Japan Catholic News
February 2007
ROMAN CONGREGATION APPROVES BEATIFICATION OF 188 JAPANESE MARTYRS
Catholic Weekly, February 18, 2007
A committee of cardinals meeting on Feb. 6 at the Congregation for
the Causes of Saints in Rome approved the beatification of Peter Kibe
and the 187 other Japanese martyrs.
According to Bishop Osamu Misobe (Takamatsu diocese), chairman of the
Bishops' Conference Special Committee for the Cause of Japanese Martyrs,
if Pope Benedict XVI grants his approval, the date for the beatification
can be scheduled.
Speaking on Feb. 7, Bishop Misobe said, "We have reached the final
stage. Optimistically speaking, we have crossed the mountain! I am
hoping that final approval will soon be granted and we can begin preparations
for the beatification ceremony in Japan."
Cardinal Fumio Hamao, who attended the meeting of cardinals, said, "I
was the one who requested their beatification. All the cardinals and
bishops attending the meeting voiced approval."
"Now the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints will go
to the Pope and request his final approval. Preparing for the canonization
ceremony in Japan will involve a lot of work, so I requested the approval
as soon as possible," added Cardinal Hamao.
JAPANESE SISTER WORKS WITH HANSEN'S DISEASE PATIENTS IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Catholic Weekly, January 21, 2007
Sr. Masako Komori, 53, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters
of Infant Jesus of Chauffailles, works as a nurse in a dermatology
clinic in the village of Santiago, 200 kilometers from Santo Domingo,
the capital of the Dominican Republic. She was assigned to that country
seven years ago.
According to the nun, each year about 120 people in the Dominican Republic
contract Hansen's disease because of poverty, malnutrition or
unhygienic living conditions. The Santiago Dermatology Clinic where
she works encourages early detection and treatment of the disease.
"When diagnosis or treatment is late, the patient's face and body can
deteriorate, but I have not seen people like that in the Dominican
Republic. There is a lot of tuberculosis, and people die from infections
before the Hansen's disease progresses," explained the nun.
There are many forms of Hansen's disease in the Dominican Republic.
In the case of one patient, normal symptoms of the disease did not
appear and 20 years passed without the disease being diagnosed at any
hospital until finally she came in contact with the clinic where Sr.
Komori works and began treatment.
Sister said, "Here we use two methods of examination. In developed
countries they have not even seen the Hansen disease bacillus, and
so they do not diagnose the disease there. At present there are three
people who live in the United States who are receiving treatment at
our clinic."
Poverty is one of the causes of Hansen's disease. Since the land was
originally fertile, people grew papaya and other fruits and vegetables
and had plenty to eat. But with the development of a capitalist economy,
cash income became necessary for people, and people now do not have
enough money to buy seeds and saplings.
"Bankers, landowners and entrepreneurs are wealthy, but since they invest
the money they make in foreign banks, the state has little capital
and is poor," said the nun.
"The main industry is tourism. Eighty percent of the population is poor,
and since there are many without work, more than half have family members
who have migrated abroad to live and find work," she continued.
At present Sr. Komori and members of the clinic staff visit families
living in rural areas to help them improve their living conditions.
With funds received from a charity in Quebec, Canada, they have repaired
leaking roofs and damp mud floors, and provided hygienic beds, trying
to create living environments that make it difficult to transmit the
disease. They also make sure patients receive and take their medication.
At the same time, Sr. Komori is trying to make people more self-reliant
by teaching young girls dressmaking, knitting, embroidery and other
skills at classes in her convent.
"I think improving education standards is one challenge facing the Dominican
Republic. There are many problems like the spread of HIV, an increase
in extra-marital pregnancies, and so on. But what really impresses
me is the sight of poor people without a house, work or social status
-- without anything at all -- completely depending on God for everything.
I live each day feeling that God is listening to the prayers of these
people," said Sr. Komori.
NAGASAKI CHURCHES INCLUDED IN PROVISIONAL LIST FOR WORLD HERITAGE SITES
Catholic Weekly, February 4, 2007
 On Jan. 23 the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology selected four sites in the Nagasaki area connected with
the Catholic Church as candidates for recognition as World Heritage
Sites.
The Japanese government has formally requested the World Heritage Committee
of UNESCO to add these four to their provisional list, and by this
summer their inclusion should be formalized.
This was the first time the ministry advertised for candidate sites,
and chose four from the 24 places that had applied at the end of November
last year. Nagasaki prefecture and local government bodies cooperated
in promoting the candidacy of 12 churches and eight historic sites,
including the Oura Church, which is a national treasure,
These sites were proposed for recognition by UNESCO because they "have
survived a long period of concealment, and possess an important spiritual
value as symbols of liberation and the revival of the Church."
