the same time it can be said that, because of inadequate training in Chris tian stewardship, the church has never really tapped the resources that are available. Yet when all this is granted, it still remains a very real problem how to provide sufficient outside support to maintain evangelists until such time as churches capable of self-support are RURAL WORK 77 established. 3. Still another problem is the absence of a co ordinated strategy of rural evangelism among the churches. On the one hand there is, as one writer put it, " what Stanley Jones referred to as the pastor-smothered nature of the church here. There is an almost naive lack of any effort to divide the job up geographically." This results in what often seems like a " vast game of clerical leapfrog." It is inevitable to some extent that ministers go where their personal contacts lead them, but there tends to be far too much duplication of effort. Ministers of different denominations and sometimes, even more lamentably, of the same denomination maintain small causes in the same rural area while other nearby areas go quite untouched. And, if the national churches are slow to develop an integrated strategy, the missionaries often do not do much to help. The bewildering variety of postwar Christian groups has made a workable system of polity impossible and has sown confusion among the non-Christian constituency to whom they have gone. Again, too many missionaries tend to congregate in the areas of quickest returns, thereby reinforcing a weakness of the national church. In many cases where they do go into rural areas their tactics are rather hit-and-run with a complete absence of a long-term view. They go into a place, but for one reason or another they pull out after a brief stay. They leave behind them often a 78 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN legacy of confusion and even resentment which makes it difficult for the Japanese church to establish permanent work in the area for some time to come. The broad, untouched reaches of Japan call for thoughtful planning on the part of both the national churches and the mis sionary forces. 4. The above-mentioned problems are largely those arising from the life of the evangelizing churches. There are other problems arising from the nature of the rural area itself. The first of these and, with the possible exception of Hokkaido, the most widespread is that of breaking through the barrier of tradition and custom. It is a paradoxical situation that in a very real way many rural villages are indifferent to religion and yet, at the same time, their formal ties to the traditional religions of Shinto and Buddhism cause them to view with suspicion all attempts at Christian evangelization. In at least one case brought to the writer s attention, active persecution instituted by the local Shinto priest was resorted to in an attempt to block the activities of a Christian lay worker. Time and again the church runs head on into deeply rooted local customs, the family system, etc. Constantly it must contend with opposition accorded it as a foreign religion. In some places the difficulty in finding a place of meeting because of this opposition, combined with a certain reluctance in accepting invita tions to use a private home, places obstacles in the way of starting work. It is true of Japan as with RURAL WORK 79 most countries that the country is the stronghold of conservatism, hence always the most difficult situation to meet with the appeal of Christ for men s loyalties. It is interesting that wherever one goes in rural Japan (again, with the possible exception of Hokkaido) the ministers are convinced that their area is the most difficult in Japan. This would lead one to conclude that rural conservatism and related characteristics make all rural areas uniformly difficult when compared with the towns and cities. 5. Related to the nature of the rural situation and at the same time related to the life of the church is the problem of the kind of evangelist best fitted to work in the rural field. Handicaps of education, time, and energy such as exist here render doubtful the efficacy of the academic and theological type of minister that is often found in rural work. The simplification of the Gospel to its essentials and a more practical demonstra tion of its power may be a first requirement of a revised rural strategy. The preaching of the latest trends in European and American theology is hardly likely to prove an effective evangelistic tool to farmers and fisherfolk with no knowledge of Christianity. What the Church Can Do 1. Perhaps the place the church should begin is with prayer for rural evangelism that by the power of the Holy Spirit there may be born in all the church the 80 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN eager desire to forward this work. Every effort should be made to shake the church out of its urban, middle- class complacency and lay the burden of rural work heavily on its heart. 2. The problem of support for rural evangelism is one for which I see no immediate or easy solution. I purposely refrain from any mention of the use of mis sionary funds, for the day would seem to be here when the church must increasingly shoulder its own financial responsibilities. What a Japanese minister in Hok kaido calls " reciprocal evangelism " may be part of the answer. The city churches with their greater resources may have to take a greater share of the support for rural work with vision and sacrifice. As I have already men tioned, the time is already overdue for more intensive education of the church in the responsibilities of Chris tian stewardship whereby all the latent resources of the church may be made available for the work of evangelism. The Kyodan has taken a great forward step in the solution of this problem of support by the formation of a Home Missions Society whose resources will come entirely from indigenous sources. 3. The emergence of an interdenominational strategy of rural work at a high level seems highly unlikely at the present stage. But it can be done within each denomination. And more important is the fact that it can be done interdenominationally at a local level within each prefecture or natural area. The obligation lies upon RURAL WORK 81 the missionaries to aid in this matter of strategy by working out and abiding by a system of polity as soon as possible. Once again, if this moves too slowly at the upper levels, it is imperative that some satisfactory local arrangement be worked out wherever possible. In the development of a rural strategy increasing use can be made of consecrated laymen. The time has long passed when the clergy could justifiably retain all respon sibility in their own hands. The task is too big for the - clergy to do alone, and furthermore the laity can penetrate effectively into areas that would be closed to ministers. There is some indication that such a development is alreadyJjaking place. 4. The church must face up to the peculiar nature of the rural situation and adapt its message. From Hokkaido comes the suggestion that the church increas ingly attempt to present its gospel visually. The church might well study the symbols, the myths and institutions of rural life with a view to adapting them to the life of the church. It is true that such a work of adaptation carries its own dangers, but it is equally true that no faith which ignores the symbols in rural life or fails to provide acceptable alternatives will make much headway. The church in the rural setting should ponder anew the truth of the Incarnation and seek means of mediating its spiritual message through material symbols for those untrained to fathom the abstruseness of Barth and Niebuhr. 82 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN 5. The need for a thorough study and understanding of the rural situation is closely related to the problem of the type of worker required. The church should seek men who, while not necessarily specialists in the technical sense, will by their understanding of and sympathy with the problems of the rural area fit into to that scene. They should have a sensitive appreciation of the values of rural life and a deep and abiding love for its people. They should have a keen perception of the needs of those whom they serve and an ability to temper their message to those needs. This is far more important than a mere transmission of the formulas and dogmas learned in theological college. Above all, they must minister to the whole life of the people as they find it, not to the unreal image of life as they have preconceived it. For missionaries who come from an alien culture it is especially important so to adapt their ministry with patience and sensitivity. 6. The church will make its deepest impact when there is added to its proclamation of the eternal truths of the gospel a wider ministry to the whole life of rural Japan. This ministry may take many forms according to the genius of the evangelist or church and the peculiar needs of each area. Some concrete examples are given in the next section. Mention could be made of child welfare clinics enlisting the help of Christian doctors and nurses ; programmes of adult education ; youth work related to the needs and potentialities of young people ; classes in nutrition and sanitation and such other subjects RURAL WORK 83 as would lead to a bettering of material circumstances. What the Church is Doing The following are just a few examples that have come to the writer s attention of the wider ministry of the church in rural evangelism. In these situations we see already operating many of the factors mentioned above and a lively attempt to solve the problems of rural evangelism. In some cases the informants are quoted directly. 1. " Larger parish approach centered in one town. In Nagano-cho (Osaka-fu) the church is centered in a rural area and is sparked by a young pastor who has great vision much of which has begun to materialize. One example is the church-related middle school with a church farm. There are plans for a dormitory for rural students who can earn their board by working on the farm. The whole project is laid within the larger parish framework." 2. Dairy projects. In Shimane Ken one church is working on a project to establish a Christian dairy in a few years. In the Hokkaido the Christian Dairy College not only is doing excellent work of an agricultural nature but sponsors a two-week Gospel School in summer and winter whose graduates after two years already number 280 and are to be found in all the main agricultural dis tricts of the Hokkaido. Workers from the college also do widespread travelling evangelism in the rural areas. 84 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN 3. Rural centers. The establishment of rural centers in several places is a significant feature of recent times. In Tokyo the Kyodan has for several years conducted the Rural Training Center which is a national center for training rural evangelists who, it is hoped, will in turn furnish the driving force for local centers in the areas to which they return. In Hokkaido the churches of Yakumo and Nopporo each have a rural center which conducts studies in rural evangelism and rural leadership training. These centers are the focal points for evangeliza tion of a wide area. Ibaraki Ken has a new rural center whose plans promise to make it a most effective instru ment for the wider ministry to the rural areas of that prefecture. These plans include such things as clinics ; lectures on women s diseases, child care and nutrition; rural gospel schools ; family life and cooking classes ; and demonstrations in sanitation and first aid. All these centers, besides the community-centered activities just mentioned, use freely the " normal " forms of evangelism, spoken, written and audio-visual. In Chiba Ken there has been established under the leadership of Dr. Sam Franklin a rural center with plans for a kindergarten, church and clinic, which will fulfil many of the functions already described. Quotations from the objectives of this center as outlined by Dr. Franklin might well serve as a summary of the objectives of all such rural centers, if not the whole movement for rural evangelism. Among such objectives are (a) RURAL WORK 85 "To make Christian love concrete on as many planes of life as possible... the works of love which are one of the truest witnesses to the Gospel are largely lacking." (b) "To stress Christian education. The opportunity is endless and children s gatherings are certainly the first step toward adult contacts. However we feel that even where it is going on the standards are pretty low... We hope to develop a curriculum and methods adapted to the rural situation." (c) " To emphasize the relevance of Christianity to all of life, individual and social. I have a feeling that the social implications of our faith for Japanese farm life are a pretty neglected field. The twin dangers are to neglect the whole subject or to over simplify. I hope we can focus on local problems, begin ning perhaps with home life. Right now it looks to me as if there had been too much pussy-footing in Christian dealing with such matters as the position of women. Secular sociologists are more realistic and down to earth in their appraisal of the rural family than Christians are. See for example Fukudake s recent " Nihon Noson no Shakaiteki Seikaku ." Conclusion As I catch the mood of today in rural evangelism, I cannot but feel deeply that the power of the Holy Spirit is moving strongly in the church s life. There is a stir ring in the spiritual depths of the church s life. The fruits of rural evangelism will follow in the measure that 86 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN we allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to transform us and through us the folk we serve, and in the measure that we use the God-given powers of mind and spirit that are available to everyone who faces the world as a spokesman of the most high God. Results will come slowly, and we deceive ourselves if we expect otherwise. But we have the sure confidence that because the work is the Lord s, results will come. This article has been an attempt to give a brief description of the problems and achievements of rural evangelism in Japan by one who is a foreigner and a beginner. It is by no means a complete picture, and it may be in some cases less than accurate. The writer acknowledges with gratitude the information and help given him by a number of people in widely separated parts of Japan. However, any deficiencies of fact or judgment in the article are entirely his own responsibility. LAYMEN S WORK by Moto Sakata Problems in Laymen s Work a. The General Situation. All Japanese laymen and laywomen are now hearing God s call to be ministers. In the 6 years since the end of World War II 13 million copies of the Bible were sold by the Japan Bible Society and about 10 million copies were distributed free to a great many homes. Thus each home in this country has been provided with one or perhaps more copies of the Bible. Each year about seventy Christian colleges and high schools, most of which have a proven history of fifty to seventy years, send out 50 thousand new graduates. Several hundred churches have their own kindergartens, and about the same number of Christian social settlements and hospitals are functioning well. There are approxi mately 2,300 churches served by something over 3,000 ministers and around 1,000 missionaries. However, the total number of church members is no more than 250,000. Japan is probably the most difficult field in the world for evangelization. But these 250,000 Christians are now hearing God s voice to dedicate themselves to this difficult task of evangelism with which they are all concerned. b. Establishment of the Laymen s Association. 87 88 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN In 1945. just after the war s end, the General Assembly of the Kyodan agreed unanimously upon the establishment of a laymen s association. Consequently the Laymen s Association was formed in March, 1946, and 26 chapters were established in various cities throughout the country. The Association issued a declaration at the General Assembly on Oct. 22, 1952, as follows: " A Pledge of One Body, One Faith 1. We, the lay-representatives to the 7th General Assembly, herewith pledge ourselves firmly to hold to One Body, One Faith and not to take part in sectarian movements. 2. We demand mutual agreement and unity among all laymen who belong to the Kyodan and earnestly hope that this will be realized. Agreement 1. Volunteer laymen from all parts of Japan will endeavor with complete cooperation to establish the finances of the Kyodan upon a firm foundation and to strengthen the financial condition of the local churches. 2. The lay-representatives to the General Assembly join in this agreement and will endeavor to encourage as many fellow-laymen as possible to join in it. Lay-representatives Committee 7th General Assembly of the Kyodan " c. Laymen s Sunday. " Laymen s Sunday " has been observed for the last LAYMEN S WORK 89 three years on the second Sunday of October. This idea was taken from the laymen s movement in New York and each year the churches are taking this more seriously. Last year large joint meetings were held in many of the large cities. d. It is said that the laymen s movement in the U. S. is practicing the idea of daily work with God so that this world may become the Kingdom of Christ. Under the leadership of Mr. Speer and Mr. Penny this move ment is trying to apply the Golden Rule to daily work. We believe that the laymen in this country also should make the same effort. We must work together for this purpose at the same time that we work for evangelism. We hope that we can cultivate friendship with laymen abroad so that we may be able to work together for the same purposes. How is the Church Helping this Movement ? Each conference (kyoku) is training lay-preachers, and in the same way theological lectures are being offered to laymen. The average attendance at 15 lectures in the Osaka conference last fall was 110 each time. Furthermore, each conference holds annual training con ferences and general meetings for laymen, and many lay- leaders are doing outstanding work at these meetings. Practical Activities of the Laymen s Association a. We are promoting so-called "vocational evange- 90 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN lism". Three years ago the writer translated into Japanese the book " Argument for Vocational Evangelism " by Goodwin, and all copies were quickly sold out. We have organized a number of groups for vocational evang elism among builders, doctors, lawyers, and school teachers, and we are also pushing this evangelistic movement into mines, factories and prisons. b. In Osaka we have formed a group called the " Shinsei-kai " (" New Life Group ") which is now doing reform work among delinquent youth. The Osaka Chris tian Social Center is taking care of released prisoners and is giving medical treatment to the poor. This center also maintains a home for old people. Total expenditures for last year were Y 400,000. c. In Tokyo the laymen s movement sponsors Christ mas celebrations in a number of places. d. Ministers in this country have submitted without complaint to unbelievably low salaries. The average income is only about Y 6,000 per month (approx. $ 16) . Even though most of these ministers are provided with parsonages and receive extra income from weddings and funerals, and although they have benefited from relief from American churches, their total incomes are ex tremely low. The Laymen s Association is seriously studying this problem and is about to start a movement to increase offerings from church members with the goal of raising ministers salaries as high as those of govern ment school teachers. LAYMEN S WORK 91 Program for the Future a. The Christian Center in Osaka. The Osaka chapter of the Laymen s Association has been planning to build a Christian Center in Osaka. It has already raised a fund of Y 15 million. The IBC has secured $ 30,000 and the Episcopal Church has also decided to give $3,000 towards the project. Building will be started in the spring of 1954 with a budget of 70 million for which a fund-raising campaign is still in progress. b. Radio Broadcasting. When Mr. Vernon Margett visited Japan in the summer of 1951 he pointed out the importance of radio broadcast ing as a means of evangelism, and Japanese lay- leaders who were struck by the proposal organized the Japan Broadcasting Evangelism Association. Mr. Kensuke Ho- riuchi, ex-Ambassador to the U. S., Mr. Soichi Saito, General Secretary of the National YMCA, Mr. Tsunetaro Miyakoda, General Secretary of the Japan Bible Society, Mr. Vernon Margett. and the writer were appointed ex ecutives for this project. Since then Mr. Margett has been raising funds for it in Australia and New Zealand and is now on his way back to Japan. A fund-raising campaign is also being started in Japan. Dr. Toyohiko Kagawa has promised to help out on this project. It is earnestly hoped that the Gospel will before long begin to reach into every home through the air-waves. YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK by W. M. Fridell A. CHRISTIAN YOUTH WORK IN GENERAL The Churches Overseas Christian friends who visit Japanese churches never fail to express amazement over the great number of young people they see in congregations wherever they go. The 1952 Kirisutokyo Nenkan reports that in a survey of churches of several different types 59% of the Christians and 11% of the seekers attending the Sunday morning worship services were young people 25 years of age and under. These impressive figures bear out the fact that, at least so far as number of partici pants is concerned, postwar Japanese Protestant Christ ianity is to a surprising extent a young people s movement. No one, least of all Japanese Christian leaders them selves, would say that the youth evangelistic work of the churches is all it should be. Many wish the churches message would more consistently prepare young people to meet in a positive and intelligent manner the tremend ous intellectual, ideological and social problems which confront Christians in Japan today. The fact remains, however, that the churches are appealing to and enlisting for Kingdom service large numbers of youth. They are responding with heart-warming sincerity. This in itself 92 YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 93 is of great and encouraging significance. Much more should be said about youth work in the churches but it is such a huge subject that this very general survey must be content with the simple statement that has been made and pass on to other areas of young people s work. Other Agencies When we turn from the churches to the various auxiliary Christian agencies working with young people, we find five organizations with extensive programs : the YMCA, YWCA, Youth for Christ, the United Church (Kyodan) Youth Department, and the NCC Youth Com mission. The " Y "s, in addition to various evangelistic, edu cational, club and group work activities for different age groups, carry on certain projects designed to minister to special groups of youth where they work and live. The city YWCA s are working with factory girls, business girls, and maids and wives in the home ; the YMCA operates several industrial branches and rural centers ; both YMCA and YWCA run extensive Hi-Y work on high school campuses ; and both have summer camp programs. In the section on Student Work will be found a separate discussion of the " Y " Student Departments. Youth for Christ is engaged in spearhead evangelism among all age groups, but with special concern for youth. In cooperation with the churches it holds special meet- 94 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN ings in auditoriums, tents, schools, factories and prisons. Every seeker is followed up with Bible instruction, both in classes and by correspondence, and as of January 1, 1953, 6,504 persons were reported in this follow-up program. Efforts are continually made to relate these converts and seekers to churches. The Youth for Christ Japan Director is Rev. Sam Wolgemuth. The follow-up Bible study is under the direction of the Navigators, in close cooperation with the Youth for Christ staff. The United Church (Kyodan) Youth Department is under the chairmanship of Rev. Toyotake Kubota, pastor of the Chiba Church, and carries on its work through five committees: (1) Evangelism Committee for Working Youth ; (2) Rural Youth Committee ; (3) Church High School Youth Committee ; (4) Church Youth Com mittee ; and (5) Church Student Committee. The Church Youth Committee is charged with publishing the Youth Department s monthly magazine under that name. A summary of the work of the Church Student Committee will be found in the section on Student Work. The National Christian Council Youth Commission is composed of representatives from various Christian groups such as the United Church, YMCA, YWCA, and several denominations. The Commission s Chairman is Rev. Takeo Katsube, pastor of the Aoyama Gakuin Church in Tokyo, and it has three part-time staff members, Rev. Masami Mizuno, Rev. Hallam Shorrock, and Mr. William Des Autels. The Commission functions primarily in YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 95 three areas : (1) Summer Service and Action projects. Since 1949 more than 1,000 young people have taken part in work camps, caravans and students-in-industry projects. (2) An annual summer conference for Japanese pastors and first-term missionaries. (3) Relations with youth and student organizations abroad. Through the Commission 13 delegates were sent to the Third World Conference of Christian Youth, held December 11-25, 1952, in Travancore, South India. B. STUDENT WORK Work among students occupies an important place in the total program of youth evangelism. There are approximately 500,000 students in higher education in Japan, distributed among 221 four-year colleges and universities and 108 junior colleges, or a total of 329 in stitutions of higher learning. Almost every Christian worker in Japan has some rewarding contacts with students, and of course the churches and other evangelistic agencies described in the first part of this article include students in their general outreach. Students, however, have many intellectual and spiritual problems peculiar to them as a group, calling for a specialized ministry in order most effectively to reach them for Christ. There are a number of Christian organizations which are giving themselves exclusively to this ministry, and in this section we wish to review the highlights of their work. 96 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN First, however, let us briefly examine the mental and Spiritual state of present-day students and try to analyze student thought on some of the issues which are occupy ing their attention. Present-day Student Thinking On the surface it would appear that life is a bit brighter for the average student now as compared with several ye.ars ago. Many students are still living under very difficult financial conditions, but a somewhat improv ed national economy has reflected itself in better clothing and more sports and other social pleasures. The tragedy of Japanese students, however, has not to do with ex ternals but with the things of the spirit. They are in a state of deep moral and spiritual confusion, and few of them hold any deep convictions about life. The recent Ministry of Education " White Paper " on students describes the present generation of Japanese students as " war babies " who were born about the time the Sino-Japanese war began and who were educated from infancy in a strongly militaristic and nationalistic atmosphere. They were completely unprepared for the defeat of 1945, and it swept out from under them every thing they had been taught to respect as secure and good. This left them utterly disillusioned, with no heart to put their trust in anything. The students negative reaction to this experience was to become severely critical of all established authority YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 97 and traditional values, and this nihilistic attitude continues to color their whole outlook on life. Great numbers of students have turned to an Epicurean way of living, some within and some without the limits of the social code. On the positive side, because of their spiritual and emotional turmoil, few of these young people have placed at the center of their lives anything more significant than the elemental struggle for basic physical necessities. What has been said here is pretty largely true of the majority of Japanese youth, as well as of students in particular. The disillusionment and spiritual confusion of the postwar years has meant that, not only are most students suffering from the absence of deep meaning in their lives, but they are also incapacitated from taking hold of social problems in a positive way. This is not because of a lack of interest, for most students engage in frequent discussions on public matters, and many react quite violently to certain specific issues. The trouble is rather that very few students have found a positive philosophy adequate to supply the motivation and direction necessary for sustained, effective social action. The exceptions to this are the communist students (some of whom are professional organizers in student uniform) . They have a clearcut program of social agita tion built around idealistic slogans and a carefully-drawn economic and social analysis, and these make a strong appeal to many students. Yet, Japanese students on the 98 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN whole do not really want a communist government, and instinctively rebel against the extreme radicalism of communist demonstrations. Although the communists are very vocal, they actually carry with them only a small minority of students, and often students who will join them in a statement or protest over a single issue would never think of going with them any further. Most students, Christians included, are opposed to the very con servative administration of Premier Yoshida s (so-called) Liberal Party, and wish for a middle-way between it and communism. Increasingly students are supporting the Socialists who, although split into left and right-wing par ties, appear slowly to be gaining strength. A recent survey at Tokyo (formerly Imperial) University showed that 80% of the students questioned favored the Socialists, either right or left. Aside from the communist students, however, politi cal opinions do not mean so much as they might because of a lack of sustained political effort, as described above. This is the case with the Christian students. The Chris tian students, of course, have a sound personal faith and therefore are not subject to the basic spiritual confusion of other students, but except for the work camps and some participation in the Christian Peace Movement there has been evidenced little ability to get into effective ac tion on social issues. This inertia in regard to social problems is really a characteristic of Japanese Christianity as a whole, and is to a great extent a result of a theologi- YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 99 cal tradition which fails adequately to relate faith to life. A recent trend among Christian students to re-examine the working of God in history and the Christian s re sponsibility within God s will for society (see SCM Trends in 1952) is an encouraging development, and holds forth the possibility of a more intelligent and effective social witness among Christian students. One reason the majority of students are opposed to Yoshida s Liberal Party is that students generally do not favor rearmament and the Security Pact with America, which all along have been two planks in Yoshida s policy. There is a very strong emotional reaction against war among all of the Japanese people, and it is with great reluctance that many envisage the prospect of rearma ment and alignment with America in the world struggle. It is feared that this may one day involve Japan in another all-out war. Especially strong among the students is the wish that Japan might remain independent of both the Eastern and Western camps, like India, which they greatly admire. One reason for this desire is the natural reaction against continued American influence in Japan, now that the Peace Treaty has been signed and the Occupation removed. This is not to say Japan will not continue within the American sphere, for the general fear of Russian invasion is strong, especially recently since Russian patrol vessels have been firing on Japanese fish ing boats in Hokkaido waters, and Russian planes have been reported over Japan as far south as Tokyo. 100 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Let us turn now to review the various agencies which are giving themselves to full-time work with students. Christian Schools Christian schools have a unique opportunity among the various agencies engaged in student evangelism, for they are in a position to shape not only the students extra-curricular interests, but to a great extent their entire academic experience as well. The 1952 Kirisutokyo Nenkan reports that of the 329 colleges and universities in Japan 47 are Protestant Christian. The educational and evangelistic effectiveness of our schools varies considerably from school to school. All are faced to some extent or another with many exceed ingly frustrating conditions such as the overcrowding of classes, a serious shortage of qualified Christian teachers, lack of opportunity for leisurely student-teacher contacts, and the never-ending drain of financial troubles. In spite of this, spiritual victories continue to be reported from every school, and some are maintaining wonderfully high standards both in their academic work and in their witness to the Gospel. Christian educators themselves are thinking seriously as to how to strengthen the evange listic work of the schools and the total contribution of Christian education to Kingdom advance in Japan. In another part of this volume a more detailed discussion of Christian schools may be found. From the Christian schools let us turn to a number YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 101 of agencies which are giving their full attention to evangelistic work among the students of colleges and universities in general. Most of these organizations are working in both Christian and non-Christian schools and concentrate for the most part on the students extra curricular time. YMCA and YWCA Student Departments By far the most extensive work in specialized student evangelism is being done through the Student Depart ments of the Japan YMCA and YWCA. In so far as it can be said that there is a Japanese SCM (Student Chris tian Movement), these two bodies constitute its core. For over 50 years they have been related to the WSCF (World Student Christian Federation) , and it is primarily through them that Japanese Christian students have con tact with the Student Christian Movements of other countries. The local work of both Student Departments is cen tered .in the campus "Y" associations, of which the YMCA has 160 with 5,600 members, and the YWCA 35 with 1,200 members. In addition, the YMCA is operat ing 13 student dormitories. Before jumping to conclu sions as to the relative strength of YM and YW work in this field, it should be remembered that in Japan women constitute only about 1/6 of the total university student population. At the national level each of the Student Departments 102 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN works through a committee of student leaders and a committee of adult advisers. The two " Y " movements engage in considerable joint work : local summer schools for discussions of student evangelism with students and professors ; a spring Leaders Conference at Gotemba for adult advisers ; the University Commission, which studies the relationship of Christianity to social science, natural science, and philosophy-education (liberal arts) ; an annual students-in-industry project, carried on in cooperation with the NCC Youth Commission ; and the annual World Day of Prayer for students. In addition to joint work, the YWCA holds a Cabinet Training Conference twice a year for student leaders, and the YMCA has an annual national summer school at Gotemba. The YMCA also publishes a monthly bulletin, " Gaku-Y News " (Student-Y News) . YMCA Student Department staff members number five, including one fraternal secretary from the United States, with Mr. Tsunegoro Nara serving as Executive Secretary. Miss Kiyo Takeda is Secretary of the YWCA Student Department. A significant feature of postwar campus " Y " work is the fact that a great majority of the associations were organized, not through the stimulation of national " Y " leadership, but purely as expressions of local initiative. In the case of the YMCA nearly 80% of its 160 groups sprang up as " self-starters " of this type. This " grass roots " strength is indicative of the genuine nature of campus " Y " work as a real movement, but correspond- YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 103 ingly the local associations tend to be independent of outside leadership, preferring to hold closely to local patterns. This presents obstacles to the promotion of various national projects and makes difficult the integra tion of the movement into a united whole. The usual program pattern of campus " Y " groups centers around Bible study and prayer, some discussions of Christian faith and life, and occasional evangelistic meetings. This kind of program appeals more strongly to non-Christian than to Christian students who are very busy with much the same type of thing in their own churches, with the result that the percentage of Christians in most campus " Y " associations is quite small, numbering only about 5 to 30%. In the final section of this article will be found a discussion of the SCM program as related to the churches. Other Student Work There are a number of groups besides the YMCA and YWCA doing Christian work with students, among them the Inter- Varsity Christian Fellowship, student centers, and the new Kyodan Student Committee. Inter- Varsity Christian Fellowship, postwar in Japan, has 10 student campus groups in Tokyo and Kobe, pub lishes a quarterly magazine called " Kirisutosha " (The Christian), and holds an annual summer conference. IVCF emphasis is primarily evangelistic, with much atten tion given to the Christian student s daily devotional life 104 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN and personal witness. The staff consists of three mis sionaries and two part-time Japanese workers, with Miss Irene Webster-Smith in the position of senior responsibility. It is hoped this spring to rebuild the headquarters (near Ochanomizu Station, Tokyo) so that it will include adequate space for a local student center. At present it appears that there are but two fully- staffed and equipped student centers in the country, both in Tokyo. Both were founded some years before the war and are now working within the framework of the United Church. The Student Christian Fellowship (overseas con nections Methodist) is located at Shinanomachi, and employs a missionary and a part-time Japanese co-director. It has a missionary residence and student hall, but it is hoped that the entire plant may be rebuilt sometime this year. The Waseda University student center, known as Waseda Hoshien (overseas connections American Baptist) , has two Japanese staff workers and a missionary family, and is equipped with a dormitory and student activity rooms, as well as living quarters for both Japanese and foreign staff members. The student center work has been considerably brightened by the decision of at least two denominations to move into the field. The Episcopal Church is now looking for property near Hokkaido University in Sapporo, and expects to build a total of five student centers in the immediate years ahead, all to be located next to YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 105 government universities. The Evangelical Lutheran Church has a Japanese pastor and a missionary family in Tokyo organizing a program for the student center it will build this spring midway between Ichigaya and lidabashi Sta tions. The plant will include a small student hostel, a chapel, student activity rooms, and a residence for the Japanese pastor and family. The Lutherans hope to esta blish another student center in Kyoto in a year or so. The expansion of student center work would seem to indicate that within the total Student Christian Movement the place of the intensive local witness is being more fully appreciated. In the fall of 1952 the United Church (Kyodan) Youth Department set up a new committee, called the Church Student Committee, to do student evangelistic work. The chairman is Rev. Teruji Hirayama, pastor of the Tokyo Yamate Church. This new committee hopes, among other things, to promote closer relationships between the Student Christian Movement and student evangelism in the churches ; extend evangelism of students in government universities ; hold leadership training conferences ; and organize a Student Evangelism Committee in each of the 13 districts of the Kyodan, patterned after the Tokyo district Student Evangelism Committee (Rev. Hirayama, chairman), the only such area committee now existing within the United Church. 