Symposium with three witnesses of WWII

A symposium to commemorate the end of World War II was held on August 13, 2013 at Yokohama Presbyterian Church, the Church of Christ in Japan (CCJ). The Special Committee on the Yasukuni Shrine Issues (CCJ Tokyo Division) hosted the event. Three panelists shared their experiences and thoughts under the theme of “Witnesses of Christians Who Saw Prewar, War, and Postwar Days: Exploring Church’s Vitality and Mission.”

Matsumoto Masayoshi, 91-year-old retired pastor and former military medic, praised the boldness and insight of his pastor, Tadashi Ishida, who prophesied Japan’s eventual defeat. Matsumoto urged that pastors not only study theology and the Bible, but also pay attention to what goes on in the world.

Yamashita Isamu spoke next. The 82-year-old former church elder gave an over view of the history of CCJ during and after WWII. He pointed out that CCJ was not entirely blameless for promoting the war and emperor worship, and that he thought that repentance of the denominational past was in order. He suggested learning from evangelical churches in Germany, which produced the Stuttgart Declaration of Guilt in 1945.

Ninety-year-old Watanabe Nobuo, a retired pastor, was a crewmember of a naval defense warship during the war. He spoke about how he was cast out of the church prior to his enlistment because he questioned the idea of the unification of all Protestant churches for easier control by the government. His pastor apparently did not want to give the appearance of his church opposing the government order. Watanabe appealed to the church to not repeat such cowardice. Watanabe also challenged the audience to embrace and practice obedience to God rather than to people (Acts 5:29).

An active question and answer session and discussion followed. Watanabe concluded the six-hour event by encouraging all to expand their perspectives to continue learning new things. 

From Christian Shimbun, August 25, 2013
Excerpt translated by Atsuko Tateishi