In a newspaper interview announcing the application for enlistment
as a World Heritage Site, Archbishop Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki said
he was happy because, "it is very significant that along with
the buildings, the faith and spiritual journey of the people who use
them is being recognized."
He added that in preparing for formal listing they would try to create
an atmosphere of "encounter and healing" in these places
of pilgrimage to welcome people from around the world.
After inclusion in the provisional list there will be an investigation
in preparation for the registration. This normally takes a number of
years.
CATHOLIC MEDIA COUNCIL SPONSORS SEMINAR ON EVANGELIZATION ON THE INTERNET
Catholic Weekly, February 4, 2007
 The Catholic Media Council's seventh seminar was held at the Paulist
convent in Wakaba, Tokyo, Jan. 27. The theme was "new openings
for evangelization on the Internet" and among the more than 60
people attending the seminar were some who manage church homepages
and others searching for ways to proclaim the gospel through the internet.
In the opening address, auxiliary Bishop Kazuo Koda of Tokyo, explained
the "gospel hints" that are offered on the Tokyo archdiocese
homepage. These "hints" were started by Bp. Koda to aid people
when reflections on the gospel did not continue at churches where there
was no priest present. The hints form a detailed guide to the Sunday
gospels.
However, in mentioning that there were some people who read these hints
alone, Bp. Koda emphasized that, "the gospel is passed along through
contacts among people," and the Internet must be seen as "an
opportunity for real people to meet each other."
During the following panel discussion, Masanori Oya of the Yukinoshita
Church in Kanagawa spoke about his work managing a Mixi site where
people can share their faith. Mixi is a "social networking service" in
Japan that provides a forum for people to and share information about
their lives. Oya told of how the entries fell sharply from its peak
period when people lost trust in the site because so many were using
false identities.
Hirauki Hirai, who manages the Tsukuba Church's homepage in Saitama
prefecture, said that if the purpose of a homepage is refined and the
work involved lessened, information can be delivered regularly.
Among the proposals made at the seminar was to "record some parts
of the Mass and put them on a church site."
Fr. Masahide Haresaku of Tokyo archdiocese, vice president of the council,
said, "The age of the Internet could be compared with the changes
brought by the Guttenberg age. It is an opportunity for the Church,
and should be thought of as a mission for us."
The Catholic Media Council is the Japanese branch of the international
Catholic media organization SIGNIS for those involved in media work.
In September the Asian meeting of SIGNIS will take place in Japan for
the first time. Preparations for this meeting are already underway,
and appeals for volunteers and donations are being made.
Gospel Hints in Japanese are at the Tokyo archdiocesan homepage: http://tokyo.catholic.jp/cgi-bin/MT/
ECUMENICAL GROUP PROTESTS RESUMPTION OF EXECUTIONS
Catholic Weekly, January 28, 2007
The Believers' Network, a society dedicated to the abolition of the
death penalty, held a meeting on the evening of Jan. 19 at St. Barnabas
Anglican Church, Tokyo, to protest the execution of four prisoners
Dec.25.
The executions were carried out despite a petition presented Dec.23
to Minister of Justice Jinen Nagase asking that he continue the policy
of his predecessor, Seiken Sugiura, a devout Buddhist who did not enforce
the death penalty. The Network lodged a formal protest with the Ministry
on Dec.26, but officials replied that they were "following due
process of law."
Reizo Ogawara, 75, was a supporter of Yoshio Fujinami, also 75, one
of the four men executed. Kawahara once met Fujinami and had been in
correspondence with him since.
"When Fujinami was deprived of his life, I felt that I too was suddenly
and violently deprived of the joy I had of sharing life with him," Kawahara
said.
He went on, angrily, the words almost catching in his throat, "Another
of the men, Yoshimitsu Akiyama, was 77. The execution of such elderly
men was hitherto unheard of. Fujinami was brought to the scaffold in
a wheelchair."
Those who attended the meeting voiced the opinion that it should be
possible to have prisoners lead a life of penitence and find some means,
however difficult, to bring about reconciliation with the victims of
the crime.
The Believers' Network was set up in 2002 during a seminar held by
the Italian Community of St. Egidio concerning the abolition of the
death penalty. At the moment the Network has a membership of 15 religious
organizations.
AMATEUR THEATER GROUP TO PRESENT PLAY ABOUT CHRISTIAN MARTYRS
Catholic Weekly, February 11, 2007
 An amateur drama society in Fujisawa town (Iwai-gun, Iwate prefecture)
is staging a drama, The Cross that Disappeared in the Woods, concerning
the Osako Kirishitan martyrs.