106 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN SCM Trends in 1952 During the year 1952 two general trends have charac terized the student Christian program in Japan. The first has been a renewed concern on the part of students for Bible study. In the years soon after the war there was a marked interest among students in general in certain social problems such as student government and world peace, and a number of the more forward-looking Christian students and seekers shared this common enthusiasm to get into action over practical issues. One reason for the popularity of the work camps was that they came at just the right time to provide Christian young people with an outlet for their new social concern. During the past year this concern for social action has continued, but many students have evidenced a desire to go more deeply into the philosophy of the Christian social witness. This study is Bible-centered, and seeks to understand more fully the dynamic purpose and plan of God in history and the Christian s place within that plan. All of this is very encouraging and will be a double cause for thanksgiving if the study issues in more effective action. The second general trend among Christian students has been a growing desire for reconciliation with the people of other Asian countries. As contact with these nations has become more common there has come a disturbing realization of the extent to which the war YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 107 alienated Japan from her neighbors. This has produced among Christian young people a sense of sin and repentance and a deep desire for a renewal of broken ties, especially among the Christians of these other coun tries. Christian students here were profoundly impressed by a letter from the Chinese SCM stating that Chinese Christian young people had prayed for Japanese Christians during the war, and expressing a desire to re-establish Christian fellowship. In the summer of 1951 one Chris tian Philippine young person, and last summer two, came to Japan to take part in NCC work camps and other student conferences, and this spring for the first time several Christian Japanese will go to the Philippines. Letters and messages have been sent to the Christian young people of the Philippines, and even now the student YWCA is raising money to invite several Philippine students to Japan to study. Messages and books have also b een sent to the Korean SCM, and last year s World Day of Prayer offering was dedicated to help relieve the suffering of Korean students. This is some indication of how God s redemptive love is operating to heal the very real and bitter wounds of war. The SCM and the Churches Before discussing the relationship of the Japanese Student Christian Movement to the churches, a word should be said about the SCM itself. As has already been intimated, student evangelistic work in Japan cannot 108 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN yet be called a Student Christian Movement in the same sense that the term is used in other countries. From the general description just completed it can be seen that there is a genuine nation wide movement among Christian students. Its two principal contributing forces, however, the YMCA and YWCA Student Departments, although engaged in considerable joint work, are as yet not united into one Student Christian Movement body. There is some discussion of this point in student " Y " circles. One more step that should be taken in the development of a full-fledged Japanese SCM is to provide a means whereby student work outside the YMCA and YWCA can more fully join the movement as a part of an inclusive and integrated whole. Christian students are acutely aware of the fact that they are a tiny minority in the schools, and in order to develop a stronger, more adventuresome spirit in the SCM it is essential that all Christian student agencies work to gether in close cooperation and mutual support. These steps cannot be hurried if they are to represent sound progress, but those who are engaged in this work are looking for the day when Japanese student evangelism will grow into full stature as one of the genuine Student Christian Movements within the fellowship of the World Student Christian Federation. The Japan SCM and the churches are formally related through the NCC Youth Commission. Here re presentatives of the two " Y " Student Departments, YOUTH AND STUDENT WORK 109 which constitute the core of the Japanese SCM, sit down with representatives of many other Christian bodies to think together about the total youth program for the country. Here a certain amount of coordination and joint effort is possible. The NCC-sponsored work camps and caravans are a demonstration of broad-based coopera tion in the youth field. At the local level the Student Christian Movement is not so closely related to the churches as could be desired. One reason has already been touched upon, namely, that a great many Christian students are active in their churches but are not tied up with campus Christian efforts. Another reason is that, with a few outstanding exceptions, the pastors generally seem rather unaware either of the SCM as such, or of the fact that the students in their congregations are a special group deserving a special ministry. Christian students almost uniformly are hard workers in their own churches, often giving more time and strength than they can well afford to give, but aside from the regular program of the church it is the rare pastor who sits down with his students to discuss with them what is close to their hearts as students. This is one reason student centers and student Christian groups often take on some of the aspects of a church, by default, and student workers frequently find themselves function ing so much as pastors that there is all too little time left for the prophetic ministry that should be so strong in a Christian youth movement. 110 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN The SCM regards itself as a movement auxiliary to and spiritually dependent upon the church, which is God s uniquely chosen instrument for doing His work on earth. The SCM feels it has a two-fold ministry among students : (1) First, to introduce them to Christ and the fellowship of church life. In this sense the SCM serves as a door to the churches, and it considers its basic evangelistic responsibility is not fulfilled until the seeker becomes a baptized member of a local congregation. (2) Secondly, the SCM seeks to mobilize Christian students for a strong witness within the colleges and universities to the total claims of Christ in every phase of life spiritual, intel lectual and social. In this capacity the SCM becomes an arm of the churches, with the task of speaking and practicing the prophetic message of the Word of God. It is to be hoped that the pastors, SCM leaders and Christian students will give more careful thought to the respective functions of the SCM and the churches, and that increasingly these two great movements will work together in full appreciation of their partnership in a common task. CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS by Tsuraki Yano 1. Development Christian schools in Japan started in the year 1871 when the Kyoritsu Girls School was inaugurated at Yokohama. From that time on many Christian schools were opened throughout Japan in the early part of the Meiji era when Japan was keenly interested in Western civilization. The edict of the Education Ministry in 1899, however, made it unlawful to teach religion or to have religious observances even as extracurricular activities not only in public schools but also in private schools because the curricula were under government regulation. This caused great difficulty, especially to Christian secondary schools and those which wanted explicitly to preserve Christian principles, as they had to be classified in the so-called " miscellaneous school " category which was deprived of all privileges attached to regular secondary schools. After some years the way was opened for religious schools to recover these privileges by special designation of the Education Ministry for acknowledged " miscellaneous schools " as fulfilling the secondary school qualifications. During the late war many Christian schools were pressed by prefectural authorities to become regular non-religious 111 112 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN secondary schools. After the last war, however, the edict of 1899 was abolished by Education Minister Maeda and religious education in private schools was made free. At the same time the democratic and international spirit which has been stimulated by the postwar reformation has made Christian schools popular even among non-Christian people. As the result of this tendency the Christian schools have begun to increase in number and enrollment. At present there are 189 Christian schools from universities to primary schools comprising more than one hundred thousand students. 2. Theological Education There are two seminaries (Tokyo Shingaku Daigaku and Seikokwai Shingakuin) and four theological depart ments (Doshisha, Kansei Gakuin, Seinan Gakuin and Aoyama Gakuin) of college grade and above. Beside the above mentioned there are some thirty- odd seminaries and evangelist training institutes which are under the auspices of several different denominations. Among them we may mention the following institutions : Japan Biblical Seminary, Tokyo (Kyodan) ; Sem inary for Rural Evangelism at Hino, Tokyo-to (Kyo dan) ; Williams Biblical Seminary, Kyoto (Episcopal) ; Momoyama Theological Seminary, Osaka (Episcopal) ; Nippon Lutheran Seminary, Tokyo (Evangelical Lu theran) ; Kobe Seminary (Nippon Kirisuto) ; Tokyo CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 113 Bible Institute (Holiness) ; Osaka Bible Institute (Osaka Mission) ; Salvation Army Officer Training Institute, Tokyo (Salvation Army). As for enrollment, Tokyo Shingaku Daigaku has the largest (242), and Doshisha (171), Aoyama (112) and Japan Biblical Seminary (91) come next. 3. The Special Situation of the Japanese Christian Schools It is worth mentioning that the Japanese Christian schools are in a special situation. In Europe and America churches were founded and developed first, and church schools were developed later with the financial support of churches. In Japan, however, Christian schools were founded and developed side by side with churches with the aid of foreign mission boards. Being institutions in a pagan society, Christian schools in Japan have to exert a special effort to prepare the way for Christianity as well as to teach and train students to live with Christian faith. We cannot overlook their contributions in the past toward bringing the public to an understanding of Chris tianity. Therefore, evaluation of Christian schools should not be made in terms of percentage of baptized students only. It goes without saying that the policy of Christian schools should conform with the evangelistic plan of their respective denominations and that the denominations should encourage and help the schools. However, it is hoped that the denomination is careful not to interfere 114 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN with the education proper in schools which it is not actively supporting. 4. Problems in Christian Schools There are many problems confronting Christian schools in Japan at present. Among these the following are the most pressing ones. a. Finance : At the time the war ended public schools were very poorly supported for their recovery and maintenance as the government was in great financial difficulty. But Christian schools which had connections with foreign mission boards were generously helped by money, materials and teachers which were sent from abroad. However, as public schools are improving with the recovery of the country, all private schools are feeling financial difficulty in coping with this situation and Christian schools are not exceptions to this as they are supported mostly by student tuition fees which are much higher than the sum paid at public schools. Under this situation it is natural that students make it their first choice to enter public schools and colleges. Therefore, Christian schools should have special plans if they are to attract superior students. b. Establishing high academic and educational stand ards : In colleges and universities much effort should be made to maintain high academic and educational stand- CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 115 ards. However, it is difficult in preserit-day Japan to have all Christian professors who are recognized as having high scholastic ability, and as the result most of the Christian colleges and universities have to appoint non- Christian professors for some courses. In secondary schools, too, there are many cases where teachers do not have ability either in teaching or in religious training. These problems bring forth the need of con sidering a program of teacher training for Christian schools. c. Secularization : Secularization of Christian schools is a problem not only in Japan. However, difficulty in financing and in supplying able Christian teachers makes it more difficult to keep Christian standards in schools in Japan compared with those in Europe and America. The organization of the controlling boards, matters of finance, teacher train ing, curriculum, extra-curricular activity, student guidance, etc., are involved in this problem and further study is strongly required. 5. The National Christian Education Association in Japan The NCEA was organized in 1910 for the purpose of promoting Christian education through the fellowship and mutual aid of Christian schools. The requirements for membership in this association are as follows : a. The school must be incorporated. 116 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN b. Christian principles must be made clear in the constitution. c. All members of the board of trustees must be Christians in principle. d. Most of the full-time teachers must be Christians. e. Equipment and teachers salaries should fulfill certain standards. f. The school must be in the category of university, college, junior college, high school, primary school, or corresponding to these schools. There are at present 72 school foundations which are members of this association, including 16 universities and colleges (4 of them have graduate schools) , 28 junior colleges, 72 senior high schools, 63 junior high schools, 9 primary schools, and 2 seminaries, comprising 103,096 students (37,383 college students, 62,422 high school students, 3,162 primary school students, and 129 seminary students) . The following is what the NCEA is doing in the main : a. Serves as a liaison between member schools. b. Publishes a monthly paper, " Christian Education." c. Studies curricula in Christian schools. d. Publishes textbooks for use in Christian schools. e. Conducts in-service training and refresher courses for Christian school teachers, INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY by Carl Kreider During the past year a program of instruction was begun at the International Christian University at Mitaka, Tokyo. A language institute was in operation, specializ ing in English language instruction for the preparation of students for the program of the College of Liberal Arts which opened in April 1953. From the start, both English and Japanese are languages of instruction at ICU. The language institute has convinced us that Japanese students with high level ability can in a year s time mas ter English to the extent that they will be able to read technical books, write extensive term papers, attend lectures and participate actively in discussion groups all in English. It has also convinced us that young Japanese high school graduates of outstanding ability and achieve ment will be attracted to a Christian university. English language courses in oral expression, oral comprehension, written expression and reading for com prehension were taught by a total of five full-time and one part-time instructors supported by three full-time assistants. In addition the students took a course in Social Science in which four full-time faculty members participated as lecturers and discussion leaders mainly in 117 118 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN the English language. Seventy-five students were enrolled in the day courses. In addition, a total of 75 business men and foreign and Japanese teachers of English were enrolled in the evening classes and in the summer session. College of Liberal Arts The Mombusho (Ministry of Education) on December 22, 1952, announced the approval of a charter for the ICU College of Liberal Arts in the areas of natural science, social science and the humanities. All of the Christian high schools in Japan were contacted immedi ately and were asked to recommend outstanding graduates for admission to the first class. Fourteen schools responded with recommendations, and their students after submitting to a modified program of tests and interviews were granted letters of admission. The prefectures were also contacted and invited to submit candidates but because of the short time involved few responded. In future years, approximately one-third of the 150 students to be admitted annually to the College of Liberal Arts may be recom mended by the Christian schools and another one-third by the prefectures. The remainder will be selected through general admissions procedure. Christian school and pre- fectural candidates who are not admitted in the special testing and interview program will, of course, be eligible to participate without prejudice in the general competition. INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY 119 Admissions Program More than 500 applications for admission were filed this year. Almost all of these candidates had outstand ing scholastic records in high school and had scored among the upper 20 per cent of the students who took the National University Aptitude Test last December. Approximately 350 of these students were invited to the campus of ICU early in February to be interviewed by two members of the ICU faculty and to take a series of English and " Learning Efficiency " tests. The Learning Efficiency tests are given in Japanese and are designed to reveal not how much the student has already learned but how thoroughly the student can master difficult technical material in the sciences, the social sciences and the humanities in the relatively short period of time encompassed by the test. Rigid health examinations both by the students local doctors arid by the ICU staff physician completed the selection process. A special selection committee in Hong Kong chose five Chinese students from a long list of applicants for scholarship grants from the United Board of Christian Colleges in China. All of these students together with over 60 of the past year s language institute students constitute the student body of approximately 200 full-time students for 1953-54. The student body will be increased by 150 each year until the College of Liberal Arts will have reached its full $j.ze of 600 in the academic year 1956-57. By that 120 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN time it is also planned to have graduate schools with approximately 250 graduate students. Program of Instruction The program of instruction for the first year of the College of Liberal Arts is English and general education courses for the new students and general education courses alone for the students who are continuing from the English Language Institute. Each student is required to complete 24 units in intensive English instruction during his first year of residence. The only exception to this rule is for students from abroad who are already competent in English but who require an intensive pro gram of Japanese instruction before being able to take work effectively under Japanese professors. In addition to English the student elects one of his six general educa tion courses during his first year. Three of the other five courses will normally be taken in the student s second year and two in his third year. Lectures in health and recreation and physical education exercises are required of all students in their first two years of residence. The following diagram illustrates the four-year program. Students may major in natural science, social science, or the humanities. By selecting a general education course from his major field in his freshman year the student may pursue his major interest from the very beginning of his four year-program. In his sophomore year, in addition to another general education course in his INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY 121 4th year 3rd year 2nd year 1st year Area Major 26 Elective 6 units General Education j 12 units \rea Major 14 units Elective 6 units General Education 18 units Area Major 12 units P.E. 2 General Educ. 6 units English Language and Literature 24 units P.E. 2 major field he can take 12 units in specialized courses in his area major. In the last two years, of course, the student can concentrate his attention upon his major interest as much as he likes. The content of the major itself may be either broad or highly specialized, depending upon the future plans of the student. Since most of our students are preparing for leadership positions rather than highly technical appointments it is likely that most students will choose to complete their majors from various related academic disciplines rather than concentrating all of their time in one. Both lecture and discussion techniques are employed in most courses. In a typical general education course the students all meet together twice a week for lecture sessions. In the third period of the week they are divided into discussion groups of from 16 to 20 students each in order to consider together the implications of the ma terial which has been presented in the lecture. Some courses lend themselves well to laboratory work. Small 122 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN groups of students meet together in laboratory sections in the natural sciences and in certain aspects of the humanities and the English program as well. In the humanities special music listening periods are provided as well as special opportunities to look at accurate reproductions of famous works of art. Similarly small drill sections are provided in English instruction and the students have individual use of tape recorders in order that they can hear and improve their own intonation of difficult English words. Needless to say, this type of instruction demands a low ratio of students to faculty. The faculty at present contains 27 full-time instructors and 8 full-time assistants. In addition there are 9 part-time lecturers and 2 part- time assistants. Approximately one-half of the full-time instructors are from overseas, and the great majority of the native instructors have studied abroad. The foreign instructors stem from various national groups and were born in seven different countries. There is truly an international faculty. A Christian University Christianity pervades the life of the entire institution. Since all full-time members of the faculty are Christians the students have abundant opportunities to observe practical Christianity in action. Christianity also pervades all parts of the curriculum the " secular " part as well as the specific courses in Christianity. The required INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY 123 general education courses in the humanities include ex tensive sections on Christianity taught by such well-known scholars as Professors Kanda and lino and by such recognized authorities from abroad as Dr. Emil Brunner, but the sections of the courses dealing with philosophy, literature, art and music are also taught from a distinctly Christian perspective. The same is true of the general education courses in the natural and social sciences. Indeed, the Christian emphasis in these courses may well constitute one of the most significant contributions ICU can make to these students. A well-organized midweek chapel service is the pivotal point of the activity of the entire student body. On Sunday mornings some students participate as in structors in the Sunday School which serves about 200 children of the community while other students engage in similar activity in various Sunday Schools in other parts of Tokyo. Following the ICU Sunday School hour, students, faculty, and members of the community gather together for a worship service. A large number of the faculty members have contributed to this service as speakers. In addition, student religious leadership has been organized and the faculty has fostered and contributed to a number of informal religious meetings. Three different Bible study groups are meeting regularly each week under the instruction of regular members of the faculty. Smaller informal Bible study and prayer groups play a significant part in the lives of some of the students. 124 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Campus Development During the past year the large fireproof University Hall was completed and an effective heating plant installed. Class rooms, laboratories, lecture halls, library, faculty and administrative offices are all efficiently housed in this building. Six faculty apartments and four faculty homes have already been completed and more are soon to be underway. A temporary dormitory housing 22 men has been in use for a number of months and construction will begin shortly on two men s units capable of housing 130 men and a women s v dormitory for 50 women. Until these new dormitories have been completed students are being housed in suitable quarters having convenient transportation facilities to the campus. A total of nearly 30,000 volumes has already been acquired for the open stack of the library and orders are being placed which rapidly will increase these holdings. Fees and Scholarships Outside of the Y 200 application fee, the Y 2,000 admissions fee, and the Y 1,200 initial health examination required of all new students, students are subject only to the Y 15,000 per semester comprehensive fee. This means that there are no special fees for registration, for student activities, for the library or laboratory instruction in science courses. All of these fees have been combined with the tuition fee in one inclusive general fee. Recog- 125 nizing that many highly qualified young people may be financially unable to pay even this fee, however, approx imately 70 part and full tuition scholarship grants have been provided and an active student " arbeit " program is in operation. Room and board at the ICU dormitory costs the student Y 4,500 each month, but the rates in the new dormitories may be somewhat higher. Graduate Schools Graduate schools ordinarily engage in three types of functions : research, service, and instruction. A recent decision by the Mombusho to enforce the regulation barring an institution from offering graduate work until its four-year undergraduate program of instruction is in full operation has necessitated postponement of the func tion of instruction. The remaining two functions, however, are alread}^ underway on the ICU campus in the Educa tional Research Institute, the Nutrition Research Institute and the Rural Welfare Research Institute. Participants in these institutes are also receiving valuable educational experiences, although it is not possible at the present time to grant graduate credit for the work completed. SOCIAL WORK by Esther B. Rhoads Social work in Japan has continued to show steady improvement during the year 1952 but all programs have been handicapped by lack of funds and trained leadership. Budgets for public assistance although far from adequate have been increased and the better economic conditions of the country have been reflected in welfare institutions. The Community Chest surpassed its goal of Y 118,398,000 more than it ever raised before, but the number of registered welfare agencies is increasing year by year (600 new institutions registered in 1952) so that the grant from the Community Chest to a given institution has actually decreased. The two government schools of social work have graduated 453 students in the last few years and several hundred social workers have availed themselves of the short courses offered. Courses in social work are being offered by a greater number of colleges and universities. As one visits various welfare institutions one is im pressed with the improved health especially of children and with the dedication and clear sense of direction of the staff in charge. Out of the postwar confusion each institution is emerging with definite jobs and aims. More volunteers are giving time, money and materials 126 SOCIAL WORK 127 to help social work programs. Students, women s clubs, work camps, all make their contribution. Army units under the leadership of chaplains have rendered valuable service in renovating buildings, providing clothing, and planning good times for children. Social work institutions fall into many categories. Japan has some excellent institutions stressing infant care, including pre-natal care, well-baby clinics, milk stations, medical care and hospitalization for sick babies, infant homes for orphans and those whose parents because of illness are unable to care for their babies. The Boshi Aiikukai, Moriokacho, Minato-ku, Tokyo, is an outstanding example of an organization covering all phases of infant care. Branch hospitals and extension work extend the influence of this program. Day Nurseries are listed as numbering 5,583 with 502,345 children under their care. Most of the mothers are working. Some of the nurseries have a section for infants such as the Kobokwan, Terajima-machi, Sumida- ku, Tokyo, but most of them concentrate on children 3-6 years of age. Other Children s Institutions, numbering about 1,800, include : (1) orphanages (2) homes of correction (3) institutions caring for handicapped (a) blind (b) deaf 128 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN (c) mentally retarded (d) those maimed by infantile paralysis or other disease, by accident or by spastic condition. Some incipient T.B. students and other weak children are cared for in special schools at the seashore. Junior Delinquents of a more serious nature are cared for in separate institutions. The Ministry of Welfare aids those institutions caring for street-girls. Care of prisoners who cannot find work after their release is receiving increased attention by both public and private agencies. Among the institutions caring for adults are those offering training for the handicapped, care for the aged and mentally incapable. Most large cities have a " poor house " or hostel for furonin where the indigent can find shelter pending assignment to another institution or the resumption of self-support. Medical work covers a whole network of hospitals, public and private, with aid offered to the needy. (This aid is usually largely financed by public assistance and social insurance.) Public Health continues vigorous programs of educa tion and combats diseases and epidemics by providing inoculation and X-ray examinations either free or at nominal prices. Medical social workers and health centers are increasing. Tuberculosis is decreasing slightly, but sanatoria are full to overflowing, which means that patients are leaving SOCIAL WORK 129 their homes more willingly. Statistics show an increas ing percentage of patients being returned to regular work. However, out of an estimated I 1 /a millions with T.B. only 136,000 are in sanatoria. If all active T.B. patients could be separated from other members of the family the spread of the disease would be greatly retarded. Leprosy is well segregated with about 10,000 patients in sanatoria. But in spite of the somewhat improved conditions social care is still most inadequate. Budgets are too small. One has to remember that the national standard of living is low. Recently Governor Yasui of Tokyo reminded the LARA representatives that although the population of New York and Tokyo are almost equal, Tokyo s budget is just l /i of that of New York City. We need to remember this as we bump over poorly paved roads to visit the drab grey institutions with their worn, dirty bedding, lack of sheets, and patched clothes. Public assistance provides less than V 100 a day. This is just about 25 cents in American money. It is obvious that the greatest care is necessary to maintain even a basic diet, and that almost nothing is left for buildings, clothing, fuel, and other essentials. The LARA program officially came to an end in August, 1952, when the last supplies left the Yokohama warehouse. During the six years, 1946-1952, LARA im ported about eleven million dollars worth of supplies: Food... ...25,220,149 Ibs. 130 THT CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Clothing 5,863,400 Ibs. Medicine 170,367 Ibs. Shoes 662,289 Ibs. Soap 321,955 Ibs. Yarn goods 301,830 Ibs. Cotton 444,276 Ibs. Other items 492,856 Ibs. of which 1,775,048 Ibs. arrived during 1952. The LARA representatives are very conscious of the continuing need and are glad to report that a plan is being worked out whereby Church World Service, the American Friends Service Committee, and Catholic Welfare will be licensed to import relief supplies for use in welfare institutions, the cost of ocean freight, insurance, and distribution to be borne by the recipients (prefectural budgets or the institution) . Expressions of appreciation have continued. Dr. G. Ernest Bott s death in March was a great loss to the program and the deluge of flowers and other expressions of sympathy helped all to realize what a great contribu tion he had made to social work and social workers throughout Japan. As the LARA program came to an end in the summer, a national " Thank You Meeting " was held in Hibiya Hall with nearly 3,000 social workers and representative orphans and other recipients of LARA supplies gathered to express their deep appreciation. All the speakers, from Prince Takamatsu and the top government officials down to the SOCIAL WORK 131 smallest orphans, stressed the deep impression which LARA has made as an expression of the spirit of love and human brotherhood, transcending distance and war memories. The Christian movement has a right to be proud of this contribution to social work in Japan. The Protestant churches have supported more than 350 welfare projects: Settlements 15 Child care 201 Mother & children s hostels 22 Reform schools 14 Clinics 31 Sanatoria 15 Schools for handicapped 21 with hostels for ex-prisoners, homes for the aged, and other special programs making up the total list. Many of these institutions are excellent, but others because of lack of adequate support are not meeting average standards. The Christian staff members are outstanding. The churches must back these dedicated workers more fully and place more of our Christian institutions in positions of leadership. CHRISTIAN CHILDREN S FUND, INC, by Seiji Giga Christian Children s Fund, Inc., during 1952 established a permanent place for itself in the Christian social welfare scene of Japan. Where many social welfare programs were discontinued with the end of the food and clothing emergencies, C. C. F. expanded its work to aid Christian Homes in meeting the continuing needs of orphaned children. Christian Children s Fund, Incorporated, is a world wide orphan-assisting organization with headquarters in Richmond, Virginia, U. S. A., and is a member of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A. Parentless children in Christian child-welfare institutions of 23 countries throughout the free world are receiving financial and material support through the kind hearted- ness of " sponsors " in North America who contribute through C. C. F. These " sponsors " undertake to provide for the partial support of individual children in Christian orphanages in Japan, Okinawa, Formosa, Philippines, Hong Kong, Siam, India, Pakistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Italy, West Germany, Finland, Brazil, and other coun tries. These " unofficial long-range adoptions " mean that the child and his sponsor also exchange letters, photo graphs, Christmas greetings and gifts. Many sponsors 132 CHRISTIAN CHILDREN S FUND, INC. 133 regard these children as their own. Dr. J. Calvitt Clarke, the founder and director of Christian Children s Fund, Inc. s international organization, visited Japan in the summer of this year. The result of this trip was a decision by Dr. Clarke to expand C. C. F. s work by another 400 adoptions. Thus a total of 39 Homes and 2,500 children will receive C. C. F. help during 1953. Mrs. Clarke, who shares with her husband the task of making the all-important appeals from the main offices in Richmond, Va., accompanied Dr. Clarke, Rev. V. J. R. Mills, Overseas Director, Mr. Lloyd Graham of the Japan committee, and Mr. Seiji Giga on the 5-day trip. All Homes in Tokyo were visited as were those in the Osaka- Kyoto area and the // Ai En and // Ai Mura model C. C. F. Homes near Kumamoto, Kyushu. Highlights of the year included the recognition Chris tian Children s Fund, Inc., received as a qualified juridical person (shakai fukushi hojin) under the Social Welfare Act of the Japanese government. Also financial reports sent from each of the Homes affiliated with C. C. F. showed that Christian Children s Fund, Inc., is helping the affiliated orphanages more than any agency except the government itself. Nearly 15 per cent of the total financial aid received by these homes during 1952 came from C. C. F. This exceeded aid from the Community Chest and other organizations. In November four leading government social welfare 134 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN officials met with members of the Japan C. C. F. com mittee and Mr. Mills. They were Mr. Masami Takada, Chief of the Child Welfare Bureau of the Social Welfare Bureau of the Welfare Ministry ; Mr. Kan Tsuruta, Chief of the Social Welfare Institution Section ; Mr. Yasuo Tsujimura of the Child Welfare Section, and Mr. Teiji Watanabe of the Social Institution Section. The officials again expressed their thanks for LARA s aid to orphanages and offered their appreciation for C. C. F. s aid with the hope that this would be a continuing project. Mr. Takada stated that C. C. F. seemed to be taking up where LARA left off in 1952 and that C. C. F. was now the largest single private welfare agency serving Japan. The second annual C. C. F. superintendents con ference was held Nov. 18 and 19 at Yugawara. Representa tives from all Homes attended to seek answers to common problems and to share successful methods. The govern ment sent one of its child welfare experts. The Overseas Director, Mr. Mills, just returned from a 3-week tour of C. C. F. Homes in Korea, gave the main address on the subject " Practical Methods in Institutions," a subject re quested by the superintendents and committee members. Also, at the conference plans were discussed for the Ernest E. Bott Memorial Home to be constructed some where in the Tokyo area in 1953. (C. C. F., at the recommendation of D. Clarke, M. Mills and the Japan committee, will build a model home for children and for the training of social welfare workers. The Home will be CHRISTIAN CHILDREN S FUND, INC. 135 dedicated to Dr. Bott, former chairman of the Japan C. C. F. committee and director of LARA who passed away in 1952.) The chaplains of the Far East Command took special interest in Christian Children s Fund, Inc., during 1952. At the Ai Rin Dan social settlement near Ueno, Tokyo, more than 100 chaplains from all branches of the United States Armed Forces were briefed at their own request on the work of C. C. F. They were also shown through the Ai Rin Dan, a C. C. F.