{"id":15428,"date":"2016-08-09T17:57:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-09T17:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution-49732\/"},"modified":"2016-08-09T17:57:00","modified_gmt":"2016-08-09T17:57:00","slug":"japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan&#8217;s bishops oppose efforts to abandon pacifism in nation&#8217;s constitution"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Japanese_pilgrims_await_Pope_Francis_in_St_Peters_Square_before_the_Wednesday_general_audience_on_Oct_22_2014_Credit_Daniel_Ib__ez_CNA_CNA_10_22_14.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Nagasaki, Japan, Aug 9, 2016 \/ 11:57 am (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- In the shadow of the 71st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs and the end of World War II, the Japanese bishops have warned against legislative proposals they believe will cause their nation to become further entangled in world violence.<\/p>\n<p>In a message signed by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, president of the Japanese bishops\u2019 conference,\u00a0 the bishops said that \u201cappropriate steps are required to be taken constantly\u201d in light of issues of violence and discrimination which occur in Japan \u201con a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n<p>The message was released for the 35th annual Ten Days for Peace event, which runs\u00a0 Aug. 6-15 and commemorates the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945.<\/p>\n<p>The statement is a response to prime minister Shinzo Abe's call for a revision of Article 9 of Japan's constitution, which outlaws war as a means for settling international disputes.<\/p>\n<p>There is also controversy\u00a0 regarding security legislation passed in 2015 reinterpreting the language of Article 9 to allow for \u201ccollective self-defense,\u201d which would include assisting allies under armed attack, such as the U.S., even if Japan itself were not under threat.<\/p>\n<p>This reinterpretation of the article is Japan\u2019s largest movement away from the pacifist foreign policy adopted in the 1947 constitution, in the light of World War II.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorld peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force,\u201d the bishops' message states.<\/p>\n<p>Because of terrorist attacks around the world many people, including women and children, have been forced to leave their homes, or have been killed or injured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Describing current global events, the bishops\u2019 message calls for peaceful resolution between nations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDepending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world,\u201d the statement says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves,\u201d the bishops\u2019 statement emphasizes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?a=gf2U7ORKgyM:-UwTvs-uoIQ:yIl2AUoC8zA\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews\/~4\/gf2U7ORKgyM\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Japanese_pilgrims_await_Pope_Francis_in_St_Peters_Square_before_the_Wednesday_general_audience_on_Oct_22_2014_Credit_Daniel_Ib__ez_CNA_CNA_10_22_14.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Nagasaki, Japan, Aug 9, 2016 \/ 11:57 am (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\" target=\"_self\">CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- In the shadow of the 71st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs and the end of World War II, the Japanese bishops have warned against legislative proposals they believe will cause their nation to become further entangled in world violence.<\/p>\n<p>In a message signed by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, president of the Japanese bishops&rsquo; conference,&nbsp; the bishops said that &ldquo;appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly&rdquo; in light of issues of violence and discrimination which occur in Japan &ldquo;on a daily basis.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence,&rdquo; the statement reads.<\/p>\n<p>The message was released for the 35th annual Ten Days for Peace event, which runs&nbsp; Aug. 6-15 and commemorates the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945.<\/p>\n<p>The statement is a response to prime minister Shinzo Abe&#8217;s call for a revision of Article 9 of Japan&#8217;s constitution, which outlaws war as a means for settling international disputes.<\/p>\n<p>There is also controversy&nbsp; regarding security legislation passed in 2015 reinterpreting the language of Article 9 to allow for &ldquo;collective self-defense,&rdquo; which would include assisting allies under armed attack, such as the U.S., even if Japan itself were not under threat.<\/p>\n<p>This reinterpretation of the article is Japan&rsquo;s largest movement away from the pacifist foreign policy adopted in the 1947 constitution, in the light of World War II.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force,&rdquo; the bishops&#8217; message states.<\/p>\n<p>Because of terrorist attacks around the world many people, including women and children, have been forced to leave their homes, or have been killed or injured.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Describing current global events, the bishops&rsquo; message calls for peaceful resolution between nations.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world,&rdquo; the statement says.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves,&rdquo; the bishops&rsquo; statement emphasizes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?a=gf2U7ORKgyM:-UwTvs-uoIQ:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews\/~4\/gf2U7ORKgyM\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Japan&#039;s bishops oppose efforts to abandon pacifism in nation&#039;s constitution<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nagasaki, Japan, Aug 9, 2016 \/ 11:57 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- In the shadow of the 71st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs and the end of World War II, the Japanese bishops have warned against legislative proposals they believe will cause their nation to become further entangled in world violence. In a message signed by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, president of the Japanese bishops&rsquo; conference,&nbsp; the bishops said that &ldquo;appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly&rdquo; in light of issues of violence and discrimination which occur in Japan &ldquo;on a daily basis.