Supporters of the drama group say they want people to know about the
Iwate martyrs when the Catholic Church in Japan is awaiting a Vatican
decision to beatify 188 Japanese martyrs.
The Fujisawa Amateur Drama Society, launched in 1999, owes its inspiration
to the town's Jomon Hall, which opened the year before with the object
of encouraging local cultural projects. At the moment the society has
a membership of 28. Performances involve as many as 60 people in the
preparation of costumes, scenery, props, lighting and acting. They
range from fourth-grade elementary school children to adults in their
60s who work on the productions after school, after work and in between
chores.
Though it is a small-town amateur drama society, the Fujisawa Amateur
Drama Society has performed in places as far away as Tokyo and Morioka.
In Tokyo, they played to an audience of 1,000.
The group has produced nine plays so far. Five of these had the Kirishitan
persecution as their theme.
Yoichi Minagawa, the representative of the society who also writes
and directs the dramas, explained the emphasis on this theme.
"The martyrs occupy the most important place in this town's history," he
said.
Minagawa explained that over 300 Christians were martyred in the town
during the Edo era.
"It is not possible that people could kill others in this way without
suffering some psychological impact on themselves. There must have
been some troubled consciences. That is why the script is written
to show the persecutors' state of mind."
Minagawa's actual occupation is manufacturing bean curd, but since
he is also a member of the Sendai Drama Society, when the townspeople
of Fujisawa were putting their group together they asked him to take
the lead.
He commented on the challenges of leading the amateur group.
"As the years go by," he said, "you notice the difference
between the dedication of newcomers and that of the veterans. There
are other problems too. Ferrying cast to and fro is one. Taking care
of a 5-year-old cast member is another. Then, when the number of
players changes, the script has to be rewritten. All have made a
sacrifice
to participate, so I leave nothing to chance. Each one will have
fixed lines. I want everyone to enjoy being on stage."
Minagawa observed that everyone associates martyrs with Nagasaki
but, "We
want people to learn something of Fujisawa's history too."
It was Kenichi Okada, a leader of the Catholic men's group in Sendai,
who proposed inviting the Fujisawa Amateur Drama Society to bring their
drama to Sendai.
"We know that the beatification of 188 Japanese martyrs is being reviewed
this year at the Vatican. We felt it would be good to have an event to mark the
occasion here in Sendai," he said.
In order to make it easy for non-Catholics to attend, the sponsors
suggested omitting "Catholic" from their title and
just calling themselves the Executive Committee for the Sendai
Staging
of The Cross
that Disappeared in the Woods. This makes it easier to place
handbills in public facilities.
Okada said, "We want lots of people to attend. It would
be wonderful if the Fujisawa drama group can give us all a better
knowledge of
our Tohoku history."
The drama group will give a special performance of The Cross
that Disappeared in the Woods in the Iwate Prefectural Hall in Sendai Feb.17 and their
usual scheduled performance at the Jomon Hall in Fujisawa on Feb. 25.
For information, contact Fujisawa Town Cultural Exchange Center, Tel:0191-63-5515.
TOKYO ECUMENICAL PRAYER SERVICE FOLLOWS AFRICAN THEME
Catholic Weekly, January 28, 2007
 The
Week of Prayer for Church Unity, Jan. 18-25, was marked with ecumenical
services in churches across Japan. In Tokyo, the service, which was
held in the Kanda Catholic Church, was attended by about 100 people,
including Archbishop Takeo Okada.
The Kanda Church was erected in 1928 and is registered by the Ministry
of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as a national
cultural treasure. Some of those attending came to see the church building.
Tokyo diocesan priest Fr. Keizo Kobayashi, one of those who prepared
the ceremony, said, "It was a solemn occasion and everything went
well."
The theme for the ceremony was originally drawn up by the Christian
community of Umlazi, South Africa, where customary reluctance to speak
of matters related to sex had led to HIV victims being reluctant to
seek assistance. The Umlazi Christian community, therefore, chose Break
the Silence for their theme. About half of the population of Umlazi
are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
The gathering used the words, "He makes the deaf to hear and the
mute to speak," ( Mark 7:37) as the text for reflection. Rev.
Tomohiko Yokono, who preached the sermon, emphasized Jesus' thoughtfulness
in instructing the man he had healed to tell no one. The man might
have become an object of curiosity.
"I feel that Jesus wanted to protect him from that," the United
Church of Christ in Japan pastor said.
The Rev. Toshimasa Yamamoto, general secretary of the United Church,
said, "We only meet this way once a year but it is wonderful to
be able to transcend our different traditions and pray together, especially
today when we are praying for those suffering from HIV and AIDS."