-affiliated Home. Near the end of the year Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Rutan, Deputy Chief Chaplain of the U. S. Far East Air Forces, announced that a special fund was being raised by the Air Force for Eurasian babies. The fund committee selected Christian Children s Fund, Inc., as the Protestant agency to receive money thus raised. The Japan com mittee of C. C. F. agreed to distribute the funds equitably to all Homes caring for children of European-Asian descent. Collier s magazine focused considerable attention on the work of Christian Children s Fund, Inc., in Japan in an article on occupation babies. In referring to the problem of caring for children of mixed blood, Collier s presented C. C. F. s plan to have the children adopted into American homes. This resulted in a flood of letters from America to the Richmond and Hong Kong offices requesting legal adoption. By year s end, however, the legal barriers for adoption into America were as high 136 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN as ever. C. C. F. sought to help in the interim, or as long as needed, with Eurasian babies in its Japan Homes by stepping up its " adoption-by-proxy " system. Eurasian children, though stealing the publicity spot light, were not the only concern of Christian Children s Fund, Inc., in Japan. C. C. F. continued to focus its atten tion on parentless children, whatever their race or back ground. It increased its efforts to build men and women through four-fold development by giving each boy and girl a sturdy body, an informed mind, trained hands and, above all, a Christian character. It continued to build its work on the words of the Lord Jesus : " Forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." CHRISTIAN LITERATURE by Norimichi Ebisawa Isaiah said " Prepare ye a highway for our God". One of the best known ways to prepare the highway is by evangelism through literature. Literature evangelism, planned systematically on a world-wide scale, started at the Madras Conference. " The Christian Movement must speak through the writers and editors of books, pamphlets and periodicals to an endless circle of students and readers in the world s many and varied tongues. God grant it may come to pass," say the " Findings " of the Con ference. The epoch-making event in our history of literature evangelism was the visit df Dr. Ralph E. Diffendorfer who who was the chairman of the Overseas Literature Depart ment of the International Missionary Council. In the spring of 1949 a national convention on Chris tian publications was held under the auspices of the National Christian Council at Yumoto, Hakone. Dr. Diffendorfer was present as our guest and advisor. The Commission on Christian Literature was set up in the NCC as the result of this conference. There were, of course, many Christian publishers who resumed publication after the war but almost all of them were very very short of both funds and staff. The large 137 138 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN subsidy which came from abroad under the so-called " Diffendorfer plan" stimulated the production of litera ture and helped tide Christian publishers across this crisis. Our Commission edited and issued 30,000 copies of " 100 Favorite Hymns " and much other literature, rang ing from two types of leaflets printing 30,000 copies each to the 600 page " Religious Liberty " by Dr. Searle Bates which was translated into Japanese by Rev. Akira Ebisawa. Even bigger than that, in fact larger than any book printed by the secular press, was a revised edition of the Complete Bible Dictionary totalling 1,600 pages, published by the Shinkyo Shuppansha with the help of a subsidy from our Commission. It was unforgettably good fortune for us to have Dr. Floyd Shacklock come as an advisor and leader for our literature work. By his constant encouragement the work of our Commission grew in organization and procedure, and in 1951 our plans began to bear much fruit. The following are some of the books published that year: 1. Second edition of " 100 Favorite Hymns " 2. Translation of " The Big Fisherman " by Douglas 3. Translation of " The King Nobody Wanted " by Langford 4. Translation of " His Name is Jesus " by Klein 5. First volume of " Children s Prayers " with pic tures, compiled by our Children s Literature Com mittee. CHRISTIAN LITERATURE 139 We have been cooperating with the two Christian magazines : " New Age ", a monthly for city people, and " Noson " (Village) , a monthly for rural folk. Both of them now have five years of history as they started immediately after the war, though there have been some changes in form of publication. " New Age ", edited since the spring of 1952 by Mrs. H. Muraoka (a famous Chris tian writer), is winning increasing popularity. It has been very difficult to work up the circulation of " Noson " among the rural people. But from the April, 1953, issue Dr. T. Kagawa will become the editor-in-chief with his fellow rural workers to help him. We expect that a new impetus will be given to our publication for the rural areas by this change in the staff of the " Noson " editorial board. As the " Diffendorfer plan " was for two years begin ning in 1950, Dr. Shaddock suggested that we nominate a special committee to make a three-year plan beginning in 1952. We called this the "Shaddock plan". After the plan was approved by the sponsoring committees, we nominated many special committees to activate it as follows : 1) The Theology and Classics Committee, which is to edit a Classics Series of 15 volumes and 12 vols. of a series on practical Christianity. 2) The Devotional and Evangelistic Literature Com mittee, which is to edit 12 vols. of a "Christian Library Series ", a series of 12 leaflets, a collection 140 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN of sermons, and stories of Japanese Christian ex perience. 3) The Student and Youth Committee, which is translating some of the Hazen Book Series and editing 6 vols. of a Christian Youth Library. 4) Children s Literature Committee, which is editing 4 vols. of children s prayers with pictures, 12 vols. of a Children s Library, and a biographical series of 12 volumes. 5) The Kamishibai Committee, which is planning to illustrate 6 sets of Jesus parables for kindergarten children, 6 sets of Old Testament stories for primary classes, and 6 sets of famous Christian stories for junior classes. 6) Two magazine committees : for " New Age " and " Noson ". 7) A Concordance Committee, organized very re cently, which is going to edit a new concordance for the new translation of the Japanese Bible upon which the Revision Committee of the Japan Bible Society is now working. Many good projects have been discussed, studied, and proposed by the various committees. When approved by the Planning and Business Committee and the Board of Directors, the Secretary undertakes to arrange for them to be printed. Besides the committee work, we helped to form and advise two new organizations. One is the Christian CHRISTIAN LITERATURE 141 Publishers Association which was organized to promote fellowship among them and to stimulate interest in evan gelistic literature. They now have about 20 members. The other new group is the Christian Writers Associa tion which was organized to discover and encourage new writers and to pool knowledge and techniques for produc tion of better Christian literature. They have about 30 members. At their monthly meetings one or two of the members give talks on their special field of writing. In 1952 we cooperated with such publishers as the Kyobunkwan, the Shinkyo Shuppansha and others to bring out the following books: 1) A series of " Lectures on Christianity " 10 pam phlets. 2) 3rd edition of "100 Favorite Hymns "20,000 copies. 3) " Beginnings of Christianity " by Craig a large volume of 470 pages in A5 size 1,000 copies. 4) " The Bible " by Walter Bowie 3,000 copies. 5) " The Christian Answer " by Sweazy 5,000 copies. 6) " The New Bible Dictionary " pocket size, 700 pages 12,000 copies. 7) " The Valley of the Shadow " by Hans Lilje 2,000 copies. 8) "Guiding Children in Christian Growth" by Mary A. Jones, 1,000 copies. 9) " The Resurrection of the Dead " by Karl Barth 2,000 copies. 142 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN 10) "The Man Christ Jesus" by John Knox 1,000 copies. 11) " How to Read the Bible " by B. Sekine 300 pages in pocket size 7,000 copies. Under original writings we printed six new leaflets for distribution evangelism, the titles and authors of which are as follows: 1) "What is the Church?" by Mrs. H. Hasegawa 2) "The Lord s Prayer" by Rev. M. Uchizumi 3) " What is God ? " by Rev. S. Nishida 4) " The Holy Sabbath " by Rev. K. Imai 5) " What is Faith ? " by Prof. A. Tasaka 6) " Power to Live By " by Rev. S. Watanabe We printed 30,000 copies of each of these pamphlets. The price is Y150 per 100 copies. The first set of our kamishibai series came out in December. It is beautifully written and clearly printed. The story is that of "The Lost Sheep", and is adapted by Miss N. Miyoshi. A small pamphlet of quotations from the three books of Dr. Stanley Jones was compiled and 40,000 copies were printed. This is to be used by the regional committee of the Japan evangelistic cam paign for preliminary publicity. There are three commentary series in process at present. All of them are non-profit and indeed "sacrifi cial " publications. One is a series of commentaries on the Old Testament to be edited by the Japan Bible Com mentary Committee and published by the Kyobunkwan. CHRISTIAN LITERATURE 143 The third volume, Ezekiel, by Prof. Yamazaki, was publish ed in A5 size, 600 pages, in September, 1952. The others are on the New Testament ; the first one is edited by the Council of Cooperation and published by the Kyobunkwan. Four volumes have come out this year : 1st Corinthians, John, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Timothy and Titus. The second project is edited and published by the Shinkyo Shuppansha. They issued three volumes, 1st Corinthians, Romans, and the Synoptic Gospels in 1952. One of the bigger works was the publication of the New Testament, newly translated into colloquial Japanese by Dr. Kagawa, Rev. Watase, and Mr. Muto. 10,000 copies were printed for the first edition by the Christian Weekly Press, and the edition was sold out almost im mediately. The second edition of 10,000 copies is already off the press. Publication of Christian literature has made steady pro gress month by month and year by year. Even the secular firms are accepting contracts for Christian publications willingly. We all look forward to increasingly good publica tions of books and pamphlets in the coming years through the advice and cooperation of the Literature Commission of the NCC of Japan. We confidently believe that our Lord will guide us also in this field of literature publica tion for the evangelism of Japan. Some of the better and more important publications of 1952 are listed here for missionary reference. 144 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN RELIGIOUS THOUGHT Author Title Price Publisher A. Mori Modern Man and Religion 100 Kaname Shobo A.Morrison Man Does Not Stand Alone Y100 YMCA L. Richards Christian Pacifism 140 Shinkyo H. Kuwata Outline of Christian Theology 550 Shinkyo E. Troeltsch Augustin, die Christliche Antike 130 Shinkyo K. Earth Evangelium und Gesetz 120 Shinkyo T. Miyamoto The Truth of the Gospel 120 Shinkyo Y. Shimizu Modern Problems and Protestantism Y 60 Jordan S. Ozaki Justification and Purification 25 Jordan H. Kuwata Lectures on Christianity Vol. 1-10, each 220 Shinkyo S. Ozaki Christian Doctrine 420 Jordan K. Heim Wesen der Christentums 180 Zamakobo L. Tolstoi Essentials of Christianity 200 Sogeisha W. M. Horton Can Christianity Save Civilization? 240 Shakaishiso K. Takabe Religion and the Goals of Science 80 Natsumesha Y. Shimizu The Nature of Protestantism 18 Jordan K. Earth The Resurrection of the Dead 250 Fukkatsusha J. Ishii Study of Schleiermacher 120 Shinkyo CHRISTIAN LITERATURE 145 DEVOTIONAL & EVANGELISTIC Author G. E. Sweazy T. Kagawa M. Takemori G. Yamamuro K. Hilty W. Goulooze K. Mori NCC T. Yanaibara Z. Hidaka A. Hiyane T. Kagawa C. A. Logan A. Murota Y. Yamamoto Z. Hidaka Z. Hinohara J. Kodama Busset Moriac Price Publisher 60 Kyodan Title Christian Answer The Solution of Human Suffering 150 Goto Shoin Selected Sermons of Calvin 290 Shinkyo Comfort for the Sickbed Secret of Power Victory Over Suffering What is the Gospel Handbook on Visitation Evangelism 50 NCC Primer on Christianity Guide to Prayer Textbook on Christianity Thankfulness to God for His Redemptive Love Y 50 Kirisuto Shimbun 35 Salvation Army 100 San-ichi Shoten 130 Kyodan 30 Bunsho Dendokai 90 Kadokawa 60 Kyodan 150 Ikeda Shobo God s Comfort To a Suffering Friend Faith and Life Guide to Faith Building Our Faith Augsburg Confession 65 Tomoshibisha Y 25 San-ichi Shoten 150 Shinkyo 60 Kyodan 50 Kyodan 100 Lutheran Press LIFE STORIES Life Story of Mr. Hale 120 Tomoshibisha Jesus 40 Iwanami Life of Jesiis 90 Shinchosha R. Kamegaya From Buddha to Christ 100 Fukuinkan 146 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Author S. Iwabune E. Kashiwai H. Lilje F. Fujiwara B. Yamamuro J. Knox T. Matsumoto M. Sekine H. Uematsu M. Sekine M. Luther S. Murata K. Earth S. Yamaga Y. Kumano H. Terada T. Kagawa W. R. Bowie T. Matsushita K. Matsumura K. Kumano T. Yamazaki T. Harano Title Price Publisher From Communist to Christianity 40 Kyodan Autobiography of Paul 80 Shinkyo Valley of the Shadow 180 Lutheran Press Light of the Star 190 Tomoshibisha Collection of Gunpei Yamamuro s Writings 450 Kyobunkwan The Man Christ Jesus Y 120 Kyobunkwan BIBLE STUDY 1st Corinthians How to Read the Old Testament Women in the O. T. Galatians On the Psalm 82 Romans Romans (Vol. 1) Romans N. T. Commentary (1) How to Read & Study the Bible Story of the Bible The Bible 1st Corinthians St. John 1st & 2nd Thessalonians Ezekiel St. Mark 350 Shinkyo 60 80 75 60 390 650 300 450 Y 50 170 80 220 320 170 600 280 San-ichi Shoten Shinyakusha San-ichi Shoten Lutheran Press Yuai Shobo Kadokawa Shinkyo Shinkyo Seitosha Kaname YMCA Kyobunkwan Kyobunkwan Kyobunkwan Kyobunkwan Kyobunkwan CHRISTIAN LITERATURE 147 Author M. Suzuki A. Ebisawa Z. Watanabe Z. Watanabe M. Sekine Y. Sasabuchi R. Yamauchi C. T. Craig H. Hasegawa M. A. Johns M. Fujita M. Fujita M. Fujita H. Hasegawa K. Hata S. Tsugawa N. Noguchi M. Mizuno C. Ariga S. Koide Title Price Publisher 1st & 2nd Timothy, Titus Y200 Kyobunkwan HISTORY History of Religions in Japan History of the Israelites History of Israel s Literature History of Religious Culture in Israel Christianity and Modern Literature On the Church Year Beginnings of Christianity EDUCATION A. B. C. of Child Care Guiding Children in Christian Growth Following Jesus Jesus Taught Like This People Called by God Marriage and the Home The Joy of Giving The Fountain of Hymns(l) Religious Dramas Let s Sing Manners for Good Children The Hill of Jerusalem Y 60 Natsumesha Y140 Kyodan Y 160 Kyodan 250 Iwanami Y 80 Natsumesha Y 35 Lutheran Press Y300 Kyobunkwan 60 Kyodan Y150 Kyobunkwan Y100 JCCE Y100 JCCE Y 50 JCCE Y 50 Kyodan Y 30 C. Endeavor Y 50 Kyodan Y 60 Kirisuto Tosho Y 50 Kyodan Y 80 Michael -sha 180 Maki Shoten 148 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Author Title Price K. Yazaki Teachings of Christianity Y 35 C. Ariga Christmas Carols Y 20 Y. Nishizaka Jesus the Child Y 80 Tolstoi A Bible for Children Y130 L. Kendall Children s Prayer Book Y 50 F. Fukatsu Insects Fly Too Y 80 H. Niebuhr The One Story Y160 T. Yamamura Bible Story Y130 K. Uesawa Famous Christian Legends Y220 K. Uesawa Picture Bible 1 Y120 Picture Bible 2 Y 50 T. Nishizaka The Boy Jesus Y 50 E. H. Porter Book of Joy 1 Y150 Book of Joy 2 Y140 Pollyanna Y250 Publisher Michael-sha Michael-sha Shinkyo Sogeisha Kyodan Michael-sha Shinkyo Akane Shobo Chuo Shuppan Kirisutokyo Tosho Shinkyo Chuokoron Kyobunkwan PART II ORGANS OF PROTESTANT COOPERATION THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN AND ITS RELATIONSHIPS by Darley Downs I am asked to give briefly a clear picture of the Kyodan organization and structure and its relationship to the cooperating mission boards and to other Christian organizations in Japan. As numerous previous articles in the Yearbook have indicated, the United Church of Christ in Japan, commonly called the Kyodan, is the result of the union of over 30 separate denominations effected in 1940 and 1941. It is impossible for anyone really to determine how much this union was a result of governmental and nationalistic pressures and how much a result of the original desire of Christians to get together. It is certainly foolish to attribute the union exclusively to either. The best evidence of the basic vitality of the union is the fact that it has so largely survived the complete lifting of all government and nationalistic pressures for union. The Lutheran, Anglican, Nazarene, and Free Methodist 149 150 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN churches have withdrawn. A little over one quarter of former Presbyterian-Reformed churches have withdrawn. Fewer than half of the former Baptist churches withdrew, although the subsequent growth makes the number of such churches greater than the number of former Baptist churches remaining in the Kyodan. A number of the congregations of the Evangelical Alliance churches have withdrawn. Possibly 10 or 15 percent of the former Holiness churches withdrew and are now existing in at least three separate denominations. Never theless probably 62 or 63 percent of the total Protestant church membership of Japan is still in the Kyodan. It is not commonly recognized how great sacrifices have been made by the uniting churches in the interest of unity. It seems to be thought in America that the chief sacrifices have been made by the churches having a congregational type of polity, particularly Congrega tional-Christian, Baptist and Disciples. Actually the great est surrender of established polity was on the part of the great Methodist and Presbyterian-Reformed groups. The polity of the Kyodan is far closer to the congrega tional type than to either Methodist or Presbyterian- Reformed. The former Methodists cannot be blamed for looking back on the efficiency of their episcopal system of ministerial placement and general church government with a good deal of regret as they see how slowly and inefficiently the organization of the Kyodan functions in these fields. THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 151 The Presbyterian-Reformed group has made substan tial concessions in the matter of polity but more in the matter of creed. The fact that the Kyodan officially states that it confesses and celebrates (kokuhaku and sanbisuni) the Apostles Creed is far less satisfactory to many of the Presbyterian-Reformed group than the simple but definite creed that was formerly accepted by all its ministers and church members. It is true that the last General Assembly accepted for study a preamble to the Apostles Creed, but that has not yet been adopted by the Kyodan. The supreme governing body of the Kyodan is its .General Assembly which meets biennially and is composed of equal numbers of lay and ministerial delegates elected on the basis of membership by the various districts of the Church. All the fundamental actions of the Church must be taken by the General Assembly. There is a Central Executive Committee consisting of 25 members who are elected by open ballot at the General Assembly, together with the moderator, vice-moderator and secretary. The chairmen of the various districts meet with the Central Committee. The last assembly formally provided for the election of two missionaries as observers, currently Dr. Paul Mayer and Miss Alice Cheney. The missionary secretaries of the Council of Cooperation and the Cooper ative Evangelism Committees also sit as observers. This Central Executive Committee elects a smaller standing committee composed largely of members with residence 152 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN in the Tokyo area. The general committee meets three times a year, the smaller standing committee monthly or more often as needed. At the General Assembly two years ago, fairly radical revision of the organizational set-up was adopted. Its basic purpose was decentralization. The headquarters departments were abolished and their functions turned over to the various districts whose number was reduced from 18 to 13. The place of the various administrative departments is taken by a number of special committees, the most important of which is the General (or coordina ting) Evangelism Committee (Sogo Dendo lin). It sets up the general plan of the whole church for evangelism and, in consultation with the Council of Cooperation, exercises general supervision over the use of domestic and foreign funds for evangelistic work. Possibly the most important action at the 1952 General Assembly was the organization of the Home Missions Society (Naikoku Dendo lin Kai) . This is organized within and under the general direction of the General Evangelism Committee. It consists of one representative from each district and the chairman of the Kyodan Finance Com mittee together with 10 persons elected by the General Evangelism Committee. It raises funds from the churches and individual believers for the assistance of evangelistic work in churches which are not self-supporting. The other aspect of evangelism which is embodied in the Cooperative Evangelism Committee and which is also THE UNITED CHURCH OP CHRIST IN JAPAN 153 within the general framework of the General Evangelism Committee will be discussed later. The former departments of women s work, youth work, rural evangelism, and finance are replaced by special committees of the same names. These committees are no longer regarded as administrative departments but as planning agencies which send their proposals and plans to the districts for their use. However the Finance Committee does receive funds from the churches and boards and transmits them to districts or central offices and agencies. With the organization of the Kyodan in 1940 and 1941, the American mission boards began to consider what the effect would be on their work in Japan and to plan for such cooperation with the united church as might prove possible. Even before the outbreak of the war 13 of the member boards of the former Foreign Missions Conference had agreed to a policy of cooperation. With the outbreak of the war, there were many former Japan missionaries and board secretaries who could hardly conceive of the possibility of resumption of missionary work in Japan for many years. Nevertheless, the FMC continued to call occasional meetings of the representatives of the boards working in Japan who had agreed to cooperate and certain more or less definite plans were made. With the surrender and the amazing report of the four representatives of the American churches who came to Japan in the fall of 1945, the Japan Committee began 154 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN vigorous study of the problem of cooperation with the church in Japan. A committee of six experienced missionaries was sent to Japan early in 1946. They were specifically instructed neither to give the impression that the boards were trying to preserve the union or to dissolve it. They were instructed to avoid giving any impression that financial cooperation and cooperation in personnel would be avail able more abundantly to separated denominations or to a united church. It cannot be denied that each of the six original commissioners personally hoped that the union would survive, but it certainly cannot be rightfully asserted that they sought to exert any pressure to that end. When by the summer of 1947 it became apparent that most of the churches which had gone into the union had determined to remain together, nearly all boards which were cooperating with these churches decided that a general cooperative organization should be effected in the United States and Canada to relieve the Kyodan of the difficulty and confusion of dealing with so many separate boards and groups of missionaries. As a sequel to the deputation of four who came out immediately after the surrender, the Foreign Missions Conference sent out a deputation consisting of three official representatives of the Presbyterian Board, three of the Methodist Board, one from the Lutheran, one from the Northern Baptist and Mr. Henry G. Bovenkerk, later THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 155 secretary of the Interboard Committee for Christian Work in Japan, who acted as secretary of the deputation. The deputation was joined in Japan by missionaries represen ting the American Board (Congregational-Christian), the Disciples, the United Church of Canada, and the Episcopal churches. Various members of the deputation proceeded to all the orincipal centers of Japan for direct observa tion and conference with local Japanese Christian leaders ; then for a solid week there was a meeting of missionaries and Japanese Christian leaders which for inclusiveness of representation and eminence of the individuals has hardly been equaled in Japanese history. Naturally since there were representatives of bodies which had already withdrawn from the Kyodan, discussions were not re stricted to the Kyodan, and the first impetus for the reorganization of the National Christian Council can be said to have come from this meeting. Nevertheless, the presence of the representatives of most of the boards who had agreed to cooperate with the Kyodan was naturally taken advantage of for a meeting with Japanese leaders of the Kyodan. Here the preliminary drafts of an organization to be called the Interboard Committee for Christian Work in Japan, consisting of board repre sentatives with a central office in New York, and of the Council of Cooperation which was to be the field agency, were presented. There were many who felt that it was unfortunate that the draft constitution for the Council of Cooperation was made in New York instead of being 156 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN initially drafted in Japan. Nevertheless, the general project was favorably received and the Kyodan appointed a special committee to study and revise the draft constitu tion of the Council of Cooperation. A number of impor tant changes were made in the New York draft and the whole document was finally adopted. Very early in the discussion it became apparent that if the boards really meant to take these documents seriously and refrain from the re-establishment of in dependent missions, some agency had to be set up to take their place. Therefore the constitution of the Interboard Missionary Field Committee was adopted. This committee consists of the missionary members of the Council of Cooperation together with the Field Treasurer, and its functions are restricted to the concern of the missionaries aside from their work, principally housing, health, and language study. The Council as originally set up consisted of 8 representatives of the Kyodan elected by it, with its moderator as an additional member and ex-officio chairman of the Council; eight representatives of the National Christian Education As sociation selected from its member schools related to the Kyodan ; and eight missionaries technically elected by the Interboard Committee, but commonly agreed to be one from each of the denominations in America and Canada cooperating with the Kyodan, namely, American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Evangelical and Reformed Church, Evangelical United Brethren Church. THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN is? Division of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Church, Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., Reformed Church in America, United Church of Canada, and United Christian Missionary Society (Disciples) . The Kyodan and the National Christian Education Association both showed their complete good faith and firm determination to make the new machinery work by selecting as eminent a group of men as could be found in either group as their first members of the Council. The first meeting of the Council was held at the Rei- nanzaka Church on February 11, 1948. Mr. Akira Ebisawa and the writer were elected as executive secretaries. We were early confronted with problems of budget, but a whole series of problems of organization presented them selves also so that within the first 2 years 10 full meetings of the Council had been held. As the basic problems came nearer to solution and the members of the executive committee grew more and more familiar with the whole organization, general meetings became less frequent. Nevertheless, the last general meeting in April, 1953, was the 17th and the last meeting of the executive committee, March 6, 1953, was the 73rd. Whatever else may be said about this experiment it cannot be denied that it has brought together for long and patient consideration of the basic problems of mis sionaries and the church the most eminent group of Japanese leaders so meeting in the history of the Chris- 158 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN tian movement. This in itself is a great achievement. It must be admitted that in the early days the Kyodan as a whole had only a vague idea, if any, of the organiza tion, structure and functions of the Council, but the General Assembly in 1950 gave much more serious atten tion to the Council than ever before, and the amend ments to its constitution and the election of its members constituted principal items on the agenda of the 1952 General Assembly. It must be admitted that there has been, and con tinues to be, a minority of the ministers and an even smaller group of laymen who deplore the whole program of aid from America either in personnel or in money. However, the great majority of ministers and laymen welcome the cooperation and increasingly seem to approve the agencies which have been set up. One of the first and most seriously considered problems appeared within the first few months. That is, while a central organization that seems to be capable of func tioning with efficiency had been worked out, the evan gelistic missionaries working in the country and small cities found themselves without their old missions to appeal to and without the more intimate connection with the Japanese church historically related to their respective missions, and so were rather frustrated and uncertain as to how to make relationships and carry on their work. The Council, with other specially invited Japanese leaders, had a long meeting at Yumoto, Hakone, in the summer of THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 159 1948 specifically to consider this problem. Some advocated the surrender of all missionary participation in the ad ministration of the work of the Church and the putting of the sums available for missionaries work completely into the hands of the Church. This was met by objections both from the missionaries and from many of the Japanese leaders. The need for local planning by missionaries and Japanese was apparent. It was finally proposed that a special Cooperative Evangelism Committee should be set up with representatives from the Church and from the Council of Cooperation and with a series of such com mittees in the various districts of the Church. The dis trict committees were to consist of five or more Japanese and three missionaries. The work and budgets of the missionaries in each district are given original considera tion by the local CEC and the recommendations as to budgets and special projects go from the local CEC to the Council through the central CEC. Up to the last year or two, the number of evangelistic missionaries has been so small as to make it practically impossible to form a CEC in some districts consisting of evangelistic mis sionaries living in that district. From 1953 that will no longer be true of any of the 13 districts of the Kyodan. The original organization of the Council of Coopera tion provided for a " Church Section " and a " School Section ", the former consisting of all the Kyodan mem bers with four representatives of NCEA and six missionaries 160 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN and the latter of the eight representatives of the NCEA with four representatives from the Kyodan and six mis sionaries. While a few significant meetings were held by the Church Section, with the development of the Cooper ative Evangelism Committee it became apparent that the CEC was largely taking over the functions that had been assigned to the Church Section. In 1950, therefore, the constitution was revised and the two sections were abo lished and their places taken by the Cooperative Evan gelism Committee and the Cooperative Education Com mittee. The number of missionaries was reduced to three in each case and the total number of members was some what reduced. At the same time the General Assembly of 1950 made the change, already referred to, providing for greater centralization and setting up the General Evangelism Committee. The chairman of the General Evangelism Committee was made ex-officio a member of the ncetral CEC. As indicated above, with the organization of the Home Missions Society the problem arose of its relationship to CEC and vice versa. The Kyodan authorities insisted that there was no thought of setting up a new agency as the real Kyodan organ for evangelism. They provided that both the CEC and the Home Missions Society should be responsible to the General Evangelism Committee and they increased the number of its representatives on CEC from just the chairman to the chairman and two others. The Home Missions Society is hardly beyond the THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 161 organization stage and funds are still scarce but the motive for its organization seems sound, and careful safeguards have been set up to prevent a cleavage between it and COC-CEC. Time alone will tell whether the Kyodan itself will survive and, if so. whether the agencies for cooperation with western mission boards will resist the inevitable tensions of the post-treaty years, but there seem to be ample grounds for hope. Success will require consecration, Christian forbearance and hard work both by Japanese and missionaries, but if these are lacking failure is pre-determined and deserved. 162 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN AND ITS RELATIONSHIPS ABF X n Cath. Ch. of God Bible Soc. GEAM MBMC PS MCCS SMC SEAM YMCA YWCA THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 163 ABCFM : American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions ABF : American Baptist Foreign Mission Society BIBLE SOC: Bible Society CEC : Cooperative Evangelism Committee CEDC : Christian Education Committee COC : Council of Cooperation CSWC : Christian Social Work Committee Ch. of God : Church of God E&R : Evangelical & Reformed Church EUB: Evangelical United Brethren Church GEAM : German East Asia Mission IBC : Interboard Committee for Christian Work in Japan IMFC : Interboard Missionary Field Committee LSWA : League Social Work Association MBMC : Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities MCCS : Mission Covenant Church of Sweden Meth. : Methodist Church NCEA : National Christian Education Association PN: Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. PS : Presbyterian Church in the U. S. RCA : Reformed Church in America SEAM : Swiss East Asia Mission SMC : Swedish Mission in China UCC : United Church of Canada UCMS : United Christian Missionary Society X n Cath. : Christian Catholic Church YMCA : Young Men s Christian Association YWCA : Young Women s Christian Association Some cooperate fully with the Kyodan. In other cases individual missionaries cooperate. 164 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN THE JAPAN NATIONAL CHK1STTAN COUNCIL AND ITS RELATIONSHIPS I B C Boards ABF AUK Luth Evang. Luth. Friends of I h il Mennon Mis. Si Cli.l Presb. U.S. Prot. Epis United Luth. Ass. of (kxl Ch. of God THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN COUNCIL OF JAPAN by Akira Ebisawa General Situation and Historical Background The National Christian Council has been rising up to meet the rapidly changing situation of the country ever since its reorganization in 1948. Historically speaking, the Council was first organized in 1923 and continued to function until 1941 when the union of 34 Protestant de nominations was consummated. Naturally the Council had to be disbanded at that time. However, the situation was changed after the close of the war when again it seemed necessary to have such an organ for the purpose of coop eration between the different denominations and Christian bodies. Thus the NCC was reorganized with five national denominations and ten national Christian organizations. Gradually the need for cooperative enterprise for the common interests of Protestants came to be felt keenly in order to meet the challenge of the day, and increasingly the common tasks have been committed to the Council so that it is now a " going concern " discharg ing duties and responsibilities both in relation to con- stituejicies and to international Christian organizations. The year 1952 was especially significant in the work of the Council as it was. a time of special opportunity in 165 166 THE CHRITIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN the history of our national life. Activities Relative to the Ecumenical Movement As the nation embarked upon a course of indepen dence, now that the Peace Treaty became effective and the period of six years of occupation ended on April 24, 1952, the National Christian Council issued a statement of a " Message of Gratitude and Goodwill " which it sent to Christian organizations of various countries. The national sentiment of the general public inevitably changed at this period, making it very difficult for our churches to meet the situation; the uprising of reac tionary nationalism in both left and right wings directly began to affect the Christian movement in its relationship to all sorts of internationl problems. In order for the Council to make clear the Christian viewpoint, its Commission on International Affairs which is comprised of prominent Christian statesmen, business men, diplomats and clergymen, made an intensive study and issued a statement which was adopted by the Fifth General Meeting in March, 1952, and sent to the NCC s of different countries requesting their cooperation in the problem of international peace. International cooperation was greatly developed dur ing the year not only with the churches of western Christendom but also with the Asian Christian churches. Dr. Rajah B. Manikam, Joint Secretary to the WCC and the IMC, visited us in the early spring and opened THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN COUNCIL OF JAPAN 167 the way for a closer cooperation in the ecumenical movement. The Council was able to send three delegates to the Willingen Conference of the IMC in Germany that summer. By request and suggestion of Dr. Manikam the Council made an extensive research on the ecumenical study and submitted the reports to the Lucknow Study Conference. In December three delegates attended that Conference. Our youth delegation of eleven also attended the World Youth Conference at Travancore, India, in December. Observance of special days also helped to promote the international consciousness of our Christians. The World Day of Prayer was observed on February 29, as in previous years, throughout the country under the ausuices of the Women s Commission. The World Communion Sunday was observed as an in ter-church communion day on the first Sunday of October. All these efforts of international cooperation brought home some new knowledge and experience among our churches in general. Report on the Fundamental Policies for Evangelism The Special Commission on Study of the Strategic Policies on Evangelism in Japan has made an extensive survey and an intensive study of that problem, and after two years efforts, the report on the " Fundamental Policies for Evangelism " was submitted to the Fifth General Meeting. (We regret that the whole report cannot be put into English except in its summarized form). 168 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN The Commission on Visitation Evangelism has continu ed both the study and the practice of visitation evangel ism for the last two years. It has promoted a movement of this kind of evangelism among ministers and lay leaders. The Commission on Family Life Movement is continu ing its activities to create and encourage the Christian family life consciousness in order to meet the urgent needs of the day when the foundation of our traditional family system is undergoing a radical change. The Commission on the Deaconess Movement Dr. Paul Mo ller of the German Missionary Conference is staying among us to study and confer with our leaders as to how to launch that movement in cooperation with the German churches. Sisters under different sponsors are already in this country, and two others are on their way to Japan. The Commission is now studying how to organize this movement together with two woman doctors just returned from their study in Switzerland and Germany. The Commission on Social Problem This Commission has expressed the opinion of the NCC on vital issues and has given its attention chiefly to the problems of clemency for war criminals and Eurasian children. It has issued a statement requesting cooperation from American churches on the one hand and has also tried to establish certain facilities for solving these very difficult problems. THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN COUNCIL OF JAPAN 169 New Organizational Set-up Hitherto NCC was considered as a mere liaison agency for council, but as the situation changed to call for com mon activities in the interests of the whole Christian community, two working departments were newly started for activities in Christian literature and audio-visual aid. Each department has its own board of directors with representatives of the constituencies to enlist the coopera tion of the denominations and missions. The constitution was revised with the addition of a provision for receiving associate members for the purpose of cooperation with new missions and churches on the field. Prospectus for the Centenary Movement The one hundredth year of the opening of the Pro testant missions in Japan will come in 1959, and a proposed plan to commemorate the Centenary was adopted at the General Meeting in March. The Commission on Prepara tions drafted the prospectus, dividing the plan into three sections : 1. Nationwide evangelistic campaign. 