&rdquo; &ldquo;We must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence,&rdquo; the statement reads. The message was released for the 35th annual Ten Days for Peace event, which runs&nbsp; Aug. 6-15 and commemorates the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. The statement is a response to prime minister Shinzo Abe&#039;s call for a revision of Article 9 of Japan&#039;s constitution, which outlaws war as a means for settling international disputes. There is also controversy&nbsp; regarding security legislation passed in 2015 reinterpreting the language of Article 9 to allow for &ldquo;collective self-defense,&rdquo; which would include assisting allies under armed attack, such as the U.S., even if Japan itself were not under threat. This reinterpretation of the article is Japan&rsquo;s largest movement away from the pacifist foreign policy adopted in the 1947 constitution, in the light of World War II. &ldquo;World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force,&rdquo; the bishops&#039; message states. Because of terrorist attacks around the world many people, including women and children, have been forced to leave their homes, or have been killed or injured. &ldquo;That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.&rdquo; Describing current global events, the bishops&rsquo; message calls for peaceful resolution between nations. &ldquo;Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world,&rdquo; the statement says. &ldquo;By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves,&rdquo; the bishops&rsquo; statement emphasizes. &ldquo;We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace.&rdquo;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japan&#039;s bishops oppose efforts to abandon pacifism in nation&#039;s constitution\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nagasaki, Japan, Aug 9, 2016 \/ 11:57 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- In the shadow of the 71st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs and the end of World War II, the Japanese bishops have warned against legislative proposals they believe will cause their nation to become further entangled in world violence. In a message signed by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, president of the Japanese bishops&rsquo; conference,&nbsp; the bishops said that &ldquo;appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly&rdquo; in light of issues of violence and discrimination which occur in Japan &ldquo;on a daily basis.&rdquo; &ldquo;We must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence,&rdquo; the statement reads. The message was released for the 35th annual Ten Days for Peace event, which runs&nbsp; Aug. 6-15 and commemorates the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. The statement is a response to prime minister Shinzo Abe&#039;s call for a revision of Article 9 of Japan&#039;s constitution, which outlaws war as a means for settling international disputes. There is also controversy&nbsp; regarding security legislation passed in 2015 reinterpreting the language of Article 9 to allow for &ldquo;collective self-defense,&rdquo; which would include assisting allies under armed attack, such as the U.S., even if Japan itself were not under threat. This reinterpretation of the article is Japan&rsquo;s largest movement away from the pacifist foreign policy adopted in the 1947 constitution, in the light of World War II. &ldquo;World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force,&rdquo; the bishops&#039; message states. Because of terrorist attacks around the world many people, including women and children, have been forced to leave their homes, or have been killed or injured. &ldquo;That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.&rdquo; Describing current global events, the bishops&rsquo; message calls for peaceful resolution between nations. &ldquo;Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world,&rdquo; the statement says. &ldquo;By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves,&rdquo; the bishops&rsquo; statement emphasizes. &ldquo;We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace.&rdquo;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-08-09T17:57:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Japanese_pilgrims_await_Pope_Francis_in_St_Peters_Square_before_the_Wednesday_general_audience_on_Oct_22_2014_Credit_Daniel_Ib__ez_CNA_CNA_10_22_14.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/\",\"name\":\"Japan's bishops oppose efforts to abandon pacifism in nation's constitution\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-09T17:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-08-09T17:57:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Nagasaki, Japan, Aug 9, 2016 \/ 11:57 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- In the shadow of the 71st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs and the end of World War II, the Japanese bishops have warned against legislative proposals they believe will cause their nation to become further entangled in world violence. In a message signed by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, president of the Japanese bishops&rsquo; conference,&nbsp; the bishops said that &ldquo;appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly&rdquo; in light of issues of violence and discrimination which occur in Japan &ldquo;on a daily basis.&rdquo; &ldquo;We must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence,&rdquo; the statement reads. The message was released for the 35th annual Ten Days for Peace event, which runs&nbsp; Aug. 6-15 and commemorates the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. The statement is a response to prime minister Shinzo Abe's call for a revision of Article 9 of Japan's constitution, which outlaws war as a means for settling international disputes. There is also controversy&nbsp; regarding security legislation passed in 2015 reinterpreting the language of Article 9 to allow for &ldquo;collective self-defense,&rdquo; which would include assisting allies under armed attack, such as the U.S., even if Japan itself were not under threat. This reinterpretation of the article is Japan&rsquo;s largest movement away from the pacifist foreign policy adopted in the 1947 constitution, in the light of World War II. &ldquo;World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force,&rdquo; the bishops' message states. Because of terrorist attacks around the world many people, including women and children, have been forced to leave their homes, or have been killed or injured. &ldquo;That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.&rdquo; Describing current global events, the bishops&rsquo; message calls for peaceful resolution between nations. &ldquo;Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world,&rdquo; the statement says. &ldquo;By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves,&rdquo; the bishops&rsquo; statement emphasizes. &ldquo;We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace.&rdquo;\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Japan&#8217;s bishops oppose efforts to abandon pacifism in nation&#8217;s constitution\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\",\"name\":\"CNA Daily News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CNA Daily News\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Japan's bishops oppose efforts to abandon pacifism in nation's constitution","description":"Nagasaki, Japan, Aug 9, 2016 \/ 11:57 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- In the shadow of the 71st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs and the end of World War II, the Japanese bishops have warned against legislative proposals they believe will cause their nation to become further entangled in world violence. In a message signed by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, president of the Japanese bishops&rsquo; conference,&nbsp; the bishops said that &ldquo;appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly&rdquo; in light of issues of violence and discrimination which occur in Japan &ldquo;on a daily basis.