CARDINAL HAMAO SPEAKS AT ALIEN REGISTRATION MEETING
Catholic Weekly, January 21, 2007
 On
Jan. 13. Cardinal Fumio Hamao spoke at a meeting in Tokyo calling for
the formulation of an Foreign Residents' Fundamental Law. The National
Christian Conference on Alien Registration Law Problems sponsored the
meeting.
The theme of Cardinal Hamao's address was "Towards reconciliation
and co-existence with other peoples: a witness to the Kingdom of God."
The address centered on the cardinal's work until the middle of 2006
as president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants
and Itinerant People.
During his eight years on the council, the cardinal met victims of
human trafficking, seafarers, circus workers, students studying in
foreign countries and many others. What is important, he said, is, "Whether
we treat everybody as brother and sister."
"Forgiveness is the most important characteristic of Christianity," he
said. "There is no perfect human being. Everyone has good in them.
You see it when you pray."
Young people from the Korean Christian Church in Japan performed a
blend of traditional and contemporary music. There was also a message
from the director of the Human Rights Conference of the Korean Church
Fellowship in Japan.
"The important pillar of solidarity is what the National Christian Conference
on Alien Registration Law Problems is about," the message said. "Let
us cooperate together!" The Korean Catholic Church is also a member
of the conference.
The National Christian Conference on Alien Registration Law Problems
originated when residents in Japan from both North and South Korea
got together to press for reform of the Foreign Residents' Registration
Law and abolish the fingerprinting of foreign residents. Catholics
and Christians of other denominations also became involved.
A declaration adopted by the January meeting stated that, "Our
human rights will not be shackled by national borders. The are aiming
for a Foreign Residents' Fundamental Law based on the International
Declaration of Human Rights and other international laws."
BISHOPS' STUDY SESSION LOOKS AT FAITH AND STATE POLICY
Catholic Weekly, January 7, 2007
 Ten
bishops and one diocesan administrator held their 13th Study Session
on Social Issues, Dec. 14-15 at the Catholic Center, Shiomi, Tokyo.
This session dealt with two themes. The first was freedom of religion and the
separation of the state and religion with special reference to persecution and
martyrdom. The second concerned the Yasukuni Shrine issue. The bishops also considered
a message they intend to publish in the spring.
The study session began with a talk by Bishop Osamu Mizobe of Takamatsu, president
of the special committee to advance the cause for beatification of 188 Japanese
martyrs.
Bishop Mizobe's talk was composed of historical observations on religious oppression
and martyrdom in the light of state policy. He spoke about the Urakami Yon Ban
Kuzure that took place early in the Meiji period and the expulsion decrees against
missionaries issued by Hideyoshi and Ieyasu.
The bishop pointed out that Catholics tend to look at the events from the Church's
point of view and thus see the Christians dying because of the faith they held.
However, in reality they were put to death because they refused to obey state
policy, intent at that time on building a system based on the emperor and the
shogunate.
"Problems relating to freedom of religion and the separation of the state and
religion change in accord with state policy of the time. There is an important
message for Catholics today in the Christians' firm refusal to give up their
freedom to believe and also in the way they went to their death," said the bishop.
Later, the bishops watched the movie Annyon: Sayonara, a documentary dealing
with a Korean woman's attempt to have her father's name removed from the register
of war dead at Yasukuni Shrine.
Dec. 15, the bishops deliberated on the content of a message concerning freedom
of faith, and the separation of the state and religion that they intend to publish
during their extraordinary general meeting in Feb. 2007.
FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN ASIA HOLDS TOKYO SYMPOSIUM
Catholic Weekly, January 7, 2007
 The
winners of the Asian Human Rights Award for the year 2006 held an international
symposium at the Jesuit-run Sophia University in Tokyo, Dec. 16. The symposium
was sponsored jointly by the university's Institute of Asian Cultures and the
Foundation for Human Rights in Asia.
The award winners spoke about conditions related to human rights in their countries
and their own activities to achieve those rights.
Thun Saray, president of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association,
pointed out that many Asian nations give priority to economic development.
Saray said, "It is clear that economic development without political development
cannot bring true human development."
The Foundation for Human Rights in Asia was established in 1990 to collaborate
with individuals and organizations that work to help the impoverished and people
suffering discrimination to attain economic independence. Its object is to "Live
with the People of Asia."
The fund presents the Asian Human Rights Award annually on individuals or organizations
that have helped protect and promote human rights.
Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz Sister ShizueHirota, one of the officers of
the Foundation for Human Rights in Asia, gave the final address.
She said, "From what we have learned here today we can see the tasks that remain
to be done. This is what we must take away with us from this symposium. Present
conditions must be changed."
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