Minority Conference - Statement

15. - 21. November 2015,  Tokyo, Japan
World Council of Churches


Joint Statement of the 3rd International Conference on Minority Issues and Mission

Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40)

Auszug aus der Erklärung von Tokyo:

... In this Conference we confirmed that the Christian Church must seek the path of peace that clearly opposes the path toward armament and war, and the path toward construction of an inclusive society in which peace and welfare are shared with all people, and that for this we must hear the call of Jesus Christ in the cries of minorities. The Church must answer the call of Christ and spread the overtent of inclusivity in a global network, and for this purpose must share this problem as an important challenge of theology, mission and church formation.

Today, in this world of growing intolerance, segmentation of society is proceeding by the abandonment of the weak. Thereby the lives and dignity of many people are being seriously injured through the rise of hate and conflict. We Christians are filled with a strong sense of crisis at these things.

Today, amid rapid advances in the globalization of information and wealth, many societies are in crisis and at risk of devastation by hate-filled violence. In this world where a storm of racism and xenophobia spreads together with globalization, today’s Christian Church must search for a mission path that resists hate and spreads the tent of inclusivity in order to restore a whole humanity in God’s image. We are able to know from the Bible that God showed us the way to break the chain of hate and lead us toward reconciliation, through the presence of sojourners (foreigners and immigrants). To welcome in sojourners, or to place one-self in the position of a stranger, is necessary in order to have fear and anger changed into the hope for inclusivity, and for God’s blessing to be realized in this world. The Christian Church must profess to today’s society that the love of neighbor, shown to us by Jesus Christ, is the true power that overcomes human enmity and hate. The Churches of Japan confess that we stood aside and watched as minorities suffered under the violence of hate speech. We resolve to engage these issues and seek the realization of peace and inclusive society on this earth, by accepting this as the call of Gospel mission entrusted to us as Christians living in this time.


Following are proposals to the government of Japan, to Japanese society, to the churches of Japan and to churches of the world. Please, open the pdf-file here for the full statement.






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