日本カトリック教会の歴史認識- 記憶の連帯を目指して

Abstract

In order to build “Mnemonic Solidarity,” one of the tasks the Japanese Catholic Church should undertake is to bring to wider public awareness the prevalent understanding of Korea during Japanese colonial rule. As an example, this paper examines the perceptions and opinions on the “March 1st Movement” held by the Japanese Catholic Church before the war. After the Second World War, in supporting the South Korean democracy movements in the 1970’s, the Japanese Church began to face the facts of Japan’s colonial rule of Korea. In the 1980’s, inspired by the Fingerprinting Refusal Movement, the Japanese Bishops began to take notice of the hardships that faced the Korean-Japanese in Japan and turned their eyes on its origin: The era of colonial rule of Korea by Japan. In 1986 Cardinal Seiichi Shirayanagi made a public admission of “the Japanese Catholic church’s responsibility for the war”, and in 1995 the Japanese Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a declaration titled “Resolution for Peace”. Building on the “Resolution for Peace,” in 1996 the Japanese bishops agreed with the Korean bishops to organize “exchange meetings” at which they would share opinions on areas of mutual interest, working towards “sharing common historical perceptions of relations between Korea and Japan”. As a result of this agreement, the Korean-Japanese Bishops’ Exchange Meeting has been held every year. The Meeting yielded a beginner’s book on Korean history for Japanese people written by three Korean scholars. Also, some dioceses in Korea and Japan have been seeking to deepen their relationships. However in Japan, the revisionist movement has become more vocal and influential in the media and among some policy makers. In responding to this trend the Japanese Catholic Church needs to make greater efforts to record faithfully what the Japanese people must remember.