2. Work for commemoration, such as compilation and publication of Christian history. 3. Christian work to reach the nation through eco nomic and social life. The program is to mobilize all the Christian forces in this united movement, inviting cooperation of all the denominations and missions having work in Japan. JAPAN COUNCIL OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION by Jonathan M. Fujila There is still a need for full realization and under standing of Christian education throughout local churches. At times churches think that evangelism and Christian education are two different matters. However, they do not put much emphasis upon school operation and responsibility for it. We are at the stage of introducing its importance into the churches of Japan. This means that the JCCE must let all Japanese know the place of the church school activities and their importance in the Japanese Church and her future. On the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of May, 1952, the fourth General Conference and Convention was held in Nagoya at Kinjo University. The theme for this meeting was " The Church School where future Churchmen start." There were 402 delegates and 380 observers from 9 different denominations from all over Japan. The group was divided into 6 different study groups as follows: 1. How to train churchmen through church school activities. 2. How to create better relations between the church school and homes. 3. The future church of Japan and present church 170 JAPAN COUNCIL OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 171 school curriculum. 4. The mission of the church school in the com munity. 5. The place of audio-visual aids in church school education. 6. The Bible and church school teachers. The highlight of this convention was the children s meeting which was held in the midst of rain. A total of 2,800 children gathered. In the summer, the usual Church School Teachers Training Conference was held near Karuizawa with attend ance from 8 denominations, representing 7 nationalities besides the Japanese. The discussion leaders, main lecturers and other speakers totaled 22 for the group of 482 local church school teachers from all over Japan. Some came from Korea, Okinawa and Formosa. Among the leaders were Americans, British and Germans besides Japanese. The theme was " The Place of the Bible in the Church School." The training period was divided into two dif ferent groups and was held for two nights and three days. Christian Education Week was widely advertized as it was last year and was observed on a large scale from September 21st to the 28th. The motto was " Christ for the Home." We used radio, newspapers and an outdoor rally. "A Letter to Mother" written by Rev. Seishiro Iwamura was sent to parents. More than 18,000 copies 172 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN were distributed. It was written in everyday language so that non-Christian mothers could read the message without difficulty. Three reasons for changing the status of JCCE in the near future are as follows: 1. Standpoint of ecumenical spirit and practice. 2. Wider and better services throughout Japan with the moral support of various denominations. 3. Stabilization of financial problems. The JCCE took final steps to be merged into the NCC effective April, 1953. JCCE will not be an organization by itself, but will supply vital strength to NCC. As of December, 1952, JCCE was related to 2,516 church schools in which there were 12,790 teachers and 241,932 pupils. Publications of JCCE : 1. An outline and writer s manual on new cur riculum in two volumes ; completed at the end of December, 1952, by JCCE, and presently being used by the Kyodan and the Japan Lutheran Church for their church school materials. 2. Teachers materials based upon Picture-set four different types of Sunday School teachers mater ials on the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Picture-sets came from the United States. Also one booklet issued for pupils use (jr. high) . 3- Textbook for summer conferences. 173 Lectures, outlines and speeches made at the summer training school. 4. Translation : Mary Alice Jones: "Guiding Children in Chris tian growth". Translators : Rev. J. M. Fujita and Rev. N. Ebisawa. PART III REPORTS FROM ORGANIZATIONS THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN % (Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan) by Michio Kozaki The most significant event in 1952 for the Kyodan was the resolution passed by the 7th General Assembly in which it was decided to organize a Home Missions Society which would function along with the Cooperative Evangelism Committee. The General Evangelism Com mittee, headed by Rev. Mitsuru Tomita, former lorisha (war-time head of the Kyodan) and former moderator of the Nihon Kirisuto Kyokai (Presbyterian-Reformed group) , has been considering ways to stimulate the spirit of independence and self-support among members of the Kyodan churches. During the past seven years since the end of the war we have been greatly blessed by the cooperative funds from the IBC and other mission boards which are working with the Kyodan churches. For instance, 244 new buildings have been reconstructed through this 174 THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 175 cooperation for the benefit of about 500 churches which were destroyed. Generally speaking about two-thirds of this expense, or 200 million yen, was provided through these cooperative funds, and one-third was raised by the local churches. In addition, these funds provided relief for suffering ministers and scholarship help for their chil dren. It is essential for the vitality of Christians and churches that they do as much as possible toward their own support before accepting outside assistance. There fore, to strengthen the Kyodan churches it is necessary to train church members in the principle of self-sacrifice. The Home Missions Society will be supported by Kyodan members. The budget this year is set at 5,300,000 yen, of which one million yen will be offered on Pentecost Sunday from all over Japan. The Women s Committee of the General Evangelism Committee has also decided to raise one million yen towards this fund from among church women. The Home Missions Society intends this year to begin seven projects with this fund to help weak churches to open new stations, and to start new experi ments in professional fields. This is a definite advance for the Kyodan, for it is doing what it should to take its share of responsibility. If it is successful, it will be possible to cooperate more wholeheartedly with fellow missionary colleagues. This is one of the most important problems for the Kyodan because there are two extreme ways of thinking 176 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN within the churches: one which is entirely dependent upon missionaries and foreign funds, and another which wants to be entirely independent of foreign support and which is too nationalistic. The creation of the Home Missions Society, therefore, will mark an advance both in assuming responsibility for self-support and in achiev ing a more perfect fellowship with missionaries. In Japan the Christians are still a very small minority with only 93 years of Protestant work, and it is important to be recognized by the non-Christian Japanese as respect able peoole, not only morally but mentally. The historical experience of the church is that unless strong well- organised churches and church life are established the whole nation will never be converted nor will the high purpose, " Thy Kingdom come on earth", be achieved. The Kyodan is advancing steadily. Last year 11,985 baptisms and an increase of 10 churches (bringing the total number of churches to 1461) were reported. THE INTERBOARD COMMITTEE FOR CHRISTIAN WORK IN JAPAN by John C. deMaagd The Interboard Committee for Christian Work in Japan is composed of representatives of the ten mission boards whose work in Japan is done in cooperation with the United Church of Christ in Japan. These boards represent the following denominations : Congregational Disciples, Evangelical and Reformed, Evangelical United Brethren, Methodist (2 boards), Presbyterian U. S. A., Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Canada (2 boards). The Interboard Committee meets monthly in New York to coordinate and plan the American end of the program. They maintain an office at 156 Fifth Avenue where Rev. Henry Bovenkerk was the Secretary in 1952. In Japan the coordinating committee is the Council of Cooperation, originally composed of eight representa tives of the Church of Christ in Japan (Kyodan), eight representatives of the Japan Christian Education Associa tion, and a missionary representative of each support ing denomination. A revision in the composition of this Council, made to include the League of Christian Social Workers as the fourth cooperating body, was finally approved at the General Assembly of the United Church 177 178 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN in October of 1952 and the Council as now constituted includes : 10 members elected by the Church of Christ in Japan, 8 members elected by the Japan Christian Educa tion Association, 6 members elected by the League of Christian Social Workers, and 10 missionaries, each representing one of the ten supporting boards. These 10 are elected by the Interboard Committee from a double number of nominees chosen by ballot of the mis sionaries of the respective denominations on the field. The Moderator of the Church of Christ in Japan is ex-officio Chairman of the Council. The Japanese Secretary, Rev. Masaharu Tadokoro, and the English Secretary, Rev. Darley Downs, are non-voting members. Much of the Council s work is done through its appointed sub-committees. But the Council is the final authority on the assignment and location of missionaries, the use and allocation of the budget, projected plans for new work, and the estimates presented to the boards for the next year s budget. 1952 marked the end of postwar reconstruction for the IBC, and an increased emphasis on new work and plans. The Church Reconstruction Committee was dis banded after submitting its report of 242 churches rebuilt with the $625,000 entrusted to it by IBC for this purpose, augmented by funds which rt ach local group had raised THE IBC COMMITTEE FOR CHRISTIAN WORK 179 for its own building, amounting to 45,048,000 ($125,584) . The School Reconstruction Committee reported hav ing checked plans and contracts for buildings on 29 campuses, toward which the IBC had contributed over $2,000,000, and local communities an impressive additional amount. The Committee was dismissed with sincere thanks to Mr. Kenneth Dowie, the architect who had worked 3 years on this project. The women s dormitory at the Union Theological Seminary was completed in October, the last of the Seminary buildings toward which the IBC contributed a total of $144,600. The Seminary now enrolls 241 students. In addition to regular evangelistic work of the local Cooperative Evangelism Committees carried on through stated United Church committees, in each of the thirteen districts one pioneer evangelistic project was started with a budget of 200,000 for the year as experiments in intensive evangelism. Every year the Council s Scholarship Committee selects candidates for graduate study scholarships in America financed by IBC funds. Sixteen more teachers, pastors, and social workers received scholarships in 1952, bringing the number now there under IBC aus pices to 36. 63 who were sent to the States for one year or more of graduate study since the war have already returned to resume their work in Japan with increased vision and ability. The high schools and colleges, toward which the IBC contributes funds and 232 missionary 180 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN teachers, have an enrollment of over 69,909 students. Concern expressed by the Council lest the schools drift away from the churches resulted in some schools re questing official church representation on their boards of directors. During the year monthly tuition high school schol arships were given to 3,372 pastors children attending junior and senior high schools. Some $21,000 was given to pastors in more direct relief administered by the United Church s Committee on Personnel. In 1952 the IBC sent out 72 missionaries, bringing the number now in Japan to 354. All permanent appointees must study language until they have passed their second year examinations, after which they are assigned by the Council to fill the positions for which missionaries have been requested by schools or by the church districts (kyoku). These requests always far out-number the available personnel ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH (The Nippon Sei Ko Kwai) by Raymond J. Hammer The Nippon Sei Ko Kwai (literally " Japan Holy Catholic Church", but commonly referred to as the " Japanese Episcopal Church " or the " Anglican Church in Japan") is already within sight of the first centenary of the arrival of its first missionary, Bishop Williams of the American Protestant Episcopal Church, who arrived in Japan in 1859, at a time when Christianity was still a pro scribed religion. Bishop Williams was not only the first missionary of the Episcopal Church to arrive in Japan, but was also the first Protestant missionary to enter the country. Ten years later Church of England missionaries of the Church Missionary Society arrived, and they were followed in 1873 by missionaries of a sister society in the Church of England, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. For a time, the American and English work were not correlated, both lots of missionaries being subject to their own bishop, but the efforts of Bishop Bickersteth, the English bishop at the time, led to the integration of missionary work and the uniting of the Japanese congregations established by both the American and English missionaries into the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai in 1887. The name of the Church was taken from the declaration in the Apostles Creed : " I believe ... in the 181 182 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Holy Catholic Church." The life, teaching, worship and ministry of the Church were patterned after that of other Churches of the Anglican Communion throughout the world. After the formation of the Missionary Society of the Church of England in Canada, the Canadian Church with the Churches in England and America became one of the Mother Churches of the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai, and for over thirty years before the war, apart from the larger cities where both American and English mis sionaries were working, the country was split up into spheres of missionary activity and responsibility. But despite the division into spheres, the societies engaged constantly looked forward to a time of greater unity and the ultimate leadership of the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai by Japanese nationals. A symbol of the growing unity was the establishment of the Central Theological College more than forty years ago, which replaced three separate colleges, formerly under the direction of the Protestant Episcopal Mission, the Church Missionary Society and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The three bodies subsequently (and to the present day) had representatives on the faculty of the Central College, where Japanese are trained for the ministry of the Church. (The College has this year moved to new pre mises in Setagaya-ku, its second move since its former buildings at Ikebukuro were destroyed during the war. The College is post-graduate, and a variety of universities ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH 183 are represented amongst the students.) All the missions cooperating in the growth of the Church were responsible for numerous institutions. The American Mission was responsible for the founding of St. Luke s Hospital, Tokyo (whose main building is still in the hands of the American Army). Even in the war years it was able to function as a private Christian hospital, and the cross upon its tower proclaimed the healing ministry of the Gospel. Numerous educational institutions St. Paul s University, Tokyo, St. Margaret s School, Tokyo, St. Agnes School, Kyoto, etc. were also founded by the American Mission. The Church Missionary Society was responsible for the founding of educational institutions in Osaka (Momoyama and Poole), and the S. P. G. in Kobe (Shoin) and Tokyo (St. Hilda s). The Canadian Missionary Society was responsible for the founding of a Sanatorium at Obuse in Nagano Ken and a Kindergarten Teachers Training School at Nagoya. All were responsible for numerous smaller ventures, too, of educational, medical and social significance. The move towards independence in the Sei Ko Kwai was first seen when in 1923 Tokyo and Osaka dioceses were formed with Japanese nationals as their bishops. The next step came in 1940, when all the foreign bishops resigned and the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai ceased to be a Missionary Church of the three Mother Churches, and became a fully independent Province of the Anglican Communion, with all its diocesan bishops Japanese. This 184 means, too, that all former missionary property and in stitutions were handed over to the ownership of the Japa nese Church. In the postwar scene, missionaries from the former Mother Churches (and, in addition, representatives from the Church of England in Australia and New Zealand) have been working alongside the Japanese clergy and workers in the advance of the Church and in the various institutions. But the missionaries do not come by right, but by invitation of the Japanese Church. For example, American, Canadian and English clergy work under the direction and assignment of Japanese bishops. The former division into spheres of activity according to missionary societies no longer exists, and missionaries irrespective of their country of origin, are assigned by the Japanese bishops according to needs. There are about 47 missionaries of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 20 of the Canadian Church of England, 10 from the C. M. S., 10 from the S. P. G. and about 10 others. The Church is divided into ten dioceses (Tokyo, S. Tokyo, North Kanto, Mid-Japan, Tohoku, Hok kaido, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Kyushu) , with the Bishop of Kobe (The Most Rev. Michael H.Yashiro, S. T. D.) acting as the Presiding Bishop. There is a National Council of the Church, which has various sub-committees which seek to co-ordinate the work of the Church. The membership of the Church has not yet reached its pre war proportions, but there are approximately 9,000 com municants and a Church membership of some 25,000 ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH 185 with a further 20,000 in contact with the Church and its Sunday Schools. In the year 1952-3, there have been two main events in the life of the Church. In July, 1952, there was a nationwide rally of the workers of the Church at Gifu, the first occasion for 23 years that the clergy and lay- workers of the Church had managed to meet together. More than 200 bishops, priests and deacons were present, and a further hundred or more workers, missionaries, helpers and observers. The Presiding Bishop expressed the aim of the Conference in the words : " It would meet the need of our meeting together in fellowship as co- workers in the Church to share each others suffering, and to unite in common vision." In April, 1953, was held the 24th General Synod of the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai, when three clerical and three lay representatives from each diocese met with the bishops to hear reports from the various committees of the National Council, to budget and legislate for the coming three years. There were 30 bills in all, of which 4 were especially important: 1. It was agreed that plans should be put in hand for the celebration of the centenary of missionary activity in 1959. 2. Owing to the Capital Funds Campaign of the American Episcopal Church, each diocese would be able to submit a particular project for the considera tion and approval of the National Council. 3. A proposed revision of the Prayer Book was put 186 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN forward by the Liturgical Sub-Committee appointed by the previous Synod in 1950. (Up to the present the Sei Ko Kwai has used largely a translation of the English Book of Common Prayer with some modifications and additions from the American Prayer Book) . The revised Prayer Book was passed for experimental use till the following Synod. 4. In the light of economic difficulties the advisability of reducing the number of dioceses was discussed, and also the question whether the Church should return to the prewar system of missionary districts. It was agreed to go forward as in the postwar years. Contacts with other Churches of the Anglican Com munion, etc. Bishop Yashiro, in the years since 1948 when he (with Bishop Yanagihara and Bishop Makita) attended the Lambeth Conference, has visited the U. S., Australia and New Zealand. During the summer of 1952 Bishop Yashiro was present at both the Synod of the Canadian Church and the General Convention of the American Episcopal Church. Bishop Nakamura (of Tohoku) visited the Philip pines early in 1953, and Bishop Ueda (of Hokkaido) represented the Church at the World Council of Churches gathering at Lucknow, India. The Nippon Sei Ko Kwai has also given help in personnel and money to the missionary work on Okinawa. THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, U.S. (Southern) by Margaret Archibald The Japan Mission of the Presbyterian Church in the United States first opened work in Kochi in 1885 and in 1887. The first two missionaries were Rev. R. B. Grinnan and Rev. R. E. McAlpine. Dr. McAlpine remained in Japan until he retired in 1932. Dr. Grinnan resigned from the Mission in 1898. Number and Location of Missionaries During this period of sixty-seven years there have been 149 missionaries located in Kochi, Tokushima, Taka- matsu, Marugame, and Zentsuji on the island of Shiko- ku, and in Nagoya, Kobe, Toyohashi, Okazaki, and Gifu on Honshu. The Mission now numbers forty-four. Ten of these came as new missionaries in 1952. One couple is on furlough. There have been thirty-four new missionaries since January, 1949. Nine of these have been transfers from China. Twelve of the new missionaries are now in language school and the others have begun their work in the evangelistic and educational fields. 187 188 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Evangelistic Work The evangelistic work of the Mission has always been centered in the areas around the above mentioned places. Members of the Mission have had no direct affil iation with any church body in Japan since the war, but are working in connection with the Reformed Church in Japan and with former Presbyterian groups. Educational Work In the educational field, the Mission has had a part in the establishment of several schools. The oldest and largest is Kinjo Gakuin in Nagoya. The school has a high school department in the center of the city and a junior college and senior college in Omori, six miles out on the Seto highway. The present enrollment is more than 3,000. For almost twenty years the school has been independent of the Mission, but five missionaries are now teaching in the school and much assistance was given in the necessary rebuilding program following the war. In June, 1952, Southwestern University in Memphis conferred upon the president of Kinjo Gakuin, Yoichi Ichimura, the honorary degree of Doctor of Education. Seiwa Girls School in Kochi was established by Miss Annie Dowd. It was an industrial school until Miss Dowd s retirement in 1934, when it was taken over by the Kochi Church. At the request of the Church the Mission again assumed support of the school in 1948. In THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, U.S. 189 1952 a new school building and a missionary faculty residence were completed. All government requirements have been met and recognition is expected in 1953. The buildings in the Rokko section of Kobe used jointly by the seminary of the Reformed Church in Japan and the Kobe Japanese Language School have been constructed by the Mission since the war. The language school, begun in 1949 for the new missionaries of the Mission, had sixty students from twelve different mission groups during this past year. The school uses the Na- ganuma textbooks and follows the Naganuma system of teaching. Shikoku Men s Christian College was opened in Zen- tsuji in April, 1950. A new modernly equipped library has been added since that time. This is the first men s school below seminary level with which the Mission has been connected. A kindergarten building in Kasugai, Aichi Ken, was completed during the year and is the center for a new church with a full-time pastor. Medical Work For several years the Mission has been working towards the beginning of a medical center. Negotiations are in process for the purchase of 5,000 tsubo of land near Awaji station within the city limits of Osaka. The first 20-bed section of a hospital will soon be started, and Dr. Frank A. Brown, Jr., hopes the hospital will be 190 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN ready for its first patients by the end of 1953. Radio The Mission s most recent expansion has been in the field of radio. Broadcasts were made monthly over Station CBC, Nagoya, from October through December. From the beginning of the new year a thirteen-week program of broadcasts was planned under the program name " To Christ " (Kirisuto e no Jikan) . The program is under the direction of Rev. J. A. McAlpine of Gifu. THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN MISSION by Rose A. Huston The Reformed Presbyterian Mission, after more than fifty years in Kwan-Tung, China, was forced to leave by the Communist occupation of South China. After spend ing a year in Hong Kong, six members of the Mission transferred to Japan, arriving during the summer of 1950 and settling in Kobe. Additional workers are expected in 1953. The Reformed Presbyterian missionaries came bear ing the same scriptural standards and distinctive princ iples of life and worship that were held by the church of the Scottish Reformation, and which were instrumental in guaranteeing to so many millions the one great freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. It is their aim to establish a church based on these principles, self-supporting, and led by a well- trained ministry. While spending some time in language study, work was begun in English with Japanese interpreters and also in English Bible classes. Evangelistic work is being carried on by means of preaching services, Bible classes, and private teaching in homes, hospitals, schools, and other places, using as needs require, Japanese, English, 191 192 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Mandarin, and Cantonese languages. While the work is primarily among the Japanese, some work is being done for Chinese who speak only Cantonese in connection with the Southern Presbyterian Mission to the Chinese in Kobe, as they have no Can tonese speaking workers. The Mission also cooperates with The Reformation Translation Fellowship, a group which writes and trans lates books, magazines, and articles which emphasize the Reformed doctrines as well as others helpful to Christians in these perilous days. Mr. Charles H. Chao, formerly of Manchuria, and the Rev. Samuel E. Boyle have translated Dr. Loraine Boettner s excellent book on predestination into Chinese, and more than a thousand copies have been sent into Red China. Some seven hundred copies of their magazine " The Reformed Faith " have gone in regularly, and many letters have come out saying how greatly both the magazine and the book are needed and appreciated. Though both have been put on the Communist black list as subversive, there are still occasional brave calls for more. These are being distributed also in every land where refugees from Communism have fled. These Chinese publications are prepared in Japan, printed in Hong Kong, and distributed from there. Mr. Boyle s book, " The Church in Red China Leans to One Side" (English), has been distributed in many parts of the Orient and has brought calls for anti-Communist THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN MISSION 193 tracts and newspaper articles in both Japanese and Chi nese. With the help of Mr. Masunage and Mr. Kataya- ma, tracts and booklets have been printed in Japanese; one of these is " The Reformed Presbyterian Church " and another "Bible Truths for Young Christians" in question and answer form. The latter is now being printed in Chinese. Mr. T. Takase has put quite a number of Psalms into metrical form for use in worship, and we hope to have them printed later on. Mr. Boyle is teaching a course on " The Psalms " in the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church of Japan, using Hebrew, English, and Japanese languages. In addition, the Mission has established what is known as " The Covenanter Book Room " with Miss Orlena Lynn and Mr. Kaji Katayama in charge. It is prepared to serve the Kobe area and others with dependable Christian literature. Though it has been in operation only a year, it is already filling a need in providing Bibles in many languages, Japanese and Chinese books as well as Bible commentaries and other books in Eng lish. This is also a center for church services, Sabbath School, and Bible classes in Japanese and English, some of which are attended by young people of several nation alities. THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED JAPAN MISSION by Henry Bruinooge In the spring of 1950, when the mission work of the Christian Reformed Church in China came to a close after some twenty-five fruitful years, the last returning missionary was asked to stop in Japan on his return to America. His contact was with the Reformed Church of Christ in Japan (Nihon Kirisuto Kaikakuha Kyokai) which officially asked that the Christian Reformed Church assist in its program of evangelism. Since the Reformed Church of Christ in Japan and the Christian Reformed Church in America are churches of Calvinistic pursuasion and hold to similar Biblical confessions, cooperation in evangelism promises to be an an arrangement of mutual satisfaction to both churches. Specifically, the Christian Reformed Mission has been asked to assist the churches in the Eastern Presbytery, centering in the Tohoku and Kanto areas. The first missionaries of the Christian Reformed Church arrived in Japan in the spring of 1951 and since that time others have come, bringing the total to eight adults. Because its primary objective is the establishment of churches through evangelism, the Mission s policy is to 194 THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED JAPAN MISSION 195 have all missionaries become thoroughly acquainted with the Japanese language as the most effective means to carry out their aims. At present all the missionaries are studying Japanese in Tokyo in preparation for the work which lies ahead. In the summer and winter of 1952 two series of evangelistic services were con ducted in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, and it is planned to locate one missionary family in that area to broaden the scope of evangelism and strengthen the group of Japanese Christians who have already been holding meetings of their own. The prospectus also calls for placing a missionary family in the city of Kofu, Yama- nashi Prefecture, thus extending the work along the Chuo Railway. One missionary is temporarily engaged as a teacher in the Japan Evangelical Christian School for missionary children in Kurume-machi. I The Christian Reformed Church is not the only church cooperating with the Nihon Kirisuto Kaikakuka Kyokai. The Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (Southern) is cooperating with this Japanese church in western Japan and on Shikoku Island, and the Orthodox Presby terian Church in the Tohoku district. It is hoped that 1953 will see the arrival of new missionaries to augment the present staff. The prospects for the future are to engage in evangelism as a means to establish churches that will be joined to the larger body of the Reformed Church of Christ in Japan, and to use such means as publication of tracts, translation of 196 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Christian literature, street arid cottage meetings, Gospel services and personal witnessing, as will aid the program of evangelism. THE LUTHERAN CHURCHES OF JAPAN by A. C. Knudtcn The year 1952 has seen some significant advances in the enlarged work of the Lutheran Church and Missions in Japan. The same number of groups, eleven in number, carried forward their work, and in one or two cases were joined by smaller groupings of Lutherans interested in Japan missions but the major groupings remained as before. One Lutheran Church as Goal The larger goal of one Lutheran Church in Japan, either in union with the existing Lutheran Church founded in 1892, or in some form of federation or affilia tion with it, seems to be the one great area of common Lutheran thinking during this year. The problem of methods and contacts within the framework of con stituting boards in America, Norway, and Finland, and possibly Germany, is a point of major consideration. Church Union \viih Fukuin Ruteru Kyokai The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Japan since its founding has included the missions of the United Lu theran Church in America and those of the United 197 198 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Evangelical Lutheran Church (Danish-American). To this work the Augustana Lutheran Missions, begun in 1950, have decided to integrate the congregations resul ting from their work in the Chugoku area (Hiroshima) from the beginning. And to this union the Japanese congregations of the Fukuin Ruteru Kyokai (churches connected with the Finnish Evangelical Missionary As sociation) decided to unite. This ceremony of official union will take place in Tokyo in May, 1953. The United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Japan The total picture of this united effort in the establish ment of one United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Japan, then, is as follows : 1952 statistics (year-end)- ELCJ AUG FRK TOTALS (1892) (1950) (1903) The churches, organized 38 2 9 49 other 14 6 7 27 Pastors 35 2 7 44 Church members 6031 47 730 6808 Missionaries 46 18 13 77 Sunday Schools 82 4 12 98 To this very general statistical picture of the esta blished Church must be added the rest of a balanced program in the field of Christian education and elee mosynary work. In the field of theological education another group, namely, the Evangelical -Lutheran Mission THE LUTHERAN CHURCHES OF JAPAN 199 (Norwegian-American), has entered in cooperation and is providing a lecturer to the staff of the Japan Lutheran Theological Seminary. Other Lutheran Missions In addition to these missionary and church activities, those of eight other missions must be considered. In this area statistics have not been completed as those above but they can be estimated on the basis of figures turned in. These eight groups have an additional mis sionary staff of 163 (54 in the Missouri Synod group, 47 in the Evangelical Lutheran group, 41 in the groups from Norway, and 21 in the balance). They are work ing in some 20 congregations with some 600 church members. Special kinds of work have been undertaken in several areas, for instance, the radio ministry of the Lutheran Hour, factory ministry of the Norwegian Lutheran Free Church in southern Mie Ken and a developing rural ministry in Hiroshima Ken by the Augustana group. When all statistics are in, the picture will reveal a missionary staff for the all-Lutheran work of 240 persons, with some 50 ordained Japanese pastors, working in over 100 churches and centers with 7,500 church members in some 30 ken in Japan. 200 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN All-Lutheran Cooperative Work The combined Lutheran forces meet in the All-Lutheran Free Conference once or twice yearly to discuss plans and programs for the maximum results in the evangelization of Japan. Apart from this organized group working on a free and independent basis is another group more closely knit for purposes of publication of a common pool of literature known as the Lutheran Literature Society, which also meets periodically and has an ex ecutive committee to carry forward authorized projects. It publishes the Fukuin Shimbun with a circulation of 11,000 copies, and has recently secured a full-time mis sionary to work in this field. A full-time Japanese worker is being sought to carry forward evangelism through literature. THE LUTHERAN CHURCH-MISSOURI SYNOD, JAPAN MISSION by W. J. Danker The work of the Japan Mission of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod continued to make progress under God s blessings in 1952. In spite of changing conditions in this country there were 235 baptisms reported a figure slightly higher than that of the year before, bringing the total membership of this four-year old mission near the 600 mark. At this writing in February, 1953, there are 53 missionaries in the field working in three major areas of Hokkaido, Niigata Prefecture, and the Kanto Plain. The so-called vicar program under which ten seminary students came to Japan as short-termers working through interpreters for a period of approximately two years each is now coming to an end. Three have already left and the remaining seven will return to the States in the summer for their final seminary year. This program helped to develop momentum during the early years of the Mission and allowed the full -term missionaries to devote more time to language study and the manifold tasks of establishing a new Mission. Some of these young men are planning to return as regular missionaries. The full-term missionaries are doing more and more 201 202 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN of their work in Japanese. The Mission has maintained its own language school at the Tokyo Lutheran Center which is also attended by missionaries from other groups. The number, of unattached Bible classes for inquirers decreased during the year. More emphasis was laid upon the congregations already developed. STRENGTHEN THY STAKES was the motto of the 1952 missionaries conference and the year was marked by consolidation of existing groups rather than by new expansion. Steward ship began to register an improvement. Some of the recent congregations are beginning to make small re payments on the chapels erected by the Mission. Church attendance is not markedly increasing but the proportion of those attending who have become members is rising. Regular Sunday church services are conducted at 27 places. At this stage it is unavoidable that missionaries serve as pastors of local congregations. To fill the need for well-trained national workers a theological training program is getting under way in April at the Tokyo Lutheran Center under the direction of Dr. O. H. Theiss, former executive secretary of the International Walther League, who arrived in October for this purpose. The Bible Institute carried on for the past two years is being closed for the time being in order to permit the Mission to concentrate available resources on the theo logical training program, since the most pressing need is for trained pastors rather than evangelists. Entrance THE LUTHERAN CHURCH-MISSOURI SYNOD 203 requirements are graduation from a four-year college and a good knowledge of English. Negotiations are being carried on with other Lutheran groups to explore pos sibilities of cooperative endeavor in this area. The Mission is also active in general education. In the fall of 1951 the Mission accepted the offer of a private high school at Hanno, Saitama Prefecture. Seibo Gakuin is a junior and senior high school. Rehabilitation of the physical plant was completed in 1952. Currently the faculty and curriculum are being strengthened. An increased Christian emphasis is the aim for the future. Plans for the first Lutheran elementary school first conceived in 1950 will be carried out in April, 1953, with the opening of the first grade of a projected six room school at Urawa, Saitama Prefecture. It is hoped that the elementary school will provide a much closer bond with the home than does the Sunday School. Production of Japanese literature was highlighted by the publication of Luther s Small Catechism with the complete explanation on July 1, 1952. Concordia Sunday School leaflets, first printed in 1950, continued in uninter rupted production. A program was launched for sending enough of this material to Okinawa to supply 5,000 children every week. Radio evangelism, inaugurated by the International Lutheran Hour in the fall of 1951, expanded greatly. At year s end, twelve stations from Kyushu to Hokkaido were broadcasting the Gospel message in a half-hour 204 program every Sunday. The Augustana Mission cooper ates in this effort by paying- for broadcasting time on the Hiroshima station in its field. 