July 2006

To Our Friends and Supporters:

Greetings from Japan to our supporters around the world. An issue here in Japan that we’re becoming more involved with is that of “buraku” discrimination. Last month Tim attended a major conference on this issue that was held near Osaka. It was organized by “'Buraku' Liberation Center,” founded by the United Church of Christ in Japan (Kyodan) in 1981 to educate its own members concerning "buraku" discrimination issues and to work for the elimination of such discrimination in the church and society as a whole.

While discrimination against minorities is a problem in all societies, the prejudices held against Japanese who come from a “buraku” background are rather different from what is typical in most countries. This is because it is not based on any outward differences—racial or otherwise—but rather on a complex system of social status that has its roots in political, economic and religious oppression dating back to ancient times. Perhaps the closest comparison in another culture would be the history of discrimination against the “dalit” (“untouchable” caste) of India.

Though the roots of prejudice go back much further, the formal institutionalization of "buraku" discrimination dates from the early Edo period (1603-1867) and is closely tied with the persecution of Christians by Japan’s feudal rulers. For centuries people who engaged in occupations dealing in animal and human death had been considered “unclean” based on Buddhist and Shinto concepts.

For some 50 years following the coming of western Christianity in 1549, Christianity spread quickly. But because the shogun came to believe European powers planned to colonize Japan, he decided to completely isolate Japan from the outside world and eradicate Christianity by severely persecuting believers. The primary tool to accomplish this goal was the establishing of a family register system that required everybody to register with a local Buddhist temple. It was this system that resulted in the institutionalization of "buraku" discrimination as well, requiring people designated as “eta” (great filth) and “hinin” (non-person) to remain in their status and others to discriminate against them.

Even though both the ban against Christianity and the official sanction of "buraku" discrimination were ended by 1873, shortly after the beginning of the Meiji Era, people’s ingrained attitudes did not change so quickly. The influx of western missionaries and the tremendous social good that they accomplished gradually won the respect of Japanese society in general, and so even though relatively few Japanese embraced the faith, for the most part, Christianity came to be no longer viewed in such a negative way.

When it came to "buraku" discrimination, however, there was no similar catalyst to cause a radical shift in people’s perception. When the feudal classes were outlawed in 1871, along with the former discriminatory “non-status” designations, the descendants of these people came to be called by various terms such as “shin-heimin” (new commoners), with their communities being called “tokushu buraku” (special hamlets). Later, it became most common to refer to them as “buraku-min” ("buraku" people) or “hisabetsu-buraku” (discriminated against "buraku"). Interestingly, the term “buraku” simply means “hamlet” (small village), but through a long, historical process, it came to be applied to these discriminated-against people.

Even though the government has invested considerable funds into improving the 6,000 "buraku" areas in Japan, civil rights legislation that criminalizes direct discrimination is still lacking. The net result is that the three million people of "buraku" origin still face discrimination, particularly in employment and marriage. The family register system guarantees that those who want to avoid association with anyone with a "buraku" origin can easily do so, since their family register includes the fact that their family came from a "buraku" area. Christians, of course, should work to end this discrimination simply as a matter of civil rights, but the historical relationship Christianity in Japan has to "buraku" discrimination gives this issue a special added impetus.

The General Secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, R. Randy Day, made a special trip to make a presentation at the conference, where he stressed the commitment of the United Methodist Church to act in solidarity with the BLC to relegate discrimination against Japanese of "buraku" descent to the rubbish bin of history. He said that this is a vital part of our mission mandate to work together in conjunction with our Christian partners in Japan and other like-minded groups to end such discrimination against other minorities in Japan and around the world.

The climax of the Rev. Day’s presentation was the announcement that the UMC plans to appoint a missionary to work at the BLC to strengthen its witness and effectiveness in reaching its goals. This announcement was greeted with enthusiastic applause, as this has been a long-standing request from the Japanese church. Three missionaries from other North American denominations have worked with the BLC over the years, with the last one’s service having ended abruptly with his untimely death in 1999. The work of the center took another huge blow in 2004, when its director of 20 years, Heiichi Sumihi, became ill and died at age 51.

Currently the staff consists of two full-time persons working under the direction of an interim, part-time director, Makoto Higashitani. Terumi Igarashi has been with BLC for 24 years, almost from its inception, and her experience and drive is what gives BLC its continuity. New to the staff is Miki Tanimoto, who has brought new energy to the work since coming aboard last year. There is also a steering committee with representatives from each of the 17 districts of the Kyodan nationwide. The Rev. Sanji Higashioka, a Kyodan pastor in Hiroshima, is the chairperson of the committee, the purpose of which is to act as a conduit to the local churches to encourage their support and involvement.

We ask you for your prayer support for this vital ministry of the Japanese church.

Love,

Tim and Yuko (Juji) Boyle

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 252