Watanabe, Akira. Translated by Jim Peterson. "9/11 and the American Evangelical Church: An Observation and Analysis" (・当時のアメリカの福音派の状況と分析). Japan Evangelical Association Theological Commission Pamphlet 6 (May 2006): 75-88.
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IN CONCLUSION, GLEANINGS FOR JAPANESE CHRISTIANS
The liberal democratic party won a landslide victory in the lower house election of September, 2005. In spite of the many frightening signs of a shift to the right, as marked by Prime Minister Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine and his strong support of the deployment of National Defense troops to Iraq, the parties that work to protect the Constitution, such as the Socialist Democratic Party and the Communist Party were not able to show any significant gains. It is said that the reason for the Liberal Democrat's victory was Prime Minister Koizumi's singular focus on the privatization of the postal system. He was able to reduce his campaign issues to a simple “for or against” question with regard to his proposed postal reform and many voters found his masterful and zealous performance on this issue very appealing.
There is a parallel with President Bush's singular insistence several years ago, that society's greatest issue is the war on terrorism. He strong armed other nations into choosing to be for or against the U.S. in this war and he subsequently won the overwhelming approval of the American public. In last September's election the opposition parties attempted to speak with reason about the numerous political issues at hand, and even appealed to the constitution but they were not able to capture the hearts of the masses. Are not the Christians of Japan following in the same footsteps as the opposition parties in the world of politics? It is of crucial importance that we let our government know of our opposition to war, and we must examine and critique the theology of President Bush. At the same time, we must make our greatest effort to capture the hearts of the masses that are sensing a loss of foundation amidst the instability of this postmodern age and the subsequent perversion of value systems.
If the church of Japan truly desires to continue speaking the truth, we must come face to face with the reality of the thirty some thousand people who take their own lives every year and not turn a deaf ear to those who are hurting and seeking comfort amidst their personal problems. We must provide a place where people can form bonds of trust with others that allow totally honest conversation. Such efforts are not some form of populism or a detour in the efforts to build a world that is free of war. Japan, just like the U.S. is becoming increasingly conservative and moving toward the right. In our fight against that trend we must never let go of the church.
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