1.300 pieces of mail per week are received in response to the Bible Correspon dence Course offered through these broadcasts which are making a significant contribution to the Christian move ment as a whole. Plans were formulated for beginning medical mission work in 1953. Dr. and Mrs. Nobutaka Azuma, who have been doing advanced work at the Lutheran hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, are to return this summer and will open a small clinic in Sapporo. At the same time the Mission is exploring the possibilities of working with existing Japanese medical agencies rather than establish ing large institutions of its own. The Sapporo Youth Center s dedication was the out standing milestone in the department of youth work. Four youth camps were conducted in the summer. English classes, youth clubs, and other interest groups are also carried on. In the new year the Mission may be expected to emphasize the training of future Japanese pastors and the further consolidation and building up of the local congregations and mission stations already begun. No significant new expansion is blueprinted. FOREIGN MISSION BOARD SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION by Edwin B. Dozier In 1952 the Southern Baptist Japan Mission continued to grow to 96 missionaries ready to assist 49 organized Japan Baptist Convention (Nippon Baputesuto Remmei) churches, 47 preaching stations, 20-odd kindergartens, 2 junior high schools, 2 senior high schools, 2 junior colleges, 1 senior college, 1 theological seminary, 1 publishing house, 1 goodwill center, 1 rehabilitation center and the beginnings of a hospital, in 23 of the proposed 28 prefectures. The membership of the churches had risen by the time of the summer annual meeting to 6,017 believers, a 28% increase over 1951. Twenty-eight (28) ordained men supplemented by 25 evangelists form the leadership with the assistance of the missionaries. Ap proximately half of the churches and preaching stations are self-supporting, with none but the newest Convention- sponsored points being entirely supported by the Conven tion. Scriptural giving instead of the prewar system of assessments has boosted the income of the Convention, and churches are tithing their total income for over-all causes as they urge their membership to give of their tithe. The Christmas Mission Love Offering sponsored 205 206 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN by the Women s Department exceeded the dreams of the department and totaled Y 655,000.00 for Home and Foreign Missions. Evangelism continues as a major emphasis even though there was no American-sponsored preaching mission, but pastors and missionaries held a two month simultaneous fall evangelistic campaign in 75 centers with one to seven services and special meetings in each place. Total tabulations have not been completed, but the percentage of decisions over the past two years were greater though contrasted by smaller crowds attend ing the services. Filling in the spots listed by the Convention in its national outreach, the Mission in 1952 stationed personnel in Sendai, Mito, Urawa, Yokohama, Okayama, Takama- tsu, Matsuyama, Oita, and Kagoshima, while plans for 1953-54 are to locate missionaries in Miyazaki, Matsue, Kanazawa, Niigata, one other Tohoku city, and a second locality in Hokkaido. Hampering greater growth is the bottleneck of the scarcity of trained native workers, but the 50 young people training in the Fukuoka seminary lend promise for the days ahead. However, the greatest blessing and strength has been the close bond of fellowship and love among the brethren. A highlight of the Mission in 1952 was the signal moving of the Holy Spirit in the annual Mission meeting. Another significant event was the arrival of 2 of the 4 doctors to accelerate the opening of the hospital in Kyoto early in 1954. The gift of a 10 acre summer SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION 207 assembly site (by the Baptists in the military services) between Atami and Numazu on Izu peninsula will greatly strengthen the training functions of the churches. Close cooperation and increasing skills in working methods have helped the Mission and Convention to grow steadily in the work. The annual pastors and mission aries conference each spring heightens fellowship and knowledge of one another in addition to providing inspira tion and concerted consecration to the task. With God s leadership Baptists should grow. THE NORTH AMERICAN BAPTIST GENERAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY by Florence Miller The North American Baptist General Missionary Society is more commonly known by its former name of German Baptist. Our mission headquarters is located in Forest Park, Illinois, and our 270 churches are scattered throughout the United States and Canada. Our mission work before 1951 had been limited to the fields of Europe and Africa. However, in 1951 it was decided to open a work in Japan. Accordingly, in No vember of 1951 the first three missionaries arrived in Japan. These three are still in Tokyo studying the language. However, in addition to language school, two Sunday Schools and a beginning church work have been carried on. In the spring of 1952 another missionary family came to Japan under appointment of this Mission but as mem bers of the Youth for Christ staff. They are now engaged in full-time evangelistic work in participation with the Youth for Christ program. During the year 1953 three more missionaries are expected to join the mission family, making the number eight in all. In the summer of 1952 two missionaries and the 208 THE NORTH AMERICAN BAPTISTS 209 Youth for Christ team travelled to Mie Ken and there conducted open-air meetings in all of the major cities. The response to the preaching of the Gospel was very encouraging everywhere. This trip also served the pur pose of allowing an opportunity to survey the amount of evangelical work being done in Mie Ken. After visiting several other kens, it was decided to begin our work in Mie Ken with headquarters at Uji- yamada City. By August, after a home has been built, the first three missionaries expect to begin their work in the Ujiyamada area. It is the plan of our missionaries to devote most of their time to direct evangelism, remembering that " Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." THE MID-JAPAN BAPTIST MISSION by Chaplain Carl Blackler The work of the Mid-Japan Mission was opened in Japan during the fall of 1949. The work has been carried on through Bible classes, Sunday Schools, street meetings and church services. Four organized churches have come into being. There have been fourteen missionaries on the field. Four have returned to the United States to resign from the Mission. Six of the ten remaining missionaries have also presented their resignations. They shall continue to work here as independent Baptist missionaries in con nection with three of the organized churches. This leaves a Mid- Japan Baptist Mission Council of four missionaries on the field with one organized church. The Council is now composed of missionaries Rev. and Mrs. J. Newland Pfaff, Miss Sue Morano and Miss Doris Youmans. 210 THE JAPAN FREE METHODIST CHURCH by Pearl M. Reid Free Methodist missionary work in Japan was not started by missionaries from America but rather by the Japanese themselves in 1895. In the postwar period a larger staff of missionaries has been sent to assist the Japanese Church which in the prewar days was self- supporting. In 1952 the Japanese Free Methodist Mission was composed of thirteen missionaries and one associate missionary. Of these, four are still in language study in Tokyo as of February, 1953. In the rehabilitation period, funds were appropriated for a large-scale reconstruction and repair program. At present there are 25 organized churches and approx imately 30 other preaching centers. In 1952 there were 2,963 full members. The majority of the churches are self-supporting and a very definite plan is being followed so that in the comparatively near future the church and educational work will be entirely self-supporting. Sunday Schools number 54 with an average attendance of 3,600 pupils. There are 8 kindergartens which are operated by the church. Free Methodists thank God for the material recovery from wartime losses and the spiritual 211 212 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN life of the church which is also reviving in many places. This is evidenced by the outreach to establish new regular preaching points and the increased activity of the lay members of the church. The work of the Japan Free Methodist Church is concentrated in the Kansai area with work in Tokyo, Fukushima Ken and Sendai Shi. Missionary activity in recent years has been pre dominantly evangelistic. Efforts have been channeled through the organized church whenever possible and one missionary, Rev. Jacob DeShazer, has had a large opportunity outside of the church. One field of service has been through the Bible classes in the local churches and high schools. Osaka Christian College provides another opportunity to make Christ better known to the youth of Japan. In 1951 dormitories, classroom buildings, church and admin istration buildings were replaced as they had been des troyed during the war. Along with a new kindergarten building these daily make possible the educational pro gram. Two years of a liberal arts college is accredited with the government and a four-year diploma is given in the theological department. The government also has approved the training program for kindergarten teachers. In 1952 the enrollment in day and night school totalled 98 pupils; the majority of these are registered in the theological department. The students receive practical training over the week-end in the various churches to THE JAPAN FREE METHODIST CHURCH 213 which they are assigned to work under the supervision of the pastors. Four senior students have acted as student pastors during the past year. Seven will be graduated in March, 1953, and enter Christian service. The church and educational program are now under the control of the Japan Free Methodist Conference and missionaries who are members in good-standing in the home conferences are received into this fellowship with equal privileges. THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH by F. R. Millard The Seventh-Day Adventist Church began its work in Japan when Prof. Percy Grainger, a college president, and T. Okohira, one of his students, arrived from America in the fall of 1896. Very early, medical missionary work was introduced and this has continued to be a prominent phase of the work of the church. In addition to direct evangelism the church carries on active evangelism through its medical, educational and publishing programs. The Japan Union Mission operates the Japan Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing House, the Japan Missionary College, the Tokyo Sanitarium- Hospital and the " Voice of Prophecy," a department for Radio Evangelism. Local missions with headquarters in Kobe and Tokyo carry out the general evangelistic program and look after the interests of the churches. A Union Executive Com mittee of 19 members (the present committee includes 8 overseas workers, 11 Japanese) is elected by the delegates at the Union Biennial Session to carry responsibility and direct the work in general. The president of the Union serves as chairman. In the spring of 1952 the Japan Missionary College 214 THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 215 (an outgrowth of Japan Junior College) expanded its facilities by adding a new administration building, science building and library. Prince Takamatsu delivered the principal address at the dedication. More emphasis will now be placed on the collegiate level with an education department for preparing teachers for elementary schools conducted in the churches and a ministerial department for supplying evangelistic workers. During 1952 a campaign was launched to raise funds for the erection of two new units at the Tokyo Sanitarium- Hospital. Neal Woods, M. D., joined the staff during the year. Bessie Irvine, R. N., took over the position of Director of Nursing Service, and Ruth Munroe, R. N., arrived to serve as Director of the School of Nursing. Ogden Aaby, the new business manager, joined the staff late in the year. During the year 1952 the Japan Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing House put out three new books, one of them a health book. One hundred eighty colporteurs are engaged in the distribution of books and magazines from this house. The Voice of Prophecy which began in 1948 as a Bible Correspondence School found its voice in 1952 with the opening of regular weekly broadcasts over Radio Tokyo. Contracts were signed with more stations before the year closed so that the program is now heard weekly from Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Shizuoka, Osaka, Nagano, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka, Nearly 40,000 students 216 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN are actively enrolled in the correspondence school. Over 15,000 of these have completed the course of study. Five elementary schools and one kindergarten were operated by churches during the past year and permits have been issued for the opening of five more. The Tokyo Evangelistic Center was dedicated in February of 1952. In addition to a modern church with a seating capacity of over 500, the center includes offices for the North Japan Mission, headquarters for the " Voice of Prophecy ", a fully equipped medical clinic operated by the Tokyo Sanitarium-Hospital, and a young peoples hall. In September the offices of the Japan Union Mission were moved to a new headquarters building erected on the compound of the evangelistic center. The Japan Union now includes a fully established Mission on Okinawa. Fifty-one Okinawans have been baptized and two church buildings erected. A colporteur is now working on the island, and an Okinawa nurse is now studying at the Tokyo Sanitarium-Hospital in preparation for opening medical work in Okinawa. A teacher from Okinawa is now in Japan preparing to open a mission school in connection with one of the two churches recently established on the island. THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE MISSION by Donald E. Nelson " Therefore I say let this type of missionary stand, that he is without the care of making friends, of keeping friends, without the hope or desire of worldly goods, without the apprehension of worldly loss, without the care of life, without the fear of death ; of no rank, of no country: a man of one thought the Gospel of Christ ; a man of one purpose the glory of God; a fool and content to be reckoned a fool for Christ. Let him be an enthusiast, fanatic, babbler, or any other outlandish nondescript the world may choose to denominate him ; but still let him be nondescript. When they call him trader, householder, citizen, man of substance, man of the world, man of learning, or even man of common sense, it is all over with his missionary character. They must speak or they must die, and although they should die they will speak. They have no rest, but hasten over land and sea, rocks and trackless deserts. They cry aloud and spare not, and will not be hindered. In the prisons they lift up their voices, and in the tempests of the ocean they are not silent. Before awful councils and throned kings they witness in behalf of the truth. Nothing can quench their voice but death, and in the 217 218 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN article of death, ere yet the fiery flame and rolling smoke have suffocated the organ of the soul, they speak, they testify, they confess, they beseech, they warn, and at length bless the cruel people." 1 The mission family of TEAM finds new meaning in the urgency of Christ s final words to His disciples. The Japan field is but one of the many harvest fields of the earth into which TEAM missionaries have entered. With the blood of martyrdom fresh upon the closing pages of last year s history we dedicate ourselves anew to the tremen dous task which lies before us to assist in building the church of Jesus Christ in Japan a church of martyr- loyalty. The martyr s crown so recently awarded to Ed Tritt and Walter Erickson, TEAM S first missionaries to Indonesia, is glowing evidence that soon we shall hear the trumpet sound heralding the return of Him upon whose shoulders the governments of earth shall be laid. Under the leadership of Fredrik Franson, The Evan gelical Alliance Mission entered Japan with fifteen mis sionaries on November 23, 1891. The last missionaries of this early group arrived in 1913 in the persons of Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Carlson. Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Carlson are still on the field and represent the only senior TEAM missionaries of that early era. From 1913 until the year 1941 the missionary force never exceeded more than six missionaries. These missionaries, however, 1. La Marechal, " God s Apostolic Missionary ". THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE MISSION 219 sowed the seed and churches were planted. The years immediately following the war were years of reconstruc tion. They were hard years as everybody knows. Churches had been destroyed, flocks had been scattered, pastors had been either killed or dispersed, and the enemy had come in like a flood. The work of reconstruction was slow and the time spent in prayer to ascertain God s will for the Mission was endless. Young people from virtually every Chris tian college and Bible school in the United States and Canada answered the challenge of the Great Commission until today we have over 157 adult missionaries in Japan. Regardless of the fact that the average age of our mis sionaries is about twenty-eight years, we are a forward- moving mission with many plans for the future. We have established the Word of Life Press which is engaged in producing a tremendous amount of thor oughly evangelical literature. One of our missionary units, recently evacuated from China, has established the Japan Sunday School Union. Other units, well qualified in radio, have placed the Gospel on the air through a large number of commercial radio stations. We have several teachers in the Christian Day School as well as a missionary staff working with our Japanese pastors in the Alliance Bible Institute. Plans are under way to establish a Christian college in Formosa as well as in Japan. TEAM has decided to enter Korea, and the first of our group will leave this spring. Heading this new work 220 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN will be Thomas Watson who is waiting permission from the Korean government to begin construction of a 100,000 watt standard-band broadcasting station which will beam the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in four Oriental languages to the ordinary receiving sets of Korea, Japan, China, Manchuria, and parts of the USSR. We have established TEAM-AVED, the Audio-visual Education Department which is designed to produce evan gelical films and slides for use here in Japan as well as in the countries from which our missionaries come. Functioning under TEAM-AVED we have TEAM Press Ass n, which is designed to facilitate news-gathering of a nature germain to missionary work and to disseminate same to the various mission periodicals, newspapers and other organs of information of missionary interest. We have established a Follow-up Agency whose purpose is to correlate the work of our vast tract distribution program, as well as our multitude of country and city evangelistic meetings. We have no less than twenty mobile units in operation as well as five tent teams functioning. We have founded a school for evangelists in the city of Shizuoka to help furnish personnel for our tent teams and mobile units. We have two UN corres pondents under the auspices of Christian Life magazine, as well as a number of others who are not accredited to the Far East Command. We are in active cooperation with the Pocket Testament League, Inter- Varsity Christian Fellowship, Navigators, and Youth for Christ. Thus far THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE MISSION 221 we have 18 Japanese pastors and 19 churches. Realizing that a missionary is impotent without a thorough knowledge of the language, the people and their customs, Shintoism, Buddhism, and even com munism, we maintain a language school in Karuizawa. Here we must study the language as well as through a committee on orientation acquire a surface knowledge of the nation and its problems. Perhaps we are moving a bit slowly in this matter, but we are trying to lay a solid foundation. It is our goal, in cooperation with other missions of like evangelical position, to establish a church of martyr- loyalty in the heart of this people that we might be able to say, as one so aptly expressed himself, " O how I love to hear these people pray ! " THE CHURCH OF GOD by Arthur R. Eikamp The Church of God began its work in Japan in 1908. Several missionaries came to Japan for varied lengths of service during the next twenty years. Dr. Adam W. Miller was the last prewar missionary of the Church of God in Japan. He returned to America in 1927 and for the next twenty years the leadership of the Church of God was entirely indigenous. All of our church buildings except one were com pletely destroyed by the war. After the war the Japanese church asked for help in the form of a missionary from America. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Eikamp were the first postwar missionaries of the Church of God to come to Japan. They arrived in 1949 and were joined a year or so later by Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Smith. The first work of the missionaries was to help strengthen the few con gregations which were still in existence after the war. This was done without regard for present connections. Some of the congregations were within the Kyodan and some were not. The Mission has left the question of affiliation with the Kyodan entirely up to the congrega tions. The second phase of the mission work has been that of evangelism and the establishing of new Sunday Schools and congregations. The number of Sunday Schools has 222 THE CHURCH OP GOD 223 shown a growth of approximately 300.% and the atten dance has shown a growth of about 1,000% since 1950. The number of churches has shown about a 200^ growth and the attendance in the churches has shown about a 400^ growth. The Church of God has established a mission school, the Tamagawa Sei Gakuin, between the Jiyugaoka and Kuhombutsu stations in Setagaya. This is a girls junior high school and high school as well as a co-educational night school. In addition, a night school for the study of English has been established at the same location. Two children s homes are operated by members of the church and help of various kinds is given to them by the Mission. All of the teachers and workers are Christians in these children s homes. Our hope and our policy has always been that of encouraging the church to be self-supporting and to provide its own leadership. All of our congregations and Sunday Schools are completely self-supporting with the exception of one Sunday School which receives some monthly support for the present. We need young minis ters for the new congregations which have been es tablished, but such preparation takes time, and we will continue to feel that need for some time in spite of the fact that some young men from our churches are now preparing for the ministry. We have only two missionary couples in Japan at the present time, though we hope for more in the near 224 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN future. We are able to meet the needs of our program only by utilizing the volunteer help of laymen of the church who happen to be in Japan for one reason or another. The volunteer work of consecrated laymen has been responsible for a considerable share of whatever success we have in attaining our goals. We have plans and hopes for the future but since the future is in the hands of God we prefer not to state those plans here but rather to wait on the Lord and let Him confirm or reject those plans according to His wisdom. THE ORIENTAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY by Edwin L. Kilbourne The Oriental Missionary Society in all its fields around the world works on its established " three-fold policy " of establishing Bible institutes ; establishing an indigenous, self-supporting church ; and an Every Crea ture Gospel Distribution Crusade in which it seeks to systematically reach every home in the nation. When the goal of a self-supporting indigenous church has been attained, the foreign missionary staff is with drawn and only an affiliated relationship is retained be tween the church and the establishing mother organization. This status was reached in Japan some thirty years ago. The Oriental Missionary Society as such with its missionary personnel returned to Japan in 1949 at the invitation of the Japan Holiness Church because of the mutual feeling that we could help in the difficult post war rehabilitation of the church, especially in the rebuild ing and re-establishing of the Tokyo Bible Seminary, the training center for the national workers of the church. This phase of our objective has been accomplished and by mutual agreement for an indefinite period there will be missionary teacher personnel in the Seminary. 1952 has been a successful year in the Seminary with the regular student body numbering fifty-one and with a faculty of nine members besides school officers. Un- 225 226 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN fortunately we have no room for more boarding students and we are now contemplating additional dormitory space for fifty students to thus be equipped to double our student body. This would bring the number to near the prewar high of one hundred and twenty-five. A few of the present student body anticipate further study abroad but most of them will enter the ministry here immediately upon graduation. There is a two-year Christian workers course and the three-year seminary course. A special intensive one- year s Rural Evangelism Course is now contemplated to train workers for the Every Creature Gospel Distribution Crusade. About thirty-six years ago the Oriental Mission Society inaugurated an Every Creature Crusade and in a systematic distribution campaign visited more than 10,300,000 homes of Japan and in each gave free of charge a Gospel portion and a salvation tract with prodigious results in the salvation of souls and the founding of churches. With a new generation and ripeness like unto the wonderful prewar days, The Oriental Missionary Society has felt led of God to launch again into a similar crusade but with a definite follow-up plan of conservation and church-establishing as the distribution campaign is carried on. During 1952 the Crusade teams (four in number), each with a tent and with Gospel cars and loud speaker THE ORIENTAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY 227 equipment headed by four missionaries each with a band of twelve Japanese co-workers, have been working in Chiba Ken. The work in Chiba Ken has just been com pleted every city, town, village and hamlet and, as far as can be practically known, every home has been visited and the literature distributed. Results ? Some 28 churches have been established, an average of about one new church a week, as a result of this visitation work, open- air meetings and the nightly tent services. The tents are usually pitched for a period of from 4 to 6 weeks. These " churches " have from ten to sixty or seventy in attendance at each service. More thrilling testimonies and transformed lives it would be difficult to hear and see anywhere in the " homelands " or elsewhere. It has been impossible to supply pastors for all these new centers and some ten or more have been turned over to other evangelical organizations in Chiba Ken. These new groups provide splendid practical " training grounds " for our Bible Seminary students. Early in 1953 six new Crusade missionaries are com ing from the U. S. A. They will each have twelve Japanese co-workers and the regular equipment. We are reorganizing the Crusade somewhat and speeding it up with the objective of covering all Japan within a maximum of five years and a probable minimum of three years with the expectancy of some 250 newly established Japan Holiness Church groups occupying every ken in the nation. 228 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN The Japan Holiness Church now has 80 churches, is self-supporting and entirely nationally administered. The task of the Oriental Missionary Society is to assist in the pioneer work through the " Crusade," organizing groups which will be turned over to the Church for development into groups that will be alive and effective evangelizing centers. It may be pointed out that the churches supply stu dents for the Seminary and in turn the Seminary supplies preachers and pastors to open and maintain more churches. The Seminary is our foundation and if it produces God s expectancy of effective Christian workers, the future of the work and its constant and continued growth is assured. Within from three to five years we expect to see the prewar " glory " of the " former house " surpassed by " the latter " in the Church in which it has been our privi lege to have had a share in establishing in this remarkable nation now so rapidly returning to its place in the family of nations and of leadership in the Orient. THE AMERICAN ADVENT MISSION by Floyd Powers Although the period of Advent Christian missionary activity in Japan is brief, the work itself has a history of over 50 years. In 1898 Masadoru Iwagoe, a young businessman who had been converted in America, returned to his home town of Kurayoshi in Tottori Ken to establish the first Advent Christian Church. He believed that the denomination s emphases on the early return of Christ, the resurrection and conditional immortality were needed in Japan. He carried on rather extensive rural evangelistic work in that area. Later, another church was established in Osaka with Kaoru Haneda serving as pastor. It was not until after the war in December of 1948 that the first foreign workers, Rev. and Mrs. Frank Toothe, came directly from China to begin the work of the Mission. They settled in Sakai City where a third group was organized. Since then 10 new workers have arrived in Japan and have been engaged largely in language study. The emphasis in most of the Mission s work has been on extension through the local Japanese church by means of branch Sunday Schools and Bible classes. In the immediate future, a program of expansion is anticipated especially in the Tottori Ken area where the 229 230 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN work had its origin. Following the present pattern of the Kurayoshi work, each new church will become the center for extensive rural evangelism in its own area. THE SWEDISH MISSION IN CHINA by J. A. Aspberg The Swedish Mission in China was founded in 1887 by Erik Folke, a young university student who had heard the call of God to preach the Gospel in China. His was the first of several Swedish missions that took up work in China before the end of the last century. Eventually he became an associate of the China Inland Mission, and the Swedish Mission in China developed as an inter denominational mission without church work in the homeland, the missionaries retaining membership in their respective home churches. After over sixty years of work in China a self-supporting church of more than 12,000 communicant members was left behind when the political situation in the country forced the missionaries to leave their field in 1949. Some of the missionaries went home, and the rest arrived in Japan in the spring of 1950. After half a year at Karuizawa the missionaries moved to Numazu and Mishima in Shizuoka Prefecture where premises had been bought and negotiations with the local churches had resulted in an agreement to co operate with a view to strengthening the churches from within and evangelizing the neighbouring country areas. In 1951 the city of Fujinomiya was made another center for work, two lady workers being stationed there, 231 232 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Language study has of course taken a large share of time so far. As regards activities in cooperation with the local churches, a weekly Gospel meeting with inter pretation has been held at Numazu since the beginning of 1951, and later similar meetings have been held re gularly in several other cities and towns. English Bible classes have been conducted for students of several high schools and at Nippon University at Mishima. The mission is also trying to open up some new country centers for the Gospel. But here are experienced great difficulties because the local churches have no evangelists or Bible women and very few lay workers able to do voluntary evangelistic work. Work among the children in several kindergartens and in some new places, visiting the patients in hospitals, sanatoria and a leper colony, are part of the regular activities. Missionaries are often asked to preach at Sunday services and other meetings. A theological society has been organized, and several pastors come together once a month to study some exegetical or systematic problem under the guidance of a missionary. One missionary, Mr. Ake Haglund, has been loaned to the National YMCA of Japan where he is doing full- time work as a fraternal secretary for Bible study, his salary being paid by the Mission. As a Mission the Swedish Mission in China wants to remain a free evangelizing agency, and because it is not in a position to make any financial contributions to church THE SWEDISH MISSION IN CHINA 233 groups or other affiliations, its independent status is the only feasible modus vivendi for such a group of mission workers. Thus from the start this Mission has been inclined to cooperate with already existing churches rather than founding churches of its own. However, the main purpose being the preaching of the Gospel to those outside the church and winning them for Christ, future activities in this respect will be guided and decided by the measure of congenial cooperation and willingness and ability to reach out to the regions beyond that is accorded the Mission on the part of the existing churches. Coming from another mission field and having as background work in fairly large fast-growing congrega tions, the viewpoints of this Mission are necessarily often not identical with those held by missionary recruits to this country, nor even identical with those of old-timers who have seen missionary work only in Japan. This may be both a strength and a weakness, and certainly it is not palatable to those who always try to explain the slow progress of mission work in Japan by the slogan that " Japan is different." However, relations with the Japa nese pastors, hard-working and courageous men as they mostly are, have been most cordial so far, and frank discussions have helped to make both sides conscious of existing limitations that should be recognized as such and removed by mutual helpfulness and understanding as far as this is at all possible. In September, 1952, some seventy Swedish missionaries THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN from all over Japan gathered with a few Norwegian colleagues at Gotemba for a conference to exchange ex periences and discuss questions of common interest for the future work of Swedish missions in Japan. This conference was a great success. No Swedish mission has worked in Japan until after the last war, and therefore many problems are new. Professor Antei Hiyane gave two lectures on Shintoism and Buddhism, and other sessions were occupied with the question of language study and problems in evangelistic work. A second con ference of similar nature will be held at Gotemba in September, 1953. This time it is hoped that all Scandi navian missionaries in Japan will gather around the burn ing questions of missionary work in Japan. Finally a word about the name of this Mission. Re gulations in the constitution have delayed matters, but later this year it is hoped that announcement will be made that it has adopted a new name, viz., The Swedish Evangelical Orient Mission. In the homeland it shall be known as the Swedish Mission in China and Japan, thus giving expression to a hope that may one day be realized. THE SWEDISH EVANGELICAL MISSION IN JAPAN by Folke Persson The Swedish Evangelical Mission in Japan is not a new and young mission society. It is over fifty years since it came into existence and began work in Mongolia where it had evangelistic and medical work both in Inner and Outer Mongolia until 1924, when the latter part came under the Red regime. After that time work has been concentrated on Inner Mongolia where social and edu cational work was carried out hand in hand with an evangelistic testimony. That continued until the end of World War II, when the political development made it impossible for any missionaries to remain. Through Dr. Toyohiko Kagawa s visit to Sweden in 1949, the eyes of the Mission Board were definitely turned on Japan with its unique challenge and open door for evangelical work. In the very early part of 1951 the first missionaries arrived in Japan from Hong Kong where they had taken refuge after leaving Mongolia. By June the same year 8 missionaries of regular appointment made up its re presentation. The Mission has been known as the Swedish Mongol Mission, its work concentrated on Mongolia only. For reasons very well understandable the missionary body 235 236 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN together with the home board agreed to change its name t o Swedish Evangelical Mission in Japan. As the Mission s former work had been conducted under hard working conditions, severe winters and an extremely scattered population, there was a natural strong pull toward Hokkaido, both at home and among most of the workers now in Japan. It was therefore quite natural that, when confronted with a choice of working in the south or in the north of Japan, the choice would be Hokkaido where the need at that time also seemed to be the greatest. This Mission is an " alliance " of friends from dif ferent denominations and with no supporting churches. Its only organizations are the home board in Stockholm, Sweden, and the missionary conference on the field. It has an evangelical testimony and is conservative in its theology. In Japan its work is purely direct Bible-teach ing with no schools and medical centers. The Mission s prime and foremost purpose is to win souls for Jesus Christ and to do its part in building a spiritually strong and active national church in Japan. THE SWEDISH ALLIANCE MISSION by Erik Wiberg When it became apparent that China would become closed as a mission field, the Swedish Alliance Mission took action to open up a new field, and this time in Japan. These first missionaries were sent to this country in the summer of 1951. They were led to take up work in the cities of Hamamatsu and Toyohashi with surround ing districts on opposite sides of the border line between Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures. Since then work has also been started in the cities of Iwata, Toyokawa and Okazaki. Up to the end of 1952, 15 missionaries had arrived on this field, some from China and others from the home country. Of the newcomers, five have devoted themselves to language studies in Tokyo during most of last year. Since three members have left the field during the year, the present body represents only about half the number of the foreign workers of the Swedish Alliance Mission in China. However, this small number can probably not be increased at present due to monetary restrictions imposed by the Swedish government. The S. A. M. in Japan has made it its goal to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to teach the Word of God in cooperation with all evangelical churches who so desire. No church is to be established in the name 237 238 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN of the S. A. M., no church building is to be erected by Mission funds. When and where Christians will be encouraged to establish churches, these should from the beginning be self-governing, self-supporting and self-ex tending. This policy has been dictated by experiences made during 50 years in China. During 1952 the work of the Mission in Japan has been concentrated mainly on Sunday schools, Bible classes and evangelistic work in general. The results have been promising and the interest on the part of the Japanese young people has been as great as in the beginning of the work here. No " reaction " has been noticed after Japan has again become an independent country. After careful consideration it has been decided to encourage the converts of the Mission to establish churches in connection with the Nippon Domei Kirisuto Kyodan, the latter, though indirectly, also being a fruit of the work of Rev. Fredrik Fransson, the founder of the Swedish Alliance Mission. Several churches either have