Executive Council Addresses Financial and Political Concerns

The third Executive Council meeting of the present two-year (39th) General Assembly period was held July 13-14 at Fujimicho Church in Tokyo, with 29 of the 30 members in attendance. The opening service was led by the Rev. Higashino Hisashi, a council member. The first item on the agenda was a report by National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ) Chairperson Kobashi Koichi on the policy direction NCCJ is taking in regards to his meeting with Kyodan Moderator Ishibashi Hideo, along with the issues they dealt with on May 5. Next, General Secretary Nagasaki Tetsuo stated in his report that he and the three top-ranking officials of the Kyodan shared the duty of attending each of the District General Assemblies to give greetings, with the exception of Kyoto and Okinawa districts. In addition to listening to the various complaints leveled against the Kyodan, they also observed the operations of each of these 15 districts close at hand. Likewise, in the report on the progress of the structural strengthening of the Japan Christian Center building against future earthquake damage, it was reported that the total cost would be 281 million yen, with 49,450,000 of the 120,830,000 yen (43%) that represents the Kyodan’s portion of that total to be covered by apportionments.

Council member Rev. Kita Kiyoshi proposed that “the Kyodan should send out a prayer letter to all of the churches concerning the national security bills being rammed through the Diet,” so Moderator Ishibashi took this up as an emergency motion. After discussion, Moderator Ishibashi appointed a committee of four to draft a proposed wording, and this was passed the following day.

On the afternoon of the second day, the agenda item concerning the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the efforts to seek peace was discussed. The following statement was approved by a majority vote.

“As a starting point, we confess that we cooperated in the war effort during WWII and repent of our contributing to the suffering of the peoples of Asia. We pray that our leaders would act in humility to govern in an orderly and peaceful way. Concerning the arrogance of political leaders who fail to be concerned about the suffering and pain of the Okinawans and who try to shut down debate, we pray that they will be given a heart to serve the people. We also repent of our own complicity in giving priority to economic interests at the expense of human rights, and so we pray for hearts that will be able to make the pain of others our own pain.”

Commission on Finance Chair Aizawa Toyoshige reported that in the 2014 financial report, he had treated as miscellaneous income the leftover funds within the separate budgets of the “International Cooperation Fund” and the “Expenses Related to Germany,” which had both been disbanded.

With respect to the Kyodan’s joint sponsorship of the International Conference on Minorities and Mission that was organized by the Korean Christian Church in Japan, the terms “sponsored by,” “jointly sponsored by” and “supported by” were all being used in the materials passed out. There was debate as to what these terms implied, and one position was that in reality, the Kyodan was merely involved in support of the conference. Ultimately, council member Okamoto Tomoyuki proposed that in this situation “joint sponsorship” was in actuality “support,” and so with this caveat in mind, it was agreed that using the terminology of “joint sponsorship,” in line with the wording used by the KCCJ, was acceptable. (Tr. TB)

—Kato Makoto, executive secrety

第39総会期第3回常議員会報告

加藤　誠

第39総会期第3回常議員会が7月13日、14日の両日、富士見町教会を会場に開催された。常議員30名中29名の出席であった。開会礼拝担当は東野尚志常議員。冒頭、5月5日にあった石橋秀雄教団議長と小橋孝一日本キリスト教協議会（NCC）議長との懇談を踏まえて、小橋NCC議長がNCCの基本方針、取組みについて報告した。総幹事報告では長崎哲夫総幹事が、教区総会問安では京都・沖縄教区を除 く15教区に４役で問安を行い、教団への批判を聞きつつも各教区の懸命な教区運営を身近に覚えた。会館耐震改修工事 については、総事業費2億8100万円が決定、教団専有分43パーセントから4945万円の教団負担分の支出が決定したと報告した。

北紀吉常議員から「安保関連法案が通されようとしている状況を踏まえて諸教会のために祈 りの文書を出すべき」との提案を受け、石橋議長はこれを緊急動議として取り上げた。意見交換の後、石橋議長は祈りの課題のために４名の常 議員を指名し、原案を整えた上、翌日提案することを議場に諮り承認された。２日目午後「戦後70年にあたって平和を求める祈り」に関する件として以下の祈りの文言が示され、賛成多数で承認された。祈りの内 容は、私たちが第二次世界大戦において、戦争に協力し、アジア諸国の民に苦しみを与えた事への悔い改めから始まり、為政者が謙遜になり、 秩序をもって政治を司ることができるよう祈っている。また、沖縄の痛みを顧みず言論を封じようとする為政者のおごりに対して、民に仕える 心が与えられることを祈ると共に、私たちが経済性を優先し、政治、人権に対して無関心であったことを悔い改め、私たちに他社の痛みを自ら のものとして受け止める心が与えられるよう祈っている。

愛澤豊重予算決算委員長は、2014年度歳入歳出決算承認に関 する件で、特別会計「内外協力資金会計」、「ドイツ関係費」の廃止に伴い、両会計の残金を雑収入に計上したことを報告した。

在日大韓基督教会が主催する「『マイノリティ問題と宣教』国際会議へ共催することに関し ては、配布された要項に「主催」「共催」「後援」の欄があったことから、実質後援ではないかという議論が続き、最終的に岡本知之議員の 「本来、共催とは共同主催の略であり、この場合の共催は、事実上後援である」との言葉を受け止めた上で、在日大韓基督教会からの要項に 沿った共催を可決する運びとなった。