Monthly Archives: June 2011

U.S. faith-based groups are part of the Network for Okinawa. These include the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Methodist Church, Pax Christi (Catholic peace organization), Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker outreach organization dedicated to peace and justice.U.S. faith-based groups have collaborated with their counterparts in Japan since the early 1900's, especially during the 1930's when they attempted to avert the Pacific War. In recent years, U.S. and Japanese faith-based organizations have worked together with the same sense of urgency to save Article 9, the Peace Clause of the Japanese Constitution and to stem aggressive militarism in Asia.On June 21, 2011, a new Japanese interfaith group comprised of Protestant and Catholic Christians and Buddhists announced their support of the Okinawan prefectural and local governments in their goal for the unconditional closure of U.S. Marine Air Station Futenma and the abolition of plans to destroy Oura Bay to make way for a new U.S. military base.This follows a 2010 appeal from the National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ) urging U.S. churches to gain awareness, pray and appeal to their government about the impact of U.S. plans for military expansion in Henoko and Oura Bay. Rev. Isamu Koshiishi, the moderator of the NCCJ, explained, "The beautiful coral reef, which had provided a livelihood for the villages and which was the seabed home of the endangered dugong, would now be destroyed with landfill for the purpose of constructing a military base for waging war."