The Korean Christian Church in Japan (KCCJ) held its third international youth forum on “Minority Issues and Evangelism” at the Korean YMCA in Tokyo from Nov. 15 to 17, 2015. This event is held once every 20 years. In a situation where there seems to be no prospect of solving such problems as terrorism and the migration of refugees, or the issue of hate-speech here in Japan, young people from around the world came together in the name of Christ to consider these issues jointly and find new ways of thinking about solutions. There were participants from 52 denominations and organizations in Korea, the Philippines, Canada, and Germany, as well as from within Japan, including the KCCJ, the Kyodan, the Anglican Church, the Japan Baptist Convention, the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, Waseda Hoshien, YMCA, the Wesley Foundation in Japan, and the Student Christian Fellowship (SCF).
On the first evening, the young people exchanged greetings in halting English and offered opening prayers of joy for these encounters. Actress Maika gave a powerful performance based on the life of Chiri Yukie, the Ainu woman who wrote The Anthology of Ainu Epic Tales. The members of the audience felt as though they themselves had walked along with Chiri during her short life, while she valued all the experiences of her 19 years in the midst of the discrimination she experienced as an Ainu, as a Christian, and as a woman.
On the second day we visited Tokyo Number 5 Korean Elementary and Middle School, where we heard from the headmaster about the issues of being a minority educational institution in Japan. We visited classes and were warmly welcomed. We played soccer with the students, and when we left they waved to us from the windows. Later, at the site where Koreans were massacred at the time of the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, we recalled the smiling faces of those students as a Korean resident in Japan told us, “I am focusing my energies on making sure we do not forget the past, so that my grandchildren will not experience a similar situation.” At the site of a tanner’s workplace in a discriminated-against Buraku area, where discrimination has continued for several centuries, we could feel again the extent of human sinfulness and the greatness of equality in our Lord.
On the morning of the third day, as representatives from each country gave presentations, we shared the problems and the pain of discrimination. Themes were raised that go beyond national boundaries, such as the issues of refugees, sexual minorities (LGBT), and hate speech. In the afternoon, under the leadership of Kwak Jeoung-Hoon, a professional musician who is a KCCJ church member, we were separated into groups in which we created and performed rap songs. Although the content we were dealing with was very serious, there was also hope and cheerfulness as the young people experienced fellowship through our Lord. A young woman of Korean descent living in Japan sang, “When I was a child I hid myself; I always wanted to be ‘normal’.” There was loud applause from the audience and cries of “Amen!” as she related her experience of how she overcame that.
During morning and evening worship, which was offered in various languages, the young people played guitar and piano, used videos from Internet sites, and danced. The three days were filled with thanks to the Lord who gives us hope. The many young people who came together across denominational boundaries can feel proud and hopeful at what they accomplished. They did everything from the planning to the translation and implementation. I give thanks for the young people’s encounters and experiences and pray that the Lord will continue to bless them richly.
(Tr. SN)
From Kyodan Shinpo (The Kyodan Times), No. 4832･33
—Noda Taku, director
Student Christian Fellowship
在日大韓基督教会第3回「マイノリティ問題と宣教」国際会議 のユースプログラムが、2015年11月15日（日）午後～17日（火）に在日大韓YMCAに於いて開催された。20年に一度の開催である。テロや難民の問題、国内のヘイトスピーチなど差別の課題が解決する見通しのない中で、世界の青年がキリストの名によって課題を共有し、解決への想いを新たにされた。韓国・フィリピン・カナダ・ドイツ、国内からは在 日大韓基督教会・日本基督教団・聖公会・日本バプテスト連盟（・日本福音ルーテル教会・早稲田奉仕園・学生YMCA・ウェスレー財団・学生キリスト教友愛会（SCF）などの各教派・団体から52が参加者した。
・15日（日）夕刻、青年達はぎこちない英語での挨拶を交わし、出会いを喜ぶ開会祈祷を捧げた。演劇家：舞香さんによる、知里幸恵（「アイヌ神謡集」を著したアイヌ女性）を題材にした力強い演技に圧倒された。アイヌの民、キリスト者、女性として受ける差 別の中で、全てを大切に生きた19年間の短い命を、参加者たちは自らの歩みと重ね合わせた。
・2日目は墨田区の「東京朝鮮第五初中級学校」に赴き、日本におけるマイノリティの教育現場での想いと課題を 校長先生からお聞きし、授業を体験した。心からの歓迎を受け、生徒達と一緒にサッカーボールを追い、別れの時には窓から手を振り続け てくれた。差別という痛みの中での豊かな営みに心打たれた。その後、1923年関東大震災時の朝鮮人虐殺の現場で、在日韓国朝鮮人の方の「自分の孫がまたあのような目に合わないように、過去を忘れないように活動している」との想いを聞き、生徒達の笑顔が浮かんだ。被差別部落地区における皮なめしの現場では、数百年続く差別の歴史の中に、人間の大いなる罪性と主に在る平等の尊さを再確認させられた。
・3日目の午前には各国の代表がプレゼンテーションし、差別の課題と痛みを分かち合った。難民問題にLGBT（セクシャル・マイノリティ）、ヘイトスピーチなど、国を越えたテーマである。午後は 在日大韓基督教会の信徒でありプロミュージシャンの郭正勲さんの導きで、グループ毎に、一つのラップ（歌詞）を作り発表した。内容は重いが、主に在る青年の交わり が持つ希望と明るさがあった。在日朝鮮・韓国人として「子どもの頃は自分を隠し、“普通”にあこがれ続けた（が今は違うと／と苦悩を）歌った女性には、会場からは大きな拍手と、「アーメン！」と声があがった。
・朝夕の礼拝は、青年達がギターやピアノ、インターネット動画サイトやダンスを用い、様々な言語で捧げた。希望を与えてくださる主への感謝に満ちた3日間となった。
企画運営・通訳に至るまで教派を超えた多くの青年たちが自ら作り上げたことは誇りであり希望です。青年たちの出会いと体験とに感謝しつつ、主の豊かなる祝福を祈ります。野田沢（SCF主事）