been established or are in the making. THE CENTRAL JAPAN PIONEER MISSION by Thelma Sterry The C. J. P. M. was founded in 1925 by the late Miss M. A. Burnet for work among the then largely untouched central provinces of Japan. By the outbreak of war work was carried on in five kens by seven missionaries and twenty Japanese workers, most of whom had been trained in the Mission s own Bible School. During the war years two of the missionaries Miss Burnet and Miss Parr were interned in the Mission Headquarters, being evacuat ed home in November, 1945. On their return to this country in 1947 only six of the Japanese workers were left, and many of the con gregations had been scattered by the claims of war work. Gradually the work was built up again, and by the end of 1952 there were twenty-four Japanese workers, and thirteen new missionaries from various countries had joined the Mission. The death of Miss Burnet in July, 1951, necessitated the formation of a Field Committee, and 1952 was the first full year under the new administra tion. The work is now carried on in four kens Gumma, Tochigi, Saitama and Shizuoka and apart from the headquarters in Maebashi we have missionaries in three other towns with more about to move out. During the 239 240 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN year two churches acquired their own buildings bringing the number of church buildings up to twelve, while there are about ten more congregations meeting regularly. In addition to these, Bible students, pastors and missionaries are engaged in pioneer evangelism in the surrounding districts. The churches connected with the Mission are formed into the Fukuin Dendo Kyodan (Alliance of Gospel Churches). This body, the fruit of the Mission, is self- propagating, and although aid was necessary after the war it is now gradually attaining self-support. The Bible School was re-started in 1948 and provides a three-year course for both men and women. It includes Greek, English and music as well as the Biblical and doctrinal subjects. Attached to the Fukuin Dendo Kyodan is a Literature Department which produces in addition to books and tracts the " Fukuin Shimbun " (" Gospel Newspaper ") , of ficial organ of the F. D. K. It has a growing circulation not only in Japan but also among the Japanese of Okinawa and North America. During 1952 apart from the regular services in the various churches many additional meetings were held. In January and August at the annual Winter and Summer Bible Schools Christians from the various churches gathered for instruction in the deep things of the Word. April saw a conference held for the deepening of the spiritual life, which was attended by about 200 in THE CENTRAL JAPAN PIONEER MISSION 241 all ; the cost of these three conferences was met by the Christians themselves. Then, too, twenty of the churches held special evangelistic campaigns as a result of which church membership has been increased and a growing burden for evangelism given to all. Plans are afoot for launching out into a number of as yet unreached towns and villages, and both foreign and Japanese workers not only have a burden for, but a growing expectation of, revival blessings throughout the whole work of the Mission in this coming year. THE JAPAN APOSTOLIC MISSION by Leonard W. Coote The Japan Apostolic Mission dates back to the year before the outbreak of World War I when a young English businessman, a professing atheist, came to Japan to work as a secretary with Lever Brothers, soap manufacturers. Deeply influenced by the life of Rev. J. B. Thornton as he stayed in the missionary home under his charge, Leonard W. Coote was thoroughly converted and made a full surrender to take the Bible as his rule of life. It was not very long before two or three mission halls were opened in and around the city of Kobe where Leonard Coote continued his employment, working in the daytime and working for the Lord in the evenings. At the close of his five years business contract he heard the voice of God calling him into direct missionary work in Japan, eventually leading him to arrange for the mission now known as Japan Apostolic Mission, with headquarters at Ikoma, Nara Prefecture. Specializing in mass evangelism with evangelistic centers at Osaka and Kyoto, large tent meetings, house to house campaigns in the rural districts and smaller towns, Japan Apostolic Mission also maintains a Native Evangelistic Training School at Ikoma. Students receive intense training in the Word and evangelistic methods in the mornings and engage in evangelistic activities 242 THE JAPAN APOSTOLIC MISSION 243 in the afternoons and evenings. The students do the major part of the work in the printing department which is given over to evangelical publications in the Japanese language. Mr. Coote has asked God for the privilege of bring ing to Japan 50 European missionaries after the war, and more than half of this number have arrived. They spend the first year of training in the language on the campus of Ikoma Bible College before going out into the work themselves. Japan Apostolic Mission is an independent faith work without any resources in homeland organizations or churches, trusting God implicitly for the support of the work as a whole. THE JAPAN GOSPEL FELLOWSHIP The first two missionaries of the Japan Gospel Fellow ship, Miss Anne M. Pfaff and Miss Esther Stearns Bower, had had six years experience in Japan. Two of these years were spent in helping in another mission; two were spent in intensive language study (and during these years they began evangelistic work among children with Sunday School classes, a children s paper published in Japanese, and an English Bible class) ; the last two years were war years (1941-1943), and one of these was spent in an internment camp in Tokyo. Miss Bower was the first to return to Japan under the newly organized Japan Gospel Fellowship in May, 1947. She was joined in September, 1947, by Miss Julia Motoyama, who was the first Japanese-American mis sionary. Two years later six other missionaries, includ ing Miss Pfaff, came and since then the number has increased to thirteen now on the field or on furlough. The headquarters of the JGF are at Hamadera in Osaka Fu, but there are churches, Sunday Schools and other evangelistic work in Osaka, Kyoto and Kishiwada. In Hamadera and Kyoto we have evening Bible schools. In 1953 Hamadera will graduate its first class of students. Also in Hamadera is a large kindergarten which the Lord is using not only to get the Gospel to children who would not otherwise come to Sunday School, but also to 244 THE JAPAN GOSPEL FELLOWSHIP 245 reach the mothers and fathers who would not attend church and who many times are inaccessible by visitation. In the Mission Home in Hamadera there is a small orphanage where orphaned or unwanted little girls find a home and Christian love. In 1953 the Japan Gospel Fellowship hopes to enlarge its work in the areas already started and to extend to the " regions beyond " its present stations and reach many more for Christ. THE JAPAN INLAND MISSION by Hugh Kennedy February 8, 1949, will always be an important date in the history of the Japan Inland Mission for on that day the Mission first began to function in Japan under that name. However, this work had its earliest beginnings in 1931 when Mrs. Kennedy, then Miss Hoskins, a missionary of the Elim Missionary Alliance, London, arrived in Japan and later opened a work in the rural town of Kakogawa and districts in Hyogo Prefecture. This evangelical and kindergarten work continued steadily until 1940 when conditions became very unfavour able for effective Christian work, and missionary personnel had to choose between possible concentration camps or evacuation. Thus Mrs. Kennedy, very reluctantly, had to leave the work and board the last evacuation ship for Australia, since the journey to England was considered too dangerous at that particular time. Arriving in Australia she continued Christian work there, always with the hope of some day returning to the land of her adop tion again. After the surrender of Japan in 1945 the Mission applied for permission to enter this country, but it was some time before this was granted. Just about that time our Mission was re-organized, the present name adopted, with Home Council in Melbourne and repre sentatives in each Australian state, New Zealand and 246 THE JAPAN INLAND MISSION 247 the British Isles. t Then in 1948 the way finally opened up for entering Japan. Missionaries arrived on February 8, 1949, and proceeded at once to Kyoto which has since become headquarters. With all previous work and equipment lost during the war it was necessary to lay the founda tions of an entirely new work. After two years of steady progress they were able to build a small chapel to ac commodate the Christians. The prime purpose of the Japan Inland Mission is to promote the spread of Christianity in this country by the faithful proclamation of the Gospel, through tract distribution and also Chris tian literature. In addition to weekly church services and Sunday Schools, regular meetings are held in schools for the blind and nearby factories. Visits to rural dis tricts have been made over the past years with a view to establishing a work there this spring. In 1952 a small kindergarten was started for the benefit of the neigh bouring children and its influence is definitely felt in many homes. A monthly Gospel meeting for women is well-attended and bearing witness in this district. In May, 1951, Miss Att water of Ipswich, England, joined us in the Mission in Kyoto and has since been studying the language with the aim of doing effectual evangelical rural work in (he near future. The only work in English is a Bible class held once a week. Teachers, university students and others attend and testify to blessings received. Also many have con- 248 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN tinued to attend the church services. The Japan Inland Mission is an un-denominational and evangelical faith mission believing the Bible to be the inspired Word of God and the Gospel " the power of God unto salvation to all who believe." (Rom. 1 : 16) THE WORLDWIDE EVANGELIZATION CRUSADE The W. E. C., as it is commonly called, is an inter denominational and evangelical missionary fellowship founded by C. T. Studd, noted English athlete and one of the famous " Cambridge Seven " who stirred England and the missionary world in 1885 with the challenge of the regions beyond, and who went out to China as pioneer missionaries. Later Mr. Studd went to India, and then to the heart of Africa where he established the Heart of Africa Mission in the Belgian Congo in 1914, the first field of the Crusade. His life was unique in complete abandonment to the task of pioneering for God, and his vision was for a worldwide work in which W. E. C. follows on. The aim is the evangelization of the remaining un- evangelized parts of the world in the shortest possible time. Since C. T. Studd s death in 1931, W. E. C. has ex panded its fields until they now number a total of 20 fields. It has three major home bases London, England, Philadelphia, U. S. A., and Sydney, Australia from which missionaries are sent to all these fields. The Mission deals in three branches of work : evangelism, medical and literature. Of these, two branches (evangelism and literature) are working now in Japan. Our personnel now totals about 450 working in all foreign fields and home 249 250 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN bases. W. E. C. s latest field, Japan, was opened by the arrival of Mr. & Mrs. Lon Fulton, director of the evan gelistic work, and Mr. Ray Oram, director of the literature work, in October, 1951. Over a period of little more than 2. i years the Mission has grown to the total of 17 mis sionaries. Practically all of these have spent the greater part of their time in Japan to date studying the language. Practical work has been limited to the area around the headquarters in Gokanosho, Shiga Ken. There are now small churches in three villages, but the real expansion of the work will begin in the spring of 1953. The Mission intends first to spread the work in Shiga Ken and Nara Ken. There is in Shiga Ken a population of over 860,000 with only about 1,200 Christians. There is only one other missionary society with one missionary operating in this province, so there is yet much to be done. The Mission expects to open up three major centers in 1958 from which future expansion will be into villages and rural areas. Primary emphasis is on the rural area which is yet very much neglected. W. E. C. hopes also to open up one central station in the southern half of Nara Ken, from which future Nara Ken work will spread. So much for the extensive. In the realm of the intensive, the final and more effective spread of the Gospel will be done by lay workers. W. E. C. emphasis is that every Christian should be a witnessing Christian and to this end there are plans for THE WORLDWIDE EVANGELIZATION CRUSADE 251 a concentrated short-term Bible study course for inter ested Christian laymen who will then carry on a witness for Christ from their own shops or farms in their own villages. Too, any churches W. E. C. establishes will be guided as rapidly as possibly towards an indigenous status self-propagating, self-supporting and self-governing. It is the prayer of W. E. C. that God will speedily raise up a strong Spirit-filled national movement on the part of both clergy and laity. To this end the Mission is attempting to guide plans and efforts. THE JAPAN EVANGELISTIC BAND by F. Tipton Williams This is the year of Jubilee for the Japan Evangelistic Band, although its founders Rev. Barclay F. Buxton and Mr. Paget Wilkes were missionaries here some fifteen years prior to the founding of the Band in 1903. Both felt that there was a need for a " band " of Japan ese and missionary workers who would devote their energies in an interdenominational manner to the follow ing three purposes : (1) The exercise of a spiritual minis try amongst the existing churches by the holding of conventions for the deepening of the spiritual life, special evangelistic campaigns, tent missions and children s meet ings. (2) Going out to the unreached country areas, towns and villages, with the Gospel message. Meetings in public halls and private homes, street meetings, tract- evangelism, Bible classes, Scriptural " kamishibai " for the children (young and old), and tent missions are all used with the sole object of reaching the Japanese with the Bread of Life. (3) The training of young men and women for a ministry amongst their own people, parti cularly the training of evangelists and Bible women. During the past fifty years the above three aims have been signally blessed of God. The personnel of the J.E.B. at present consists of 252 THE JAPAN EVANGELISTIC BAND 253 some 20 missionaries and 16 Japanese evangelists and Bible women, besides the Japanese staff of the Bible School. These workers are now operating in Aichi, Kyoto, Shiga, Hyogo, Osaka, Okayama and Tokushima (Shikoku) prefectures. Without exception they are living in country areas where there is a large population un touched by the Gospel. The older missionaries are often called upon by other outside groups to assist them in conventions, evangelistic campaigns, etc., from time to time. The Band considers it a high privilege thus to minister amongst the established churches. Much spiritual fruit has resulted. Special work is carried on amongst students (Miss I. Webster Smith) and railway men (Mr. Luke) . in addition to general evangelism. Nov. 16, 1952, witnessed the reopening of the Kobe Mission Hall and every night. Mondays excepted, Gospel meetings are held. This is situated in the heart of Kobe s pleasure district. It is as a " light set upon a hill " in the midst of cafes, gambling dens and houses of vice. Thousands pass the doors of the hall nightly. The two evangelists and the missionary, together with a number of students from our Bible School, commence with a prayer-gathering, then go out to the front of the hall for a street meeting. This usually lasts about 30 minutes and is immediately followed by an indoor meeting. The center doors of the main hall are left open during the opening part of the indoor meeting so as to permit the 254 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN passer-by not only to see what is going on but also to hear the words of the songs being sung or the word of invitation to enter. Because of this ministry in the Shin- kaichi area for more than 40 years, wherever one goes in the Kansai and Chugoku districts one meets people who have heard the Gospel in the Kobe Mission Hall. The missionaries praise God for the fact that a number of churches have been formed as the result of the work of the Mission Hall. It has been interesting and encouraging in the past to hear from people who heard the precious message of salvation for the first time within its walls and through the power of the Holy Ghost have been truly born again. The J.E.B. has always utilized the printed page as a means of evangelism and is happy to say that the late Mr. Paget Wilkes " Dynamic " series is once more available in Japanese : " Dynamic of Service " ; " Dynamic of Faith " ; " Dynamic of Redemption^". The Rev. Goro Sawamura s " Guide to Faith," " Guide to Christianity," as well as a series of ten 4-page tracts have been printed. As stated above, the third object of the Band is the training of men and women to serve the cause of Christ. Our founders laid great stress upon this aspect of the work, and there is much cause for praise to God as one sees the graduates of the Bible School in all branches of the Church of God in Japan. Many now are mature ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ, faithfully serving Him and His Church and seeking always to lead others to the THE JAPAN EVANGELISTIC BAND 255 Saviour. There are more than 30 of the graduates of the J.E.B. Kansai Seisho Gakko (Shioya) who are now serving in the Christian ministry in Korea. One was put to death by the communists, and others are still labouring for the Master amidst untold misery and want. Thirty-two students are studying this year, but five will graduate in March. Of these five, four are to return to their home areas. One will enter the ranks of the J.E.B. THE CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH by Clark Offner Since missionaries of the Christian Catholic Church first came to Japan in 1951 and have spent their time until the present in language school, there is little to report concerning mission work to date. However, these missionaries are eager to clarify the position of their church for those who are not acquainted with it lest they be mistaken for or identified with something which they are not. The Christian Catholic Church was organized in Chicago in 1896. Its basis of fellowship was purposely made broad enough to include all true Christians of whatever theological or doctrinal background. It is thus that the name " Christian Catholic Church " was chosen to identify this fellowship, emphasizing its universal or general character and welcoming into its fellowship all Christians willing to unite on the following broad basis of fellowship: (1) The Bible is the inspired Word of God the rule of faith and practice ; (2) Church membership is limited to those who have repented of their sins and are trusting in Christ for salvation ; (3) Members must be able to make a good profes sion declaring that they do know that they have 256 THE CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 257 truly repented, are truly trusting Christ, and have the witness, in a measure, of the Holy Spirit ; (4) All other questions of any kind are held to be matters of opinion and not matters that are es sential to church unity. What, then, was the historical reason for the forma tion of the Christian Catholic Church? It was organized with the hope of injecting into the Christian Church as a whole a new spiritual vitality and, in particular, to restore to the church the teaching of divine healing. The founder, Dr. John Alexander Dowie, was used of God in a special way to bring about healings in answer to prayer. The privilege of Christians to trust God for physical healing was considered a vital (but lost) part of the Christian Gospel, and through the years it has been a particular emphasis of the Christian Catholic Church. In Japan these missionaries desire to work in areas where there is presently no Christian church. Although they have no official relationship with any larger Chris tian organization or fellowship, they are very happy to work with any groups or individuals who are sincerely seeking the common goal of bringing men to repentance for sin, faith in Christ for salvation and a life dedicated to him. THE POCKET TESTAMENT LEAGUE When General Douglas MacArthur in 1949 challenged the Pocket Testament League with the tremendous need for the Word of God to be placed at the disposal of the Japanese people, and coupled with the challenge a request for ten million copies of the Gospel of John in Japanese, it seemed like an undertaking of tremendous proportions. And so it proved. However, during the year 1952, the League saw the completion of this task as the ten mil lionth copy of the Gospel of John in Japanese rolled off the press and was placed in the hand of one of this country s throngs who are still without the Word of Life. As the completion of this task drew near and new horizons beckoned in the land of Korea, the Pocket Testament League was faced with a great decision- should the work in Japan be terminated completely, or should a work be maintained here in addition to the opening of the Korean field? After months of prayer, it was decided to turn the greater portion of the Japanese work into the hands of the Japanese men who had so faithfully served in the ten million campaign. At present they are continuing Scripture distribution in the small villages and rural areas of Japan. Their program includes outdoor meetings, distribution of Gospels in schools, factories, hospitals, etc., and indoor rallies for the entire 258 THE POCKET TESTAMENT LEAGUE 259 community. During the closing months of 1952 clearance was granted to Pocket Testament League workers to enter Korea with the purpose of establishing the basis for a planned campaign to distribute one million Gospels of John in Korean. One by one the American workers, under the leadership of Foreign Secretary Glenn Wagner, have left Tokyo to take up the new work in Korea. Work has been largely limited to the Pusan area, a city congested with refugees from the north, ROK trainees ready to leave for front-line fighting, ROK troops hospitalized for serious wounds, thousands of school children, United Nations troops and ordinary residents seeking to eke out a living for themselves and their families. While in many other countries missionaries find opportunities for public meetings in schools, army instal lations, etc., rather limited, reports from Korea convince us that it will take months even to scratch the surface of the opportunities which await the preaching of the Gospel message. As they look forward this year, members of the Pocket Testament League acknowledge that Jesus Christ alone is the answer to the turbulent conditions which exist here in the Far East and the world around, and with confidence they continue to make available to millions the Word of God in which the Son of God is revealed. THE FAR EASTERN GOSPEL CRUSADE by Robert A. Foster Immediately following the Pacific war the first members of the Crusade entered Japan. Now this fellow ship includes about fifty individuals. Initially various types of work were engaged in, but at the present nearly all the members are engaged in language study as their primary objective. The Far Eastern Gospel Crusade re cognizes the importance of the church and of local groups of believers but does not have any churches of its own (or any plan to form any), and does not carry on any work under its name. Its members desire as individuals to find their proper place for life and witness in Japan and among the body of Christians in Japan. At present they are carrying on an introductory training program for those who join the fellowship, introducing them to the language and culture of this nation. Certain members are working in cooperative projects such as the Pacific Orient Broadcasting Company and the Japan Evangelical Christian School, 260 THE FREE CHRISTIAN MISSION by J. W. Rudolph The Free Christian Mission is a group of mission aries sent by Pentecostal Assemblies in different lands, voluntarily cooperating in Japan. At the time of writ ing there is one Norwegian- American, two Danish and twelve Norwegians, making 15 missionaries in all. All the missionaries have worked (from 2 to 26 years) in China, the first arriving in Japan from Formosa in the early part of 1950. The missionaries of the FCM are evangelical in doctrine, pentecostal (Acts 2 : 1-4) in experience and in emphasis evangelistic. Missionaries are at present located in Kobe, Kyoto, Seto City, Mikuni, Maruoka, Katsuyama and Takefu City, these four last mentioned places being in Fukui Ken. As the work " began from scratch," the procedure has generally been for the missionaries to start Sunday Schools and Bible classes while studying the language. Later as they spread out they have taken up evangelistic work in a wider sense endeavouring to lead men to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ with the end in view to establish free Christian assemblies in Japan. The first baptismal service was held near Seto City, September 16, 1951, when the three first believers were immersed in a river there. During the year 1952, 80 261 262 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN other believers have been baptized, making the total number of baptisms 83 since FCM came to Japan. During the summer of 1952 a tent was purchased and in the evangelistic campaigns that followed more than 500 decisions were recorded. Two new tents will be bought before the "tent-season" of 1953 arrives. In addition to the regular instruction in the Word of God for the building up of the new believers faith, special " Bible Study Weeks " are held for the deepening of the spiritual life. THE COVENANT MISSIONARY SOCIETY The Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America by William Rigmark The Evangelical Mission Covenant Church originated in Sweden in 1878 mainly as a result of the nation-wide revivals during the second half of the nineteenth century. Among the thousands of emigrants who decided to seek a happy future life in the United States there were a great number of Covenanters, and before long the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America was organized. To begin with it felt itself called to minister only to the Swedish people in the new country. As the years have gone by the Swedish language has disappeared and the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church has taken its place among the great number of national churches in the United States. The Evangelical Mission Covenant Church believes in the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct. When the changed political situation in China made it impossible to continue the fruitful missionary work there, God led the Covenant missionaries to Japan. Thus the Covenant Missionary Society of Japan was organized in 1949. A young missionary couple, however, had been on the field for some time previous to this, 263 264 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Missionary work was first established in the Tokyo area. In 1950 Covenant missionaries were invited to begin work in Kanagawa Ken. Churches have been established in Kozu, Hiratsuka, Matsuda and other towns. At the same time it was decided to minister to the people in Niigata Ken. A promising work has developed in Nagaoka City. With Nagaoka as the operational base the work is beginning to branch out into neighboring villages. In 1951 the president of the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America, Dr. Theodore Anderson, visited Japan and initiated a new Covenant work in Gumma Ken. Since the beginning of 1952 regular evan gelistic work has been conducted in Minowa and other towns in the vicinity of Takasaki. Since the beginning of the Covenant work in Japan, the need for a training institute for Gospel workers has been urgently felt. After prayerful consideration a Bible Institute was established in the fall of 1952 as the op portunity to purchase suitable property presented itself. The Bible Institute, which offers a three-year course for young men and women, is located in Meguro-ku, Tokyo. The Bible Institute has already proved to be an inspiring answer to a great need, even though it func tions under some restrictions. Sponsored by the Covenant Missionary Society, but by no means an exclusive Covenant project, is the Nurses Christian Fellowship, an association of students and THE COVENANT MISSIONARY SOCIETY 265 graduate nurses who have declared their faith in Jesus Christ. As the Nurses Christian Fellowship is an inter denominational organization, other missionaries help in teaching Bible classes in various hospitals. This work began in 1950 after a number of schools of nursing were visited by Covenant missionary nurses. Bible classes are conducted at twelve hospitals in the Tokyo area, as well as in some other parts of Japan. A special Nurses New Testament provided for by the Gideons Society has been distributed in great numbers by the missionary nurses. The Covenant missionaries on the field are at present fifteen. A few new missionaries are expected to arrive during 1953, and two missionaries will return from furlough. THE YOTSUYA MISSION The Yotsuya Mission was established by Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Cunningham soon after they arrived in Japan October 1, 1901. Mr. Cunningham was first appointed to Japan by the Disciples of Christ Missionary Society, but following an attack of polio he was refused by them. He felt the call to Japan so urgent that they came in dependently and have been supported by free-will offer ings from " rope-holders " since that time. Mrs. Cunning ham is still living at the original site of the mission 16 Wakabacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo having completed nearly 52 years of missionary service. In keeping with the original policy of independency the Yotsuya Mission does not belong to the Kyodan, the EMAJ or the JBCC. We believe in the congregational form of church government. There are 13 churches in the Tokyo area which were established by the Yotsuya Mission. This is just a little above the size of the Mission at the beginning of the last war. There are 5 full-time Japanese ministers, and the rest of the churches are ministered to by missionaries and seminary students. Besides Mrs. Cunningham, who is the director, three missionary families are in the Yotsuya Mission. The main activity of the Mission is the maintenance and supervision of a small seminary called Tokyo Bible 266 THE YOTSUYA MISSION 267 Seminary, located at 27 Sakurayama-machi, Nakano-ku, Tokyo. This school now has 18 students and a faculty of 8 Japanese preachers and missionaries. Last year there were over 100 baptisms. THE MENNONITE BOARD OF MISSIONS AND CHARITIES by Carl C. Beck . The work of the Mennonite Board in Japan is of recent origin, the first four missionaries having arrived in Japan in 1949. As a result the year just ended has been for us largely a continuation of beginnings. As the Mennonite Church has a separate organ for relief and welfare known as the Mennonite Central Com mittee, and since this welfare organization has work in Japan, the emphasis of the Board is largely evangelism, although emergency relief always makes special demands as was the case in a recent severe earthquake in Hokkaido and in devastating fires in both Kushiro and Obihiro (Hokkaido) . The past year found only two families in actual village evangelism and eight additional workers in language school in Tokyo. Since rural evangelism presented a great challenge to many of the older church leaders in postwar Japan, and since our group is peculiarly interested in this type of evangelism both by temperament and by experience, it was felt that we could perhaps make the greatest con tribution to the total program of the Kingdom in Japan by this kind of effort. As an especially needy area, the Spirit seemed to indicate the eastern arm of Hokkaido. 268 THE MENNONITE BOARD OF MISSIONS 269 It is our hope that we can eventually plant in every town and village in this area an abiding witness to our Lord, and that God can raise unto Himself here a church, bright and glorious, without spot or blemish, a part of the greater Church of Jesus Christ in Japan. THE OMI BROTHERHOOD by Merrell Varies Hitotsuyanagi The Omi Brotherhood, being a self-supporting organiza tion for the evangelization of neglected areas with headquarters in Japan and the majority of its members Japanese, is hardly qualified to be a regular member of the Fellowship of Christian Missionaries in Japan, although several of its members have been directly connected with the Fellowship since it was founded, and our founder was its chairman in 1930-31. We have no American or other " foreign " missionary at present although we may have at any time. There are two or three ways in which the Omi Brotherhood can and does cooperate with and serve the whole Fellowship : 1. Every department of the Brotherhood is intended to be a demonstration of Christianity in action. Almost every type of occupation and industry is represented here - professional, industrial, educational, philanthropic and evangelistic (personal, correspondence, preaching, medical, publications, Bible courses and demonstration) . This not only makes the Christian life as guided by the Holy Spirit visible to the seeker, but it also enables any other mission which does not have such facilities to use our plant for purposes of illustration and to observe how such methods of evangelization and rural work may be 270 THE OMI BROTHERHOOD 271 adopted or adapted without incurring expense or effort for direct experimentation. The Brotherhood is an ex- periment station for missions. 2. Our Architectural and Importing Departments offer services to all missions, saving them expense and provid ing them needed equipment. The direction of the Brotherhood is entrusted to an elected Executive Committee of twelve in which at least one woman is included. THE CHURCH OF THE FOURSQUARE GOSPEL by Billie Charles The Church of the Foursquare Gospel is very young, only thirty years old to be exact. Its headquarters and radio station are located in Angelus Temple, the main church, which is in Los Angeles. This church seats 5,000. Next door to it is the seminary which has an enrollment of about 700 students. In the same area are such buildings as a home for missionaries on furlough and a new youth education building. The main objective of the Church of the Foursquare Gospel is evangelism and the establishment of churches in every country in the world. It has mission work in Africa, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong, Colombia, Central America, Cuba, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Philippine Islands, Puerto Rico, Samoan Islands, India, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. This year the Inter national Church of the Foursquare Gospel is sending out 37 new missionaries plus three Gospel teams which will make evangelistic tours of Central and South America, the Orient and the Caribbean area. Japan is a new field for the Church of the Foursquare Gospel. Its missionaries first came from China in April, 1951. At the present time Rev. and Mrs. Carl Lucht are working in Hiroshima with their own organization and 272 / THE CHURCH OF THE FOURSQUARE GOSPEL 273 working with Youth for Christ. Their work is chiefly mass evangelism and follow-up classes for new converts. They also do some work with the Armed Forces there. Also Rev. Billie Charles is studying language in Tokyo, having children s meetings and adult Bible classes in his home, carrying on evangelistic work in Tokorozawa and holding Sunday school and church services in a school building in Yachimata in Chiba Prefecture. This summer another young couple will be coming to Japan to help in this work. Future objectives are the learning of Japanese language, the building of churches and the beginning of a seminary. THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS The year 1952 has been marked with definite progress in the Japan Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Since the reopening of the Mission in 1948 there have been 125 missionaries assigned to the Japan Mission. These missionaries stay from two to three years, so at present there are 70 L. D. S. mission aries in Japan. During 1952 there were 25 missionaries who returned to their homes in the States and only 10 replacements. To relieve this situation of declining numbers, Pres. Vinal G. Mauss asked the servicemen in this area who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to donate money to a missionary fund. The servicemen rallied to the cause and built a fund from which 9 Japanese nationals are being supported as full-time missionaries. Plans are to enlarge this pro gram so that more Japanese members may be called into proselyting service. On April 13, 1952, Pres. Vinal G. Mauss, under the direction of the First Presidency of the Church, set apart Peter Nelsen Hansen arid Dwayne N. Andersen as first and second counselors to assist him in the mission presid ency. This presidency is responsible not only for the proselyting and growth of the church among the Japanese, but also for the activities of the L. D. S. servicemen in 274 THE CHURCH OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS 275 the Far East area. There are at this time 25 branches of the church among Japanese nationals and 80 branches and groups organized among the servicemen. Two of the Japanese branches are completely organized and directed by lay members who have been called to posi tions of leadership. The various servicemen s groups are likewise organized so they can conduct their own meetings and also carry on a proselyting program among the service personnel. The building program is going ahead with the pur chase of homes and land in Sendai and Takasaki which will be locations for future chapels. Plans for purchas ing other locations in 1953 are being made. Some outstanding activities are: the translation work of Tatsui Sato of a number of tracts and pamphlets along with much progress in completing the Standard Works of the church and other source material ; also, three Sunday School manuals for 1953 were translated by Elder Yotaru Yoshino and published by Elder Oscar K. Hulet ; the publishing of the Book of Mormon, addi tional scriptural witness for Jesus Christ, into Japanese braille through the donated services of Miss Haruko Sakamoto, a member of the church ; the organization of the Gumma Mixed Chorus under the direction of Elder Ronald D. Pexton (it was composed of 25 members and investigators from Takasaki and Maebashi who after 6 months of preparation made a concert tour performing in the cities of Sanjo, Shibata, Kanazawa, Nagoya, Osaka, 276 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN i Kyoto, Yokohama, Tokyo, Maebashi, and Takasaki) ; the Mutual Improvement Association, the social and recrea tional organization of the church, sponsored a mission- wide basketball tournament in March and a baseball tournament in August ; this organization also sponsored dances, plays, and other recreational and cultural pro grams throughout the branches of the church in Japan. 