Upon invitation from the Korean Christian Church in Japan (KCCJ), Ms. Brooke Conklin, one of the directors of the General Board of Global Ministries, and I participated last month in two events; the 90th anniversary ceremony of the Korean Christian Church in Japan, and the 6th Christian Conference on Peaceful Reunification and Mission of Korea.

These two events were held in Osaka, Japan, where the Korean population is heavily concentrated. About 300 Christian participants for the Conference on Peaceful Reunification gathered from North Korea, South Korea, Canada, Switzerland, USA, and Japan of course.

Speakers came from both North and South Korea, and the issues around peaceful reunification were focused on the reassurance of the biblical and theological message of freedom and reconciliation in the context of global cultural transition in the coming century. Hope for oneness was the consensus, but yet as one of the speakers indicated, the dilemma lies in the totally different political and ideological systems which permeate deeply the minds and life styles of the Korean people as time passes by. The conference adopted a resolution to continue our effort as Christians in both North and South Korea and around the world to exchange support and movement for reunification until Korea is united.

It is a reality that Christians couldn't gather together in the Korean peninsula for any kind of dialogue. Therefore, the Korean diaspora assumes a major role in initiating conferences like this. Koreans living in Japan are in a unique situation reflecting the division of Korea--they are divided into two groups: pro-North and pro-South Korea. Danger of political conflict inhibits comfortable interaction between these two groups.

Therefore, Japan has become one of the convenient places, geographically and politically, for such an event. Korean Christians in Japan have played an important role in the peaceful reunification of Korea and of mission.

This conference was one of the events for the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Korean Christian Church in Japan. There was a reception, worship service and cultural programs.

The Korean Christian Church in Japan, originally started by the YMCA in 1908, has a history of mission relationship with churches in Korea, including the Korean Methodist Church, and with the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The KCCJ works among millions of Koreans in Japan, 80 percent of whom are Japanese-born, and descendants from those brought there forcibly when Japan occupied Korea between 1910 and 1945. Another 680,000 are legal residents, and the rest include illegal immigrants and children of mixed parentage. Previously denied the right to citizenship, the Korean minority suffers discrimination in jobs, social welfare, housing, education, and social acceptance. The KCCJ understands its particular calling to do evangelism and pastoral care and to support the Koreans' struggle for their human rights in Japan. The KCCJ has approximately 5,700 baptized members and 2,000 seekers. When I went to Japan as a mission intern in 1980, there were about 50 Korean churches, but now there are 91 churches, including 22 house churches.

It is amazing that the moderator of the KCCJ is a female pastor, the Rev. Hae Joong Kyung. She assumed very visible, energetic, and compassionate leadership throughout the conference and celebration.

Let me tell you briefly about the situation of Koreans living in Japan. Koreans are the major group among the minorities in Japan, such as the Okinawa and the Buraku people--formally, Buraku min. The Buraku is a lower-class group in Japanese society. Discrimination against the minority group has been deeply rooted in Japan. Many Koreans in Japan become Japanese citizens through naturalization. Yet, because of discrimination, they rarely reveal their Korean background. Also, names must be changed from Korean to Japanese. Therefore many Koreans remain as Koreans although they were born in Japan as the second or third generation of Korean ancestors. It has not been that long since Japan banned the fingerprint requirement for the Koreans living in Japan. Even highly educated Koreans do not help them much in their advance toward life in Japanese society.

Because of this discrimination, the church in Japan has been very active in the area of social concerns. Solidarity with the United Christian Church of Japan, the KCCJ and the National Christian Council in Japan are key factors to combat these kinds of social problems in the Japanese society.

One of the examples of how the church is involved in these activities can be found at a senior citizen house, Korean Rainbow House. Located about one hour south of Osaka, this was established three years ago by Korean Christian Women in Japan. This is a beautiful 50-person capacity home.

Among Koreans in Japan, many of the elderly live alone, and the daily struggle for survival and the inability to access even basic welfare systems have left many of them destitute of resources for their senior years. Koreans in Japan are not qualified for any benefit from the Japanese government, and women in particular are in a difficult situation if there is no close family who can support them.

For this reason, this home has been planned to care for them, giving them security and dignity. But they do not have enough funds to care for elderly persons who are unable to provide their own monthly payment.

We also took time to visit mission projects which are related to the Board and the missionaries.

One of the places is the Nagamine Group Home. It is a pioneer project of the Kobe Seirei Social Service Community (KSSSC). Designed to house five single developmentally challenged adults and a couple who serve as caretakers, this house held its opening ceremony in April of 1998. This new house construction became possible when The United Methodist Church willingly leased the land to KSSSC. This is one of the dreams of Marcia Ninomiya, the missionary from Canada, who lives in the missionary house next to this house. She delightfully guided us to this home and to the fair held by KSSSC.

The worship service at Kobe Seirei Social Service Community was very emotional. Marcia's husband, the Rev. Aki Nanaimo, conducted worship for about 10 developmentally challenged adults. The worship atmosphere was very sincere.