Programme Statement

Mission Statement of the Third Ecumenical Council for the
Students and Youth Movements in Japan

The Youth committee of the National Christian Council in Japan(NCCJ), the Student department of Japan YMCA(Student YMCA), and the SCM Cooperative Committee(SCM) held the Third Ecumenical Conference under the theme "Justpeace for overcoming violence" at Gotenba, Shizuoka, March 20?22, 2003. In preparation, these organizations have been practicing an action plan for the purpose of empowering students and youth which was accepted at the Second Ecumenical Conference, as follows:

1. building a network for ecumenical movement at the local level;

2. mutually supporting the common issues and concerns among these organizations, and cooperating with them;

3. empowering young ecumenical leadership; and

4. creating solidarity with the concerns of Asian churches

Since the Second Conference, the Youth Committee of NCCJ has been taking responsibility for building a national ecumenical leadership training. During the training process, the tragedy of Sep.11, 2001, occurred, and U.S. militarism created strong tension worldwide. Following this, the issue of Japan's official war responsibility as portrayed in an historical textbook was raised. Moreover, the government was in a hurry to legalize the Emergency Legislation. Under these circumstances, the Youth Committee of NCCJ affirmed the need to educate young students and youth regarding Japan's war responsibility.

In 2002, March 20 ? 23, the Youth Committee of NCCJ held the National Ecumenical Youth Training Program in Tokyo under the theme of "Pursuing the truth for Peace with Justice." After the program the Youth Committee continued its program, especially with young students and youth, through solidarity with church actions in Asia and the Pacific region. In the organization process, Asia Youth Week, which was very reinvigorated by Ecumenical Asia-Pacific Student and Youth Net(EASY-Net), was very impressed with the Japanese youth's understanding of ecumenism in terms of Justice and Peace.

At the third Ecumenical Student and Youth Conference, the participants were sensitized to ways they can overcome violence initiated by the militaristic tension in the Middle East under the U.S. hegemony. During the program, the military attack by both the U.S. and England against Iraq began, and the Japanese government officially announced its support of the attack due to the Security Treaty between Japan and the U.S. We, the participants, critically recognized that the behavior of those governments is the most vicious reality of violence.

In the Conference, we also learned the historical background of violence supported by U.S. churches and the nature of violence in a biblical context. Further, we reviewed the brokeness of Japanese churches' being involved in the violence of Japanese history and why the churches have kept silence even today.

We strongly confirmed that war is the most unjustified violence in terms of our life being a gift of our Creator God. Therefore we appeal for peace with justice more ecumenically through stopping any military attack against Iraq as soon as possible. We also appeal to pursue the new direction of our ecumenical movement in terms of Justpeace toward "Peace and Reconciliation" both domestically and internationally. Finally we appeal to our mission responsibility and to practice mutual responsibility among ecumenical organizations for the future.

Common Mission Tasks:

1. To practice peaceful actions in our church, regions, working places, and families to stop the military attack of the U.S. and England against Iraq;

2. To step up our practical use of the youth mailing list and open a homepage for sharing the local actions of youth and students for ecumenical movements;

3. To strengthen a mission relationship among the Youth Committee of NCCJ, The Student YMCA, and the SCM Cooperative Committees;

4. To held the Second Ecumenical Youth Forum for young leadership training, initiated by the Youth Committee of NCCJ;

5. To held the Fourth Ecumenical Student and Youth Conference in 2006

6. To strengthen a mission relationship for sharing information of the ecumenical youth movement through the mutual understanding of the movement between CCA,WCC and Japanese ecumenical youth network

March 20, 2003
All of the participants of the Conference
The Youth Committee of the NCCJapan
The Student YMCA
SCM Cooperative Committee