1952 has seen a growth in the number of Japanese members being called to positions of leadership to conduct meetings and assist in the work of the various branches under the supervision of the missionaries. Plans for the future are to prepare the lay members to carry more of the responsibilities in the branches, releasing the mission aries for more proselyting. THE INTERNATIONAL CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP The International Child Evangelism Fellowship is an interdenominational mission. Its program has been de signed to reach the children of the world for Christ. This ministry in Japan had its beginning in the spring of 1948 with one missionary on the field. God has blessed with a steady growth during the ensuing years, increasing the number of missionaries to nine by 1952. The work was first established in Tokyo and this continued to be the main headquarters for the Mission. Two outposts were established during 1952, one in Ashiya and a second in Hiroshima. The actual work of this Mission is first, to teach and train native Christians to present the Gospel to children and to lead them to Christ ; second, to hold special evangelistic meetings for children all over Japan ; third, to translate and print the Child Evangelism lesson material into the native language. This is a very important phase of the work. Much of the material is now in Japanese and more will soon be off the press. Teacher training classes are held throughout the areas where this work is established. These groups come to^ gether each week for instruction and are then sent out to present the message to the children. The average class is made up largely of college age young people. Many 277 278 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN of them are new Christians who are eager to serve the Lord. Some of these young people are teaching as many as six classes weekly with wonderful results. The greatest step forward was taken last fall with the opening of a Child Evangelism Bible School and Teacher Training Institute. This school is held in the Ashiya branch and offers a nine months course of study. The first five and one-half months are devoted to a con centrated study of the Bible and the next three and one- half months to teacher training in child evangelism methods and materials. Workers who have already had their Bible training may come for just the teacher train ing service. Students are required to have at least a high school education. They must be doctrinally sound and sign the statement of faith set forth by the Mission. Before entering the school they must read the Bible through at least once. Each student must provide his own board, bedding and other equipment. The tuition is free and at present limited dormitory space is available. Students are not limited to child evangelism workers only. The Mission welcomes any Christians interested in children s work who feel the need for further train ing for rendering more effective service for the Lord. Missionaries of the Fellowship feel that the one hope of reaching the Japanese people for Christ is in training native Christians. As they go out into all parts of the islands of Japan efforts will be multiplied many times. THE GIDEONS INTERNATIONAL by R. J. Holzwarth The Gideons International who are Christian business men of all denominations are banded together with a threefold objective: a. Winning the lost to Christ by personal testimony. b. Associating Christian businessmen together for fellowship. c. The distribution of God s Holy Word to hotels, hospitals, schools, penal institutions, the Armed Forces, youth in our public schools, and around the world in over 66 countries. We have a total of about 17,000 members in the Uni ted States, Canada, Iceland, the British Isles, Scandina vian countries, Europe, Australia, Mexico and Japan etc. During the year 1952 the following Scriptures were distributed : 3,538 total Bibles ; 7,962,280 Youth Testaments ; 13,122,384 Service Men s Testaments; 650,157 Nurses Testaments ; and 89,721 foreign Bibles. The Gideons came to Japan on June 9, 1950, in res ponse to General MacArthur s request for .Scriptures for the Japanese. On September 1, 1950, a group of Japanese businessmen was formed into a local Gideon group in Tokyo. The writer has been privileged to be the repre sentative here from June 9, 1950, to December 18, 1950, 279 280 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN and again from November 25, 1951. Last year Gideon camps were formed in Sapporo, Sendai, Osaka, Fukuoka and Kyoto. This gives us a total now of six Gideon groups in Japan and, the Lord willing, we will establish another sometime in March at Kobe. The three-year objective is to have about 14 groups organized in Japan and to distribute approximately 400. 000 bilingual Japanese and English New Testaments to the university students. Gideons also are now presenting a New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs to high school students and hotels. Scripture distribution in Japan includes not only hotels but hospitals and penal institutions as well. This of course is done through the Japanese Christian businessmen who are making the presentations. On September 27 and 28, 1952, the first National Convention was held in Japan and the following were selected as the national officers : president, Takeo Igarashi, president of Hakuyosha Co., Tokyo; 1st v- president, Kanzaburo Momotani, Osaka ; 2nd v-president, Ryuji Tsuruhara, Fukuoka ; secretary, Kakumaro Kem- motsu, Tokyo ; treasurer, Kiichi Kobayashi, president of Lion Dentrifice Co., Tokyo ; chaplain, Sadatoshi Sukegawa, Sapporo ; Bible secretary, Rikichi Sato, Sendai. During the Convention period in 1952, Bibles were pre sented to Ambassadors Murphy, Walker, Dening, Tong and Canadian Counsellor Menzies. Special Bibles were presented to General Clark, General Weyland and Admiral Briscoe. THE JAPAN YOUTH FOR CHRIST by Sam Wolgemuth Youth For Christ International had its beginnings in the year 1945 under the leadership of Dr. Torrey Johnson who became its first president. The work initially was planned to reach American youth who, because of the accentuated program of public amusements and increas ing vices, were being lost to the church. God graciously blessed this ministry and multitudes of young people across the States were brought to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. In more recent years under the leadership of Dr. Bob Cook, now president of YFCI, Youth For Christ, in addition to its youth program in the States, has caught the missionary vision. This vision lias taken youth leaders to 78 countries of the world. These men have endeavored to work with missionaries and pastors in mass evangelistic efforts. The best equip ment and methods available in our modern times have been utilized to present clearly and to the masses the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the lives of men. " Geared to the times but anchored to the rock " has rather clearly characterized the endeavors. It is the ever-increasing desire of YFC men in Japan that seekers who have given evidence to a desire to know the Lord Jesus Christ shall first of all be instructed in 281 282 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN the Word by careful follow-up which is carried on under the capable leadership of the Navigator staff who work in cooperation with Youth For Christ. YFC recognizes the importance of the church and encourages all seekers to affiliate with a church in their area where the Gospel message is clearly presented. By this method there are men and women in every prefecture of Japan who are studying the Word and share in local church programs. This year, 1953, will be particularly important in the history of Japan Youth For Christ since the Sixth Annual World Congress on Evangelism will be conducted here. Combining with missionaries and pastors throughout the islands, the YFC staff with the advice of an Advisory Council consisting of mission leaders and leading Japan ese pastors, will join forces with the churches to make Christ known to multitudes who have never received the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. To share in this unprecedented venture of faith, approximately 500 Christian leaders from all parts of the world will come to Japan during the month of August. Prayer groups are giving particular attention to this Congress, and Christians everywhere are believing that 1953 will prove to be a great year of spiritual harvest in Japan. THE NAVIGATORS Twenty years ago a young man, temporarily in jail for a minor offense, promised the God he knew nothing about that he would serve Him if He would help him get out of trouble. Shortly thereafter Dawson Trotman attended a young people s Sunday evening meeting and became a participant in a contest between the " Reds " and the "Blues." Noting the various possibilities for winning points, Trotman saw that memorizing the 10 verses listed on the contest sheet would bring the great est total of points. A few weeks later, as he was on his way to work in the lumber yard in Lomita, California, he was impressed by the words " hath everlasting life." Seeking the source of those words, he glanced at the little cards on which he had written the contest verses for easy reference during the free moments of the day. Coming to John 5 : 24, he realized the desirability of having eternal life, and at that moment settled it with God. Immediately he began working on a system for helping others to memorize God s Word. Five years later, Trotman was led to contact Les Spencer, a man in the U.S. Navy, who asked for help in learning the Scriptures and in dealing with men as he had seen Trotman do. As Spencer progressed, he became the means of reaching other men in the Navy, who In 283 284 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN turn reached others. At the close of World War II, the Navigators had men on 1,000 ships, shore stations, and army camps. As a result of several world trips by Trotman, missionaries from more than 40 foreign countries have requested Navigator-trained men to lay the founda tion of such work around the world. Since 1948, when Roy Robertson went to China as the first foreign repre sentative, the Navigators have sent men to England, France, Germany, Italy, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Formosa, the Philippines, Okinawa, Japan, Korea, and South America. In 1950, at the request of Billy Graham, Trotman became Personal Work Counsellor for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Crusade and has directed the personal work and follow-up for all of the city-wide rallies. In each of these, a carefully selected group of young men and women with Navigator training have assisted in the training of personal workers and in the setting up of a " Follow-up Office " to continue to help the converts after the Crusade has moved on to another city. In the summer of 1951 Roy Robertson came to Japan from Formosa and China at the request of Youth For Christ to set up a system of follow-up based on methods the Navigators had found successful in the United States and in Formosa. A system of Bible study (particularly adapted to the Orient) and memory work was translated and printed for correspondence, using the principle of teaching the student to study the Word of God for him- THE NAVIGATORS 28$ self. This system begins simply in the Gospel of John and later spreads to other books in the New Testament and to the Old Testament, laying a foundation step by step of basic truths for victorious Christian living. The ultimate objective is to give each student such a working knowledge of the Word of God that he will be able to win his friends to Christ and to assist them in their spiritual growth. Except for the cost of Y 80 to cover the cost of mailing the four progressive steps of the Topical Memory System, all materials are sent free of charge to anyone who sends his name and address to the Bible Investiga tion Correspondence School, Central P. O. Box 533, Tokyo. Such organizations as Youth For Christ, Pocket Testament League, Oriental Missionary Society, and Bible Meditation League have entrusted the Navigators with the responsibility of caring for their spiritual babes by this method of correspondence study. The names of all students are filed geographically and will be shared with any missionary who desires to contact and help the students in his area. Many of these students are located in areas where some evangelism has been done but where there is no missionary or native church to give the spiritual assistance necessary for growth. To be of the most possible assistance to these, each study is graded individually when returned to the office, and any questions that are not fully understood are explained. If there is 286 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN an indication that the student has not come into a real knowledge of Jesus Christ, some good explanatory in formation is sent with the second lesson. In addition to the correspondence course, the Navi gators sponsor two weekly lecture classes for students in the Tokyo area. A follow-up class for Youth For Christ converts teaches the basics of successful Christian living. An advanced training school teaches the students to do personal work. This training is applied as these advanced students serve as personal workers among those who come seeking Christ at the monthly Youth For Christ rally in Kyoritsu Kodo auditorium. True to their early beginnings, the Navigators have had an increasing ministry among the United States servicemen in Japan. A full-time representative is di recting the Servicemen s Center in Yokosuka sponsored by the Christian Servicemen s Association. Another representative works extensively with the men in the Air Force on bases near Tokyo. The Tokyo Office is the headquarters for distribution of English materials in the Orient for servicemen and missionaries. With the strong emphasis upon mass evangelism which will come to Japan in August during the Youth For Christ Sixth Annual World Congress on Evangelism, and with the increasing work among the U. S. servicemen, the Navigators anticipate greater opportunities to fulfill Paul s command to Timothy to train " faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." THE INTER-VARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP by Irene Webster Smith The Inter- Varsity Christian Fellowship is not a new organisation, but a very old one, having started in Cam bridge University in England in 1877. It was from this group that the famous " Cambridge Seven " went forth to do and dare for God in foreign fields. In 1928 the British Inter- Varsity students were chal lenged with the tremendous need for a faithful witness to Jesus Christ and His saving power and to the Bible, God s inerrant Word, among students in other universities in the British Commonwealth. From this sprang the Australian and New Zealand branches of the Fellowship. Students responded by selling their sports equipment to buy Dr. Howard Guinness a one-way ticket to Canada. An adventure of faith had begun. In 1937 history repeated itself when the Christian students of Toronto saved their lunch money to help finance the beginning of the American movement. For approximately two years it was part of the Canadian Inter- Varsity work, but in the spring of 1940 it was decided that the work in the United States should begin its independent existence, with headquarters in Chicago, but that links between the work in the two countries 287 *28S THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN should be maintained. The board members of the newly organised independent work and its general secretary, Mr. C. Stacey Woods, were faced with the tremendous task of establishing on the campuses of more than 1200 colleges and universities in the United States a vital witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. But they faced it in faith and God honoured their faith. God has permitted them to see not only a constant growth of the work to which they have given themselves in prayer and effort, but in 1946 He permitted them to see history again repeat itself when I.V.C.F. students in the United States, by their gifts, made possible the sending forth of labourers to the harvest fields of Latin America, the Orient, India and Europe. In June, 1947, an insignificant group of university students gathered in Nippon Medical University. Unno ticed, they met every Saturday at a definite time and were led in Bible study by Mr. Roy Hasegawa. In Sep tember Mr. Charles Hummel, who was here in the Occupa tion, joined him in starting an evangelistic meeting which was held in a building next door to our present student center. In the same year I was working with students in Kyoto, but in October moved to Tokyo to help in the work. From this small beginning sprang the Japan I.V.C.F. Many young missionaries have taught Bible classes for us in many colleges, and as a result students came to the Saviour and began to witness for Christ on their own campuses, and so others were won THE INTER-VARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 289 to Christ. We gathered frequently to pray together, and, as one young Japanese said, " our fellowship with one another could be said to have exceeded that of a family, and sometimes several of us would spend long times of fellowship and prayer together." In 1948 we had our first summer conference and now our spring and summer conferences are regular events. At the last conference thirty colleges were represented from Hokkaido to Kyushu. In early spring, 1949, the Rev. John Schwab, who had been active in I.V.C.F. work in the University of Texas, joined us. During this time many students were led to a saving knowledge of Christ at the Saturday evening meetings which continued in a rented room close to Meiji University. Feeling the need of something more permanent for Bible study, prayer and follow-up meetings, we began praying and early in 1950 God mir aculously gave us a suitable place in Surugadai, Kanda, Tokyo, within five minutes walk of five or six univer sities. In 1951 Mr. Ken S. Roundhill, formerly a staff worker of I V.C.F., came to Japan and was led to help us in student campus evangelism. Inter- Varsity Christian Fellowship mainly functions on campus amongst the students themselves, and occas ionally they have evangelistic meetings and special speakers. Once a month, students from many universities gather for prayer and to encourage one another with news of their own campus, Many of the graduates are 290 today training in seminaries and Bible colleges for the Lord s work. Students have been publishing their own monthly magazine, " Kirisutosha," which from now on will be issued quarterly. Tracts suitable for university students are also being published. We are grateful for the growth and function of the Kirisutosha Gakuseikai the Japan counterpart to the I.V.C.F., and for the counsel given to this side of the work by the council which meets regularly. The establishing of evangelical indigenous student groups in Japanese universities, we feel, will do much towards winning tomorrow s leaders for Christ and His Church today. We trust the I.V.C.F. will be used to that end. THE YMCA OF JAPAN by Howard L. Haag This year 1953 will go down in history as a most eventful point of reference in Japan. With all the inter national galaxy of issues and problems in parade here in the Far East, those who are interested in catching up the interesting forward steps of progress of Christ s Way in Japan may well stop to remember a significant event which took place in 1903. It was just 50 years ago that the two movements, the City Young Men s Christian Associations and the Student Young Men s Christian Association, joined forces to create the National Com mittee of the Young Men s Christian Associations of Japan. This National Committee which is now the coordina ting body uniting all phases of the Association movement becomes, not a central board of control, but a federation of locally autonomous organizations. This characteristic of local autonomy of the YMCA is one which is little understood generally. It is essential to the Association movement around the world. Each city, student, or com munity YMCA is an entity in itself, except as some of the large associations do reach out into the city in which they have their central bodies and create branches. The 291 292 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN general rule still remains, however, that local associations are self-governing, self-directing, self-financing and quite independent of each and every other association. Thus it is that each national movement is quite independent from each and every other national Association movement. It is a mistaken idea that the World s Alliance in Geneva, Switzerland, in any way controls national YMCA move ments. The World s Alliance by its very nature is an alliance of member organizations, namely, the various national councils or committees of the YMCA within some seventy nations. The same relationship exists between the member national movements in the World s Alliance as exists between the local associations of a given nation and its own national council or com mittee. Often inquiries are made as to the relationship of the National Committee of the Young Men s Christian Associations of Japan with the International Committee of the Young Men s Christian Associations of North America. The fact of the matter is that there is no other relation ship save that of the latter being an aiding movement. Legally and formally there is no authoritative relationship. The International Committee has for the last seventy years held itself ready to stand by to aid by lending leadership when that aid has been called for. It has also, in times of disaster such as devastation by war or other calamities, been ready to render some financial aid in reconstruction of buildings or the training of staff. This THE YMCA OF JAPAN 293 aid, however, is always given with complete assurance to the national movement that its autonomy will not in any way be infringed upon. As it lends fraternal secre taries, these men go to the asking country to work under the guidance of the national movement and without any authority other than they may have as specialists in one of the many phases of the total YMCA work. An example of this may be found in the case of the fraternal secretaries working with the National Committee of the YMCA of Japan. Here, upon request of the National Committee, we have five fraternal secretaries, one in general administration, one in student work, one in boys work and camping, one in physical and recreation work and one in Christian emphasis. Nor are all these men from the United States. One is from the Canadian Association and one is from the Swedish Association. In each case these men work with a counterpart secretary who is the senior Japanese director of the department of work in question. Each of these departments has its own national departmental committee which is a sub committee of the National Committee and works in coordination with the local student and city associations which make up the national movement. When reviewing the history of the National Com mittee of the YMCA of Japan it must be noted that though this body is now celebrating its fiftieth anniver sary, the local student and city associations which make it up are in many cases much older than this. The Osaka 294 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN YMCA was founded in 1882. The Tokyo Association was founded in 1880. It was largely the call of student work which caused the first fraternal secretary, John T. Swift, to come to Japan. When he arrived in 1889 he found the two above-mentioned associations "in good condition." They were ministering to Christian education of students and otherwise conducting programs of value to the young men of the cities. It was under the leadership of men like Mr. S. Niwa of Tokyo that the city association movement was built. With Mr. I. Fujita as first secretary, the Tokyo Imperial University YMCA was founded. These two will serve as examples to show that the two movements were growing side by side. As the city associations spread and grew, the student associations did likewise. City buildings were built and began to serve the vast number of young men who crowded the cities of Japan. The universities likewise called for more and more of the student associations. Though not all had buildings the movement grew in strength. It was natural that these two phases of the YMCA work should have their own federations. Though there was no "split" in the structure of the YMCA as a whole, the very divergence of the nature of the work from the beginning led to the development of these two phases. It was natural also as time went on and common problems and overlap ping functions brought these two national groups into constant contact, that there would be thought of getting THE YMCA OF JAPAN 295 together in some kind of federation as exists in other countries of the world. The National Council or the assembly of representatives of both these bodies was called for. In 1903 the final formation was made and the National Committee in its present form came into being. These have been fifty rich years. Growth has been beyond the expectations of the founding fathers. Today the student work extends into 158 universities in Japan. Some 5,000 students are affiliated together in this enter prise which is undoubtedly the largest and strongest national Christian student body of the land. At the same time the city associations have grown. Today there are 33 city associations affiliated in the National Committee. Many other cities are in process of establishing local associations and asking for instructions as to how to become affiliated. The city associations are extending their work in the field of boys activities. It is felt that this age group between grade school and university is one which should have major attention. For this purpose a National Boys Work Committee has been organized. In this department the Hi-Y Clubs unite to further their work among high school students. They have their National Hi-Y Fellowship. Over one hundred clubs are a part of this movement today. This Boys Work Com mittee has relationship to the work of seven boys camps throughout the nation. These camps are largely under the direction of local city associations. The National Committee assists in program and training of leaders, 296 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN A phase of work re-activated since the war is the emphasis on recreation and physical education. This was a great work of the YMCA of Japan under the leadership of Franklin Brown. It has been recently renewed with a fraternal secretary working with a special national committee and Japanese staff cooperating with local associations. Better methods of Christian education are now being emphasized in local and student associations since a National Christian Work Committee is working with another fraternal secretary and Japanese staff. Here again the National Committee finds ways of supplemen ting the work of the local Y and aiding it to make its work more effective and far-reaching. Thus the National Committee of the Young Men s Christian Associations of Japan celebrates . its fiftieth year with a strong forward-looking program. In the years to come new associations will be formed. New staff will be trained. New laymen will throw their lives into this great Christian service to supplement the work of the Christian churches of Japan. THE SALVATION ARMY by Charles Davidson Salvationists in Japan continued throughout the year 1952 to steadily pursue the Army s postwar program of spiritual and physical renewal. Highlighting the year was the visit of General Albert Orsborn, international leader from London, whose week-long campaign, follow ing an extensive tour through the United States, had been the subject of earnest prayer and happy anticipa tion. An able and inspired evangelist, General Orsborn thrilled his audiences in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, and Salvationists rejoiced in the evidence of the blessing of the Holy Spirit upon these gatherings as hundreds confessed their need of Christ. The Emperor graciously received the General who also had opportunity for cordial interviews and discussions with the Prime Minister, the Supreme Commander and other leading personalities. Increasing emphasis is being placed upon outdoor evangelism, even at the smaller centers where truly it is a matter of two or three gathering together in the Master s name. Efforts also are being made to replace at least some of the Salvation Army literature destroyed in 1940. Publications recently issued of immediate inter est to Salvationists but also of general interest to other 297 298 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN Christians include some of the writings of the late beloved Gunpei Yamaniuro, and also of one of his dear friends, Samuel Logan Brengle of the U.S.A. Several additional centers of evangelism have been opened, notably in Okayama, Tokyo and Hokkaido, in each of which a new establishment has been erected. , The training of selected young men and women for full-time service continues. Likewise periodic training institutes are arranged for all those sharing responsibility for young people s activities. Of special note and benefit was the refresher course organized for all postwar officers, in addition to which a group of more than 100 " local officers " (lay- workers) spent three days in council and conference with Commissioner Uyemura. The Army s social service operations continue to reflect the basic precept of service to God and service to man. It is felt that with the many admirable social reforms under taken by the authorities and public preoccupation with a materialistic philosophy, the danger of religion being relegated to the sidelines or removed entirely presents an acute and constant challenge to the Christian social worker. Improved techniques and improved equipment call for better approaches on the spiritual level. Earnest efforts are being made along these lines. During 1952 a new home for young women was opened in Tokyo, the financing of which was shared equally by the organization in Japan and its good friends in the U.S.A. A well-equipped dormitory for nurses was also added to THE SALVATION ARMY 299 the facilities of the Army s Suginami Sanitarium for T.B. patients. Representing International Headquarters, London, Colonel Davidson made several visits to Korea to encourage Salvationists there, and organized the dispatch of food, clothing and funds to help maintain the Army s operations in that distressed and war-torn country. THE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE by Anna Brinton The work of the American Friends Service Committee in Japan includes relief, social service and peace educa tion. More than $250,000 worth of relief supplies con tributed by the AFSC was distributed by LARA in 1952 before the LARA program came to an end. Powdered whole milk and clothing made up the bulk of the ship ments. Milk stations and orphanages are especially grateful for the sustained support which continued for six years from 1946-1952. Three neighborhood centers have continued to be maintained, two in Tokyo and one in Mito. The center at Toyama Heights, Tokyo, is situated in a housing project with a population of 5,000 middle-class people. Its activities include classes in abacus calculation, art, flower arrangement, folk games and dances, the making and manipulation of puppets, and music, includ ing chorus (both Japanese and English), piano playing and recorded music. A sewing room equipped with three machines is available each morning. There is a women s group which often engages in sewing for relief projects. Equipment is available for such sports as baseball, volley ball and ping-pong. Within the past year study groups 300 THE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE 301 have discussed current events and the theory and practice of the Society of Friends. A kindergarten with an enrollment of 75 children forms an important part of the program. The library, open six evenings a week, is frequented largely by students. The well- warmed hall is used for public meetings. Participants in the center s activity increasingly draw in others both from within and from outside the community. The other Tokyo center is in the government camp for repatriated and displaced persons at Setagaya Go. Here in a comparatively small slum area as many as 8,000 people are living under crowded and primitive conditions in old Japanese army barracks. The recreational, intel lectual and cultural program of the neighborhood center is designed to stir people out of the mental and spiritual lethargy arising from their depressed condition and pro vide some meaning and interest in life. With the regular help of a volunteer doctor, health instruction is given. There is also a kindergarten. It is estimated that within a week four to five hundred people use the center in one way or another. A day nursery initiated in 1949 is serving 65 children (ages two to four) of day-laboring mothers. It is housed in a building beside the center. The neighborhood center in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, is situated in the premises of the Friends Meeting. It offers a program similar to that of the center at Toyama Heights. Weekend work camps, 21 in all, were carried on in 302 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN the Tokyo area between March and November, 1952. Seven were at Kodomo-no-machi, an orphanage outside of Tokyo. Three were at a home for dependent women and children inside the city and the rest were at Setagaya Go. Their purpose is to provide peace education by means of an opportunity for young people from a variety of backgrounds to cooperate in manual work to meet com munity needs and to help the local people to realize what their own responsibilities are. Playgrounds and in some cases roads have been developed and existing facilities have been repaired and improved. Besides mitigating psychological tensions, work camps have taught people how to help themselves to improve their depressed con ditions. An International Student Seminar has been held in Japan under the auspices of the American Friends Service Committee each year since 1949. As in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, the United States, India and elsewhere, these seminars have brought together for from two to seven weeks 30 to 60 young men and women of many lands and diverse experience. They live, work, study and meditate together. The object is to build a durable peace by creating mutual friendship and under standing that transcends barriers of nationality, race and culture. It is also hoped to inculcate a sense of personal responsibility for peace and practical peace-making. In the summer of 1952 two seminars were held in Japan, one at Tsuda College in Tokyo (enrollment THfe AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE 303 60) and one at Kobe College in the Kansai (enrollment 42) . They were attended by both men and women. Nine nationalities were represented. Leaders, who shared all aspects of the seminar life (recreation, meditation and worship as well as the lectures and discussions), came from Japan, the USA, India, France, Great Britain and Germany. The theme of both seminars was " Nationalism and World Peace." An effort was made to go beyond academic analysis to a more practical or personal approach to the problems that confront emergent Asia. After occasional heated arguments it was deeply moving to feel a sense of penitence in the group as a whole and an even closer fellowship than before. The whole exper ience of living together and sharing responsibility for all the seminar s activities contributed effectively to the attainment of its objectives. During the winter, reunions and occasional lectures or series of lectures help to con tinue the process begun in the seminars. THE FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION by Paul M. Sekiya During the year 1952 the FOR attempted to promote the cause of Christian pacifism by nourishing the grass roots of the movement by means of group studies, month ly meetings and the annual conference. The main effort has been directed towards arousing public opinion and taking a firm stand against rearmament and the rising tide of thought-control which is a forboding of the re birth of a police state. The second National Conference of FOR held at Nishinomiya in August provided a unique opportunity for mutual acquaintance as well as encouragement bringing about a closer fellowship among the members residing great distances apart. The conference issued two state ments, one against rearmament and the other for the acceleration of the release of Japanese war criminals. During the summer members of FOR participated in a work camp for eight days, digging a well for a com munity of outcast people (known as " Eta ") in a village in Shiga Prefecture. Such projects help to break down barriers between the village people and the outcasts. Similar projects should be undertaken hereafter by FOR to improve relationships between Japanese and Koreans. In the general election for members of the House of Representatives on October 1, it was encouraging that 304 THE FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION 305 the Socialist Party, standing against rearmament, gained strength especially in the urban districts although the Liberal Party favoring rearmament won a majority of votes. FOR must redouble its effort to stem the tide of rearmament and thought-control in the future. Items of special emphasis for the year of 1953 are as follows : (1) Formation of cells in colleges and universities. An FOR group has been formed at Doshisha University in Kyoto. (2) Work camp project with a definite program of reconciliation similar to the one in Shiga Prefec ture mentioned in this article. (3) Prayer and lecture meetings. (4) Increased publication and literary activity : a. Monthly organ, "Yuwa" b. Pamphlets published at irregular intervals c. Leaflets d. Writing or translating a standard book on Christian pacifism (5) Systematic visits to local FOR groups by teams consisting of two leaders per team. In 1952 FOR raised 142,000 in Japan and received 336,000 from the United States. It had 200 members and 21 associate members in addition to at least 22 known sympathizers in the Tokyo area alone. Of the 200 members 31 are American and Canadian missionaries. During 1952 about 70 Japanese persons and 15 missionaries 306 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN joined the FOR in Japan. There are now 24 chapters located in the following places: Sapporo, Otaru, Obihiro, Kushiro, Hakodate, Fukushima, Tokyo, Yokosuka, Gumma, Shizuoka, Nagano, Hachiman-machi, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka. Nagasaki, Sasebo and Kagoshima. THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF GOSPEL MISSIONS, INC. by Hugh Moreton The IUGM is the largest association of rescue missions in the world, though it is a newcomer to Japan. How ever, its forty years of experience qualifies it to launch a long-overdue ministry in Japan. Its impact upon the modern world can be appraised by its aggregate invest ments excess of $27,000,000 with annual budgets exceed ing $4,000,000. Its enterprises sprawl all over the United States. Recently it has flung out branches to Europe, Africa and Israel. In 1951 its first beacon in the Far East, the Tokyo Gospel Mission, was established. The Mission, as a vanguard of other rescue missions to be anchored in the big industrial cities of Japan, is organized as a vital, strategic bridgehead, as New York was the historic IUGM base from which radiated out rescue ministries across the American continent. As a fellowship, the IUGM is an association of rescue missions in good standing with the evangelical churches and having community endorsement. It is therefore not a competitor with local churches but is rather their com plement. Its special emphasis in Japan is the poor, the underprivileged, the lowly. It seeks to furnish for this class the emancipating Gospel as a full-orbed dynamic for physical, mental and spiritual maladies. Its media 307 308 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN are useful employment, men s dormitories, hostels, or phanages, women s homes, clinics and the like. Materially and spiritually its business is to serve those who from misfortune or disease are destitute, derelict, or delinquent. The Mission cannot escape the grim challenge of human debris swirling like flotsam and jetsam in the wake of World War II. The appalling wave of demoralization that swept into Japan like a tidal wave was reflected in criminal statistics, vagrancy, street-girls and clandestine dope-peddlars. Although the 800,000 demolished homes of the world s third largest metropolis have in these eight years been largely replaced and the number of 3,000,000 homeless has been reduced, the field of service for a handful of missionaries is practically limitless and the need is urgent. The activites of the IUGM in Japan are necessarily still in the pioneering stage, but it is a cause for gratitude that during 1952 a humble beginning has been registered in four fields of specialized Christian service, a narrative of which follows. Orphans That the Welfare Ministry during 1952 registered 26,594 orphans in orphanages throughout Japan (4,620 in Tokyo) of whom 482 were of mixed parentage is plausible. However, if the estimation be accurate, 20,000 to 200,000 offspring of mixed illegitimate unions are dis tinctly the responsibility of rescue missions, as are other THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF GOSPEL MISSIONS 309 uncared for miscellaneous orphans. Accordingly, to cope with the large number of vagrant, homeless orphans at large, the first building unit under lUGM s comprehensive program to open its doors during 1952 was an orphanage situated in Musashi Sakai. The year also witnessed the launching of a vigorous Sunday School and Bible classes at the Tokyo Metropolitan Shakujii Orphanage, the first Christian enterprise in its long 81 years history ! Prostitutes In spite of lUGM s being a probationer it cannot be inactive before the tragedy and pathos of 17 red-light districts in Tokyo unofficially authorized by the govern ment. Since the Prostitution Penalties Bill was pigeon holed in the second 1952 Diet session, harlotry is de facto permitted, which makes Japan about the only nation where there is no law directly to combat prostitution. The work is complicated by 70,000 to 80,000 girls cater ing exclusively to members of the United Nations forces. Any attempt to instigate measures for the manumission of these unfortunate girls has to be considered in the light of the sad and startling fact that they earn some $200,000,000 in foreign exchange for their country, and this item is second only to special procurement demands in Japan s favorable balance of invisible trade! In 1945 the problem v/as relatively simple with 537 specially licensed restaurants employing professional women. In 1952 that number had spiraled to 1,082. This delicate 310 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN job bristling with complexities is to be tackled by a team of skilled, spiritual workers, patient and expert in the art. The Metropolitan Police Department arrested in the first half of the year under review 3,671 prostitutes of whom 1,382 were consorting with non- Japanese. With painstaking care IUGM surveyed these 17 notorious city segments, not failing to render Christian witness to the girls and their landlords. In one case at Tamanoi (an area with about 200 " special cafes " and nearly 1,000 girls) a girl declared that she had been under Christian influence in Karuizawa ! It is common for these young country women to be sold from Y10,000 to Y20,000, most of them hailing from the Tohoku District. In some cases children are " sold " for a pittance. The compensa tion for this sacrifice of virtue is frequently Yl,000 and occasionally 400 a month. The youngest girl traded in this shameful way was nine years old! We search our hearts and ask : " What would Christ say and do about these cases? " The wretchedness of the pernicious business is slightly mitigated when we learn that 885 human traffic brokers (who normally charge Y2,000 to Y3,000 for each transaction) were arrested during the first half of 1952. Christian agencies accepting the re sponsibility for this type of work can never rest till positive, successful steps are taken to " rescue the perish ing" and properly rehabilitate them. The Mission ac cordingly plans to establish a home for girls. . THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF GOSPEL MISSIONS 311 Vagrancy In the 20 larger cities of Japan (each with a popula tion of over 200,000) there are 188 slum areas compris ing 45,884 households with 181,279 inmates. In Tokyo there are as many as 54 slum districts and 5,000 indigents with over 1,760 households concentrated in the shanties of Ueno Park, Sumida Park, Akashigawa and Ochanomizu ; this is in addition to the more than 8,900 vagrants housed in 33 dormitories. As a Mission we are grateful for the efforts being made by the government to combat the need. Under the Daily Life Security Law as many as 2,000,000 persons (2.5% of the total population) are now receiving public assistance. This, together with valiant efforts of other relief agencies at work in Japan, must be implemented. Food, clothing, practical assistance, tinctur ed and imbued with the Spirit of Christ, have been the year s ministries to vagrant communities including the Ueno subway group. Other Work With over 80,000 persons in Japan narcotic addicts last year (women accounting for about 40% of registered ad dicts) medical and spiritual aid must be rendered. Therefore ministries were furnished to Kanto Medical Reformatory, Tama Boys Reformatory and the Murayama Leprosarium. Personal evangelism amongst the homosexuals of Ueno Park during early evenings was conducted. 312 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN With a view to establishing a network of rescue missions embracing the principal cities of Japan, a panoramic survey of Kyushu, Hokkaido and Honshu Islands was achieved. The Japan board relays fortnightly on-the-spot reports to the American board (of which rescue specialists Mrs. Billy Sunday and Dr. Homer Rodeheaver are members). To veteran Christian churches and missions in Japan we ask to be an adjunct. In the spirit of the early bondslaves of Christ we offer unstint- ingly cooperation with and contribution to the work of God in Japan, JAPAN BIBLE SOCIETY by T. Miyakoda Table of Circulation for 1952 Bibles New Testaments Portions Braille Total 38,455 255,419 1,461,010 5,274 1,760,158 We often read the saying of journalists that " at present the outstanding characteristic in the Japanese reading world is the rivalry between communist books and the Bible. These books are seen in every city and town and are read widely. It will be interesting to see which will win the mind of the Japanese people. So many Scriptures have been sold and read by Japanese after the war." Because of this situation, Japanese journalism has never missed an opportunity of touching on Bible work. They are not ignorant of the fact that the Bible has been the best seller during those days and they have been criticizing Japan s postwar social situation quoting Biblical texts. For instance, one of the biggest newspapers, Asahi, denounced too gorgeous Christmas sales and celebrations, pointing out that, while more than three million Scriptures had been read by so many people dur ing the year, yet the average Japanese did not truly understand the significance of the birth of Christ. Asahi continued, " Our people ought to re-read the Bible on this Christmas occasion." 313 314 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN liible reading among Japanese It is a peculiar situation that although during the last 3 years the Japanese people bought more than ten million copies of the Scriptures church attendance has not in creased proportionately. In Fukushima Prefecture three of our colporteur pastors arranged Bible lectures by Old and New Testament scholars in 3 cities. They charged 20 yen for entrance fees, yet they had an audience which was from outside the churches. It is said that there are about fifty thousand " non- church " Christians in Japan, and it is thought that their numbers have increased lately. It is reported that 3,000 copies of the big Bible Dictionary (Y2,500 a copy) and more than ten thousand copies of the small Bible Dictionary have been sold by a Christian publisher one month after publication. According to the publisher most of the books were sold to people who do not belong to the churches. This situation will not be a surprise if it is remembered that more than 99% of the people in Japan are literate. Clearly here is >a field awaiting evangelization, the field being those who have the Bible and are studying it. Two years ago a member of our staff asked if it would be all right to send twelve copies of the Hebrew Bible to Shizuoka. We wrote to our colporteur pastor who had enquired for these Hebrew Bibles. There was no mistake about his request. We found in Shizuoka that JAPAN BIBLE SOCIETY 315 an Old Testament study group had been organized in one of the churches. Japan Bible Society has been getting many Greek, Hebrew, German, French and Latin Scriptures from the American Bible Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society and other Bible societies. During the last 4 years we have sold : English Bibles 16,189 Test. 82,166 Portion 422,350 Braille Total 65 520,770 Hebrew 401 401 German .... 560 527 1,087 French 211 222 96 528 Greek 1002 1,002 Latin 161 161 Chinese 2 2 4 Korean .... 4,750 16,788 72,334 93,872 22,113 100,868 494,779 65 617,825 Japanese are ready to accept the Bible From April to November, 1952, we sold 1,353,541 copies of Scriptures. This number is low compared with four million for 1951. The reasons are: (1) a change in the system of distribution and (2) too much emphasis laid on the early publication of the new colloquial version. Firstly, we have wasted too much time planning and rearranging the distribution system, and secondly, sales were held up because people have hesitated to buy the classical version of the Scriptures because of the announce- 316 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN merit that the new and better colloquial version \va& coming so soon. Yet, according to our colporteurs re ports, people are wishing to buy and read the Scriptures. Year of colloquial versions 1952 will be remembered as the year colloquial ver sions were much discussed in Japanese reading circles. Mr. Tsukamoto, one of the leaders among " non-church " in dependent Christian groups, announced the projected publication in April, 1954, of his translation of the New Testament while Dr. Kagawa s Kirisuto Shimbun version of the New Testament came out in November fulfill ing great expectations. Every time, and on every one of the newspapers pages where these individual col loquial translations are introduced, our J. B. S. revision work is mentioned and the hope expressed that a better and more digested authorized colloquial version may be worked out soon by the Japan Bible Society. There should be no need of mentioning that among the drastic changes in Japan that took place after the war, the change of the language style might be counted as one of the biggest, especially in the educational world. Government, and even the Imperial Family, have adopted the colloquial style, abandoning the long cherished literary style. In the grammar and high schools only colloquial language is being used and young people graduate who are able to read only in colloquial. In this situation, while our Japanese Bible has been JAPAN BIBLE SOCIETY 317 respected and loved as beautiful Japanese, it lias come 1 to be placed among the classics and has lost its power with the youngsters. There has been an urgent need for a colloquial authorized Bible, and the J. B. S. (with the help of A. B. S. and B. F. B. S.) started work on this Colloquial Version in 1951. It was started with the expectation that both the Old and New Testament would be completed within three years by 1954. Special distributions We have received requests from many Bible societies for Japanese Scriptures. We find these are for Japanese P. O. W.,s who must remain behind in various parts of Asia. Stimulated by this new r s, J. B. S. specially distribut ed Scriptures among foreign people in Japan. Naturally, most of these went to the Koreans. We distributed about 1,000 copies of Korean Scriptures among the Koreans who are on Tsushima Island, which lies between Japan and Korea, and about 1,000 copies for the Koreans who are in prisons throughout the country. Last year we sent two trained colporteurs to Rebun and Rishiri, the most northerly islands off Hokkaido. Those islands had never been touched by our colporteurs even before the war, and when our colporteurs landed and visited the head officers of the islands, they were introduced among the crowds at shrine festivals and were given the opportunity of selling over 3,000 copies. They were also invited to many village meetings to speak 318 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN on the Word of God. Rev. T. Miyakoda, the general secretary, and Mr. M. Sakata, attended the United Bible Societies General Conference at Ootacamund in South India and their visit to many Bible Societies is recorded with many thanks. The appointment of a representative of the J. B. S. to the standing committee of the U. B. S. is a matter of pride and satisfaction to all. Step towards self-support This year at the autumn general directors meeting we appointed 50 members of an Advisory Council. The first advisory meetings were held in December at Osaka and Tokyo. Mr. D. Takei, president of Showa Sangyo Co., was elected chairman. Mr. Watanabe, president of Sanwa Bank, vice-chairman, Mr. Hata (Tokyo) , manager of Asahi Slate Co., and Mr. Anekawa (Osaka), business man, were elected secretaries. Supporting members reached 300 by the end of the fiscal year, November 30th. Contributions of all sorts reached Y737,501.25. We have been able to contribute our share for revision work by giving Y590,000.00. MUKYOKAI (The Non-Church Group) by Goro Mayeda Since Mukyokai people attach no importance to any organization and hence keep no statistics, it is impossible to write an annual report with exact figures specifically valid for 1952 as distinct from the year before. These lines are, therefore, a supplement to the brief survey of the movement given by the same author in the Year book of 1951. Generally speaking, Mukyokai is growing strongly. Invisible though the movement is, the increase of the subscribers to Mukyokai magazines (mostly for Bible study) and the development of Bible study groups show how deeply and widely the movement is taking root in Tokyo and elsewhere. Especially young students take an interest in Mukyokai because many of them have been disappointed or even disgusted by foreign-sponsored propaganda in spiritual fields coming from both sides of the Pacific On the one hand, in obedience to the orders of the " peace-offensive " they stopped throwing acid- bottles and many universities and colleges experienced a calm campus life toward the end of 1952, but it does not mean that materialism decayed. On the other hand, foreign-aided pastors and missionaries do not appeal very much to the students because their approach is 319 320 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN rather " dollar-ly " than scholarly. Unfortunately the intellectual level of Japanese clergymen is on the average much lower than that of university professors. It goes without saying that the mounting antipathy against the foreign " Christian " troops helps to cause misunder standing concerning Christianity. By the way, most Japanese intellectuals are quite indifferent to the so-called independence given in 1952. This lack of intellect and blind obedience to foreigners keep many young people away from the churches. In this connection it should be pointed out that faith is personal ; since a nation consists of persons similar in custom and language, there is a national form of Christian life distinct from other nations for instance, German Christians live and think differently from English Christians. Thus, faith can be and should be national ; that is, its fruits should not be forced from outside but should democratically come out of the people who receive the Gospel. These two points, the one intellectual and ethical and the other democratic, are stressed by Mukyokai s advocate, Kanzo Uchimura, and his followers. Mukyokai has many leaders who are actually university professors or of professor s level ; they are all completely independent from foreign missions and foreign-aided organizations. However, Mukyokai adherents are not only intellec tuals but also common people. Especially in rural areas it is improving. Magazines are sent from various leaders, and the articles help in the conduct of family worship MUKYOKAI 321 and Bible study with full respect to Japanese customs and ethics. H. Ishiwara and H. Masaike (both editors of their own periodicals) are working as itinerant leaders among farmers and fishermen. Development among both intellectuals and non-intellectuals is one of the character istics of the recent Mukyokai movement. Further, Mukyckai is not only national but wishes to be universal. Its " non-church " (i. e., rejection of ec clesiastical organization, water baptism, tangible sacra ments, etc.) and by faith alone principles have been warmly received by the Korean and Formosan peoples. Since Uchimura s days they have had periodicals and Bible study groups, and after the war fellowship between Japa nese and non-Japanese Mukyokai people is becoming closer. Aid to Korean friends is one of the examples. In fact, many Mukyokai people are internationally minded ; world peace is their sincere wish. K. Kurosaki s 3 volume Abridged Commentaries on the Old Testament were completed in 1952. This means that his life work (in addition to his 10 volume New Testament Commentaries, 1 vol. Abridged New Testament Commentary, and Greek- Japanese Concordance) has been brought to perfection. A thanksgiving meeting was held in Osaka. T. Tsukamoto is preparing his New Testament translation in colloquial Japanese. It was first completely published in his own magazine, so he is the pioneer in this matter, What will be printed in 1953 will be a 322 THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN revised and annotated edition. In addition to his duties as president of the Uni versity of Tokyo, T. Yanaihara holds his Bible study meeting every Sunday and continues his monthly magazine. The fundamentalistic movement launched by some people of Kyushu, where the Korean War was more tragically felt than elsewhere, had some influence on Mukyokai people. But in the course of 1952 it became a local and sectarian phenomenon at the city of Kuma- moto. In spite of the fact that Mukyokai has no systematic dogma or organized leadership, severe criticism against paganization was made from the Biblical view point, and Mukyokai as a whole proved its soundness and strength as an invisible group of faith-centric Christians. It is also characteristic for 1952 that Mukyokai people no longer criticized as bitterly the so-called churches. It may be that they are too busy in fresh evangelization of the seventy million Japanese to whom the Gospel is unknown to deal with 200 or 300 thousand ready-made " Christians." But, if Mukyokai has caused a new counter- reformation among the churches and hence made criticism unnecessary, its aim of reformation might be considered as fulfilled. In other words, Mukyokai is not anti- ecclesiastical, but it is working for the Kingdom of God where neither protestantism nor Mukyokai (non-church) exist, but where all are one through Jesus Christ and there is one real Church which is His body. For further discussion refer to the article, " The MUKYOKAI 323 Non-Church Group," by T. Suzuki, in The Japan Chris tian Quarterly, vol. XVIII, No. 2, Spring 1952, and " Mukyokai " by G. Mayeda in the 1951 edition of The Japan Christian Yearbook. CHAPTER III THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP THE EVANGELICAL MISSIONS ASSOCIATION OF JAPAN by Francis B. Sorley This organization came into existence in the summer of 1947 when a number of evangelical mission groups and individuals were gathered together. Many of them had just recently started missionary work in Japan and felt the need for fellowship and consultation with other missionaries of kindred faith and purpose. There has been fellowship and a unity of spirit and purpose with the National Association of Evangelicals and the Evan gelicals Foreign Missions Association in America, but there is no organic connection with either of the above or with any other missionary organization at the present time, nor is any contemplated. The EMAJ was established as a cooperative fellow ship devoted to the propagation of the Christian faith and providing means for united action and cooperation in such activities as : promotion of Christian fellow ship, development of field comity, provision of field information and representation before the government when necessary. It is neither the purpose nor the inten- 324 THE EVANGELICAL MISSIONS ASSOCIATION 325 tion of the Association to interfere with the program of associated mission groups nor to dictate to them regard ing any matter whatsoever. Membership in the Association is open to individual missionaries as well as to mission groups who subscribe to the statement of faith which has been adopted as expressing the conservative theological position of the evangelical Christian bodies it represents. In his final report to the Association, Dr. Bishop stated that 417 missionaries belonging to 53 evangelical mission boards and from several different countries have at one time or another been members of the Evangelical Missions Association of Japan. Many who have gone to rural areas in Japan are no longer able to enjoy active fellow ship in the regular meetings. Other co-workers in Japan are welcome to join for fellowship and mutually profit able activities. FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES IN JAPAN by Sigurd Aske Historically the FOV; dates back to 1902 when the Standing Committee of Cooperating Missions was organ ized. Twenty delegates met at the first meeting at which time five standing committees were appointed. By 1911 the number of delegates had doubled, as had the number of committees. That year the Standing Committee on Cooperation became the Conference of Federated Missions, or, as the body later came to be known, The Federation of Christian Missions in Japan. The peak of activity was reached around 1918 when some eighty regular delegates attended the annual con ference. No less than seventeen standing committees were appointed to cope with the increasing load of work. When the National Christian Council came into being in 1923 as the organ of cooperation for all missions and churches in Japan, the future purpose of the Federation was defined as being " for fellowship, education and in spiration." Relieved of the burden of many routine duties the Federation now was able to accomplish more in the way of spiritual inspiration and challenge. However, the fact that the body continued to operate with much of the old machinery, its membership still consisting of duly 326 FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES 327 appointed delegates from member missions, led to some confusion both among members of the Federation and among the Japanese church organizations. The change from being a delegated federation of missions to a voluntary fellowship of missionaries with individual membership took place in 1937, when the first conference was held under the present name of Fellow ship of Christian Missionaries in Japan. The new name and constitution eliminated every semblance of duplica tion or interference with the work of other cooperative bodies. At the same time greater emphasis was given to the annual conference, which from now on became entirely inspirational in character, coupled with practical discussion of live missionary issues. From 1941 until the postwar reorganization meeting in Tokyo in the summer of 1947, the Fellowship went into partial eclipse. As the name would indicate, the FCM is a mission ary fellowship, a loosely organized body where Protestant missionaries from all over Japan meet for spiritual in spiration and frank discussion of contemporary mission problems. The Fellowship counts among its several hundred members missionaries from almost every type of mission. Not a few hold dual membership, belonging both to the FCM and to the EMAJ (Evangelical Missions Association of Japan). The 1952 Annual Conference was held in Karuizawn in the latter part of August. " Evangelism and the Chang ing Situation was the theme of the conference which 328 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP was ably planned and directed by the Executive Com mittee consisting of the following persons : Caroline Peck- ham, president ; E. Luther Copeland, vice-president ; Helene H. Harden, secretary, and Thomas W. Grubbs, treasurer. Dr. Floyd Shacklock, editor of the Japan Christian Quarterly since its reappearance in 1951, returned to duties in the United States and resigned his editorship. The FCM feels deeply grateful to Dr. Shacklock and to Mr. Dean Leeper, assistant editor, for the great amount of able effort put into the editorship of the Quarterly. To Dr. Willis Browning, editor, and Mr. Everett Kleinjans, assistant editor, appointed at the 1952 Annual Conference, go our prayers and good wishes. The Annual Conference also regretfully accepted the resignation of the editors of the Japan Christian Year book, Messrs. William F. Asbury and Laton E. Holmgren, since their duties took them to places outside Japan. Present editors are Rev. B. L. Hinchman and Rev. R. W. Wood. These two Fellowship-sponsored publications are meet ing a very definite need in missionary circles in this country. They also provide interested groups in other lands, such as mission headquarters, theological seminaries and such institutions, with an indispensable source of information on the missionary movement in Japan. Area conferences were held this year as usual. The Kansai group met in Kyoto in December, 1952, under the FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES 329 chairmanship of Dr. David C. Stubbs to discuss " Chris tian Literature in Japan." Similar conferences were held in the Kanto and Kyushu areas. IN MEMOKIAM Compiled by A. J. Stirewalt Of the twenty-four persons whose names are reported, nineteen were called from earth during the past year. The other five had not been previously reported. These fellow-workers served their age, they did what they could, they bore testimony, they labored, and we have entered into their labors. It is for the Lord of the Harvest to judge their works and to say " well done " to those who have done well. But it is for us to honor their memory and to thank God for calling them and enabling them to accomplish things which have become a heritage to our day and to oar efforts. Perhaps the greatest honor that can be shown anyone after his decease is to accomplish the hopes which he cherished but was unable to attain. Devoted faithfulness on our part to our Lord both glorifies our Lord and honors our predecessors who expended their lives in behalf of that for which we have offered ours. Peace be to their ashes honor to their memory and unto themselves eternal joy in the presence of Him who was slain for their salvation ; and praise to God for their lives and for what they accomplished in His name. MR. GURNEY BINFORD Mr. Giirney Binford of the Friends Mission was 330 IN MEMORIAM 331 born September 15, 1865. He first arrived in Japan in November, 1893, and last left in October, 1936. He and Mrs. Binford gave their full service of forty-three years to rural evangelism in Mito and Shimotsuka in Ibaraki Prefecture where their lives were closely identified with the people of those two localities. They were devoted to their work and were faithful unto the end. Mr. Binford died at Whittier, Calif., Sept. 13, 1951. REV. GEORGE ERNEST BOTT, D.D. Rev. George Ernest Bott, D.D., United Church of Canada, son of John Carter Bott and his wife Caroline, was born in Sunderland, Ontario, Canada, Nov. 23, 1892, and died suddenly in Tokyo, March 5, 1952. He served in the first World War, was married to Edith Ellen Clark of Toronto in the summer of 1921, and they came to Japan as missionaries of the Canadian Methodist Church in the autumn of the same year. After spending two years in evangelistic work in Kofu they moved to Tokyo where from 1925 until his death he devoted his life to social work in which he served with a Christ-like compassion. After repatriation in 1942 he served with the Ottawa Research Council. In the spring of 1946 he returned to Japan and with his Board s permission served as representative of Church World Service and director of Licensed Agency for Relief in Asia which ministered to the needs of unnumbered people at a time of dire need. 332 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP MISS MARGUERITE AMY BURNET Miss Burnet was born in Norwich, England, Nov. 24, 1878 and died in Maebashi, Gumma Prefecture, July 2, 1951. She came to Japan in 1917. Her denominational affiliation was with the Anglican Church. In 1925 she founded the Central Japan Pioneer Mission of which she was superintendent. Her places of residence and work were : Tokyo, Ashio in Tochigi Prefecture, Ota, Tateba- yashi, Maebashi. Her service was given to evangelistic work and teaching. MRS. KAETHE BUSS Mrs. Kaethe Buss (nee Kaethe Wenzel) was born in Schneeberg, Schlesien, Germany, in 1905. In September, 1930, she came to Japan under the Liebenzell Mission and was married to Rev. B. Buss who had come two years earlier. Just before World War II the Buss family returned from their first furlough and were in Japan until April, 1951, when they again went on furlough, and on May 21, 1952, Mrs. Buss departed this life in the Macklin Hospital, Saskatchewan, Canada. She, with her husband, resided and worked in Noborito in Kanagawa Prefecture, Hachioji, Tokyo, and Karuizawa (during the war) . After the war they became missionaries of the Evangelical Alliance Mission. She was identified with her husband in evangelism with special emphasis on Sunday School and youth work. IN MEMORIAM 333 REV. W. HARVEY CLARKE, D.D. Rev. W. Harvey Clarke, D.D., Southern Baptist Coi> vention, was born in Albany, Ga., July 4, 1861. He came to Japan in 1898 and on Nov. 8 of the following year, in Yokohama, was married to Miss Lucille Daniel of Atlanta, Ga. Mrs. Clarke departed this life on May 3, 1933, while returning to the United States aboard the Asama Maru with her husband one day before reaching San Francisco (see obituary 1934 Christian Yearbook). Dr. Clarke s entire service was given to evangelistic work, first in Kumamoto and later in Tokyo. His service extended from 1898 until 1936 and was characterized by his kind and sympathetic attitude toward the people among whom he faithfully labored. His passing took place in the home of his daughter, Mrs. C.A. Eden, in Gastonia, N.C., on February 2, 1943. Dr. and Mrs. Clarke are succeeded in their work in Japan by their son, Rev. Coleman D. Clarke of Kyoto. MISS ANNA EVANS Miss Anna Evans, Church of England, was born in 1861 in Llaufallteg, Carmarthenshire, England. She arrived in Japan in 1894 and last left in 1924. By profession she was a nurse and rendered her service in medical work in Hakodate. Her death took place February 11, 1951, in Swansea, South Wales. 334 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP MRS. CHARLES S. DAVIDSON Mrs. Charles S. Davidson (nee Florence May Bower) , Methodist Church, was born in Bewick, Pa., June 17,1881, received her education in Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, Pa., was married to Rev. Charles S. Davidson June 1, 1905, and sailed for Japan the autumn of that year. They resided at Aoyama Gakuin where Dr. Davidson was previously engaged in educational work. She and her husband left Japan in 1918. She passed away May 22, 1951. MISS GRETCHEN GARST Miss Gretchen Garst, Disciples of Christ Church, was born of missionary parents, Capt. Charles E. Garst, a graduate of West Point, and Laura Delaney Garst, in Akita City, Japan, April 1, 1887, and died in Des Moines, Iowa, April 25, 1952. After finishing her education in the United States, she came to Japan as a missionary in 1912 and did outstanding kindergarten work in Akita and Fukushima. Having lived in Japan during her childhood she was well equipped for the work as regards under standing the people, their customs and language. After discontinuing the work here in 1925 she devoted herself to parent education in schools and settlements in Chicago. MRS. MARY PALMER GORBOLD Mrs. Mary Matthews Palmer Gorbold, Presbyterian Church in the United States, was born in Ashley, Mo., IN MEMORIAM 335 December 1, 1866, and died suddenly January 8, 1952, at her home in Pasadena, Calif. She came to Japan in 1892 as a single missionary, and taught in the Presbyterian Girls School in Yamaguchi. After her marriage to Rev. Raymond P. Gorbold they lived in Kyoto where she became active in kindergarten work, and in 1917, two years after the death of Dr. Gorbold, she became principal of Osaka Jo Gakuin. Later, after her resignation from this, she engaged in evangelistic work in Osaka. She retired in 1934 after forty-two years of faithful work. BISHOP H. J. HAMILTON, D.D. The Right Reverend Heber James Hamilton, D.D., Anglican Church, was born in December, 1862, in Colling- wood, Ontario, Canada. After having engaged in the practice of law he entered the ministry in 1887 and later served as dean of residence for Wycliffe College. He came to Japan in 1892 and retired in 1934 after forty- two years of service. He established the mission school for the blind in Gifu, built the first tuberculosis sanitarium in the mountains of Japan, and in 1912 became the first bishop of the diocese of mid-Japan. He emphasized training Japanese for the ministry and was highly pleased when a Japanese succeeded him as bishop on his retire ment. He served in Gifu and Nagoya. After retirement he resided in Toronto where he died January 4, 1952, at the age of 89. Mrs. Hamilton passed away in March, 1951. He instituted many measures designed to help the 336 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP churches attain self-support. He was a scholar, a borri evangelist of the evangelical type, and an outstanding missionary, MRS. A, T. HOWARD Mrs. A.T. Howard, United Brethren Church, arrived in Japan with her husband in 1898 after having given one year of missionary service in Africa. Their service here was rendered in Tokyo during a period of fifteen years. They left Japan in 1913. She died at Greencastle, Indiana, January 17, 1952. Three children survive her ; one son, J. Gordon Howard, is president of Otterbein College, Wester- ville, Ohio. MRS. W. B. McILWAINE Mrs. W. B. Mcllwaine (nee Harriet Jones) , Presbyterian South, was born in Brunswick County, Va., Aug. 10, 1864. In the fall of 1889 she went as a missionary to China. On January 1, 1891, in Soochow, China, she was married to Rev. W. B. Mcllwaine. They made their home in Kochi, Japan, until their retirement in 1932. After that she resided at Health Springs, S. Carolina, where she died May 29, 1952. Her forty-three years of missionary service were devoted to evangelistic work. Her son, Dr. W.A. Mcllwaine, continues the work of his parents through service in the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kobe. IN MEMORIAM 337 REV. TAAVI MINKKINEN Rev. Taavi Minkkinen, Lutheran Evangelical Associa tion of Finland, was born in Pylkoenmaeki, Finland, on January 29, 1878. After his education in the schools of Finland he was married to Naimi Johanna Linkkonen with whom he came to Japan in the autumn of 1905. They spent five terms of service for their Lord in this country and left Japan in June, 1945, just two months before the end of the war. Three months later he was bereaved of his wife. His forty years of service were given to evangelistic work in Shimo Suwa, Fukushima, Kami Suwa, Tokyo, and lida. He was president of his mission several times. By nature he was quiet and a man of faith and was much loved by his co-workers and associates. His passing was in the home of one of his daughters in Lieksa, Finland, February 20, 1952. MISS ALICE MAUDE MONK Miss Alice Maude Monk, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., was born in Onawa, Iowa, March 14, 1872, but seven years later the family moved to Chicago. In 1904 she came to Japan and from 1905 to 1941 was associated with Hokusei Jo Gakuen (girls school) in Sapporo. During a large part of this period she served as principal. Returning to the United States in 1941, she resided with her sister in Washington, D.C., and died July 2, 1952. Her influence on both the scholastic and 338 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP Christian life of Hokusei Jo Gakuen was very considerable and has so been recognized by both the administration and the alumnae. MISS EDITH LOUISA BEATRICE NORTON Miss Edith Louisa Beatrice Norton, Church of Eng land, was born in Wanstead, Essex, England, in 1870, arrived in Japan in 1900, and was engaged in evangelistic work in Nagasaki, Hakodate, and Sapporo. Her services continued until October, 1931, when she returned to Eng land. She was called to her heavenly home on May 18, 1952. REV. ERNEST ISAAC OBEE Rev. Ernest Isaac Obee, Methodist Church, was born October 15, 1874, received education at Adrian College which gave him the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy and, in 1916, his M.A. In 1904 he was married to Miss Charlotte Shields (deceased March 15, 1940) and came to Japan in October of the same year. He was connected with the Nagoya Boys School and afterwards with evangelistic and educational work in Tokyo. He retired from the work in September, 1940, after thirty-six years of service, and died at Whitehouse, Ohio. MRS. HENRY CONRAD OSTROM Mrs. Henry Conrad Ostrom, Presbyterian South, sailed for Japan with her husband January 21, 1911, and last left IN MEMORIAM 339 Japan June 23, 1937, after having devoted twenty-seven years to the cause of Christ in this country. She died in North Carolina May 21, 1952. Her work was chiefly among students in the Kobe area where her husband was engaged in teaching in the theological seminary of his mission. MISS HELEN M. PALMER Miss Helen M. Palmer, Presbyterian Church in the U.S., was born in Parkville, Mo., December 8, 1896, and came to Japan in 1921. The following year she was assigned to work in Osaka Jo Gakuin (girls school) where her entire service in Japan was rendered. She returned to America on the exchange ship in 1943, came back in 1946, and resumed her work. She underwent a serious operation in 1950 which was apparently successful, but when on furlough her illness suddenly reappeared and she died in Kansas City, Mo., June 12, 1952. The spontaneous expressions of affection and gratitude on the part of her students and associates indicate the high esteem with which they regarded her Christian character and unselfish service. MRS. FREDERICK PARROTT, M. D. Mrs. Frederick Parrott, Episcopal Church, whose husband was secretary of the British and Foreign Bible Society in Kobe, left Japan in 1930 after having given more than thirty years in behalf of the establishment of 340 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP the Lord s Kingdom in this country. She resided in Kobe with her husband and did medical work among the poor, and also closely identified herself with the outstanding work of her husband in the circulation of the Scriptures in the southern half of Japan. She had unusual success in leading Bible classes and many prominent men in the Kansai area were her students. She was the author of many vignettes of the lives of her Japanese women friends. Her passing was in England in Dec., 1951. MRS. ANNIE M. PINSENT Mrs. Annie M. Pinsent, United Church of Canada, was born May 13, 1873, in St. John s, Newfoundland. Early left a widow, she attended the Methodist Church Train ing School for Christian Workers in Toronto and in August, 1905, was appointed by her board to come to Japan. Her first term was in Kanazawa and Shi- zuoka. Subsequent terms were spent in Shizuoka and Toyama, but mostly in Tokyo. Her entire service was given to evangelistic work which in Tokyo was mostly among students and graduates of Toyo Eiwa Jo Gakko (girls school). She left Japan well before the outbreak of World War II and spent the years of retirement in her old home in Newfoundland where she passed away December 14, 1950, at the age of seventy -seven. MISS SUSAN A. SEARLE, L.H.D. Miss Susan A. Searle, American Board, was born in IN MK MORI AM 341 1858 at Niles, Michigan, where she spent her childhood. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1881, taught two years in Carleton College, arrived in Japan in 1883 and joined the faculty of Kobe Girls School which later became Kobe College, of which she became president in 1892 and continued as such until 1915. In 1929 she retired and returned to the United States, but visited Japan again in 1934 at the time of the dedication of the new Kobe College campus at Okadayama, Nishinomiya. On this campus is a small worship chapel called " Searle Chapel." Miss Searle was a beloved teacher and a real spiritual leader. Her influence with the alumnae of the College was, and is, far-reaching. Her passing was at Pilgrim Place, Claremont, Calif., Oct. 25, 1951. MRS. JOHN WALKER VINSON Mrs. John Walker Vinson, Presbyterian South, was born in Tainan, China, November 1, 1918, and died in Tulsa, Oklahoma, January 22, 1952. She first sailed for Japan Aug. 31, 1950, and left July 9, 1951. Mrs. Vinson was appointed to China in Dec., 1941, being already on the field as a missionary of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. Later she married Rev. John Vinson, Jr., of the mis sion of the Presbyterian Church South and together they went to the Philippines for language study. After intern ment and a subsequent rest at home she returned with her husband to China after the war, but they were again driven out, this time by the Communists. The Vinsons 342 THE MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP then offered themselves for service in Japan and were engaged in language study in Kobe when Mrs. Vinson was stricken with poliomyelitis. She was flown to America in an iron lung and died in Oklahoma. She was a fourth generation missionary in China. Her husband and two small sons survive her. REV. WILLIAM ALBERT WILSON Rev. William Albert Wilson, Methodist Church, was born in Sutherland, North Carolina, Dec. 20, 1861, graduated from the University of N.C. in 1889 and sailed for Japan the following summer. He was married to Miss Mary McClellen (deceased) in Shanghai July 27,1893. His service was given to evangelistic and educational work, and after forty-two years he retired in 1942. His passing was in Durham, N. Carolina, February 18, 1951, at the age of almost ninety. MRS. MARGARET POYNTER WOODWARD Mrs. Margaret Poynter Woodward, Church of Eng land, died June 10, 1952, at Uppingham Rectory, Rutland shire, England. She and Rev. Harry Woodward (deceased) were married February 25, 1902, and reached Japan the next month. Their entire service was rendered in Fuku- yama. They left Japan in 1913. CHAPTER IV DIRECTORIES Japanese Church Headquarters and Officers Headquarters of Other Religious and Social Organizations Christian Social Welfare Agencies, with Addresses Mission Boards and Societies Missionaries by Missions Missionaries by Towns Alphabetical List of Missionaries, with Addresses