&rdquo; &ldquo;We must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence,&rdquo; the statement reads. The message was released for the 35th annual Ten Days for Peace event, which runs&nbsp; Aug. 6-15 and commemorates the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. The statement is a response to prime minister Shinzo Abe's call for a revision of Article 9 of Japan's constitution, which outlaws war as a means for settling international disputes. There is also controversy&nbsp; regarding security legislation passed in 2015 reinterpreting the language of Article 9 to allow for &ldquo;collective self-defense,&rdquo; which would include assisting allies under armed attack, such as the U.S., even if Japan itself were not under threat. This reinterpretation of the article is Japan&rsquo;s largest movement away from the pacifist foreign policy adopted in the 1947 constitution, in the light of World War II. &ldquo;World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force,&rdquo; the bishops' message states. Because of terrorist attacks around the world many people, including women and children, have been forced to leave their homes, or have been killed or injured. &ldquo;That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.&rdquo; Describing current global events, the bishops&rsquo; message calls for peaceful resolution between nations. &ldquo;Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world,&rdquo; the statement says. &ldquo;By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves,&rdquo; the bishops&rsquo; statement emphasizes. &ldquo;We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace.&rdquo;","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Japan's bishops oppose efforts to abandon pacifism in nation's constitution","og_description":"Nagasaki, Japan, Aug 9, 2016 \/ 11:57 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- In the shadow of the 71st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs and the end of World War II, the Japanese bishops have warned against legislative proposals they believe will cause their nation to become further entangled in world violence. In a message signed by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, president of the Japanese bishops&rsquo; conference,&nbsp; the bishops said that &ldquo;appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly&rdquo; in light of issues of violence and discrimination which occur in Japan &ldquo;on a daily basis.&rdquo; &ldquo;We must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence,&rdquo; the statement reads. The message was released for the 35th annual Ten Days for Peace event, which runs&nbsp; Aug. 6-15 and commemorates the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. The statement is a response to prime minister Shinzo Abe's call for a revision of Article 9 of Japan's constitution, which outlaws war as a means for settling international disputes. There is also controversy&nbsp; regarding security legislation passed in 2015 reinterpreting the language of Article 9 to allow for &ldquo;collective self-defense,&rdquo; which would include assisting allies under armed attack, such as the U.S., even if Japan itself were not under threat. This reinterpretation of the article is Japan&rsquo;s largest movement away from the pacifist foreign policy adopted in the 1947 constitution, in the light of World War II. &ldquo;World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force,&rdquo; the bishops' message states. Because of terrorist attacks around the world many people, including women and children, have been forced to leave their homes, or have been killed or injured. &ldquo;That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.&rdquo; Describing current global events, the bishops&rsquo; message calls for peaceful resolution between nations. &ldquo;Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world,&rdquo; the statement says. &ldquo;By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves,&rdquo; the bishops&rsquo; statement emphasizes. &ldquo;We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace.&rdquo;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2016-08-09T17:57:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Japanese_pilgrims_await_Pope_Francis_in_St_Peters_Square_before_the_Wednesday_general_audience_on_Oct_22_2014_Credit_Daniel_Ib__ez_CNA_CNA_10_22_14.jpg"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/","name":"Japan's bishops oppose efforts to abandon pacifism in nation's constitution","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-08-09T17:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2016-08-09T17:57:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Nagasaki, Japan, Aug 9, 2016 \/ 11:57 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- In the shadow of the 71st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs and the end of World War II, the Japanese bishops have warned against legislative proposals they believe will cause their nation to become further entangled in world violence. In a message signed by Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, president of the Japanese bishops&rsquo; conference,&nbsp; the bishops said that &ldquo;appropriate steps are required to be taken constantly&rdquo; in light of issues of violence and discrimination which occur in Japan &ldquo;on a daily basis.&rdquo; &ldquo;We must not fail to be wary of security-related laws and the movement to change the Constitution which will inevitably involve the Japanese people in the cycle of violence,&rdquo; the statement reads. The message was released for the 35th annual Ten Days for Peace event, which runs&nbsp; Aug. 6-15 and commemorates the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. The statement is a response to prime minister Shinzo Abe's call for a revision of Article 9 of Japan's constitution, which outlaws war as a means for settling international disputes. There is also controversy&nbsp; regarding security legislation passed in 2015 reinterpreting the language of Article 9 to allow for &ldquo;collective self-defense,&rdquo; which would include assisting allies under armed attack, such as the U.S., even if Japan itself were not under threat. This reinterpretation of the article is Japan&rsquo;s largest movement away from the pacifist foreign policy adopted in the 1947 constitution, in the light of World War II. &ldquo;World peace has been shattered and is constantly threatened by such events as the Syrian War, terrorist activities by fundamentalists and others, armed conflicts involving control of resources and hegemonic shows of force,&rdquo; the bishops' message states. Because of terrorist attacks around the world many people, including women and children, have been forced to leave their homes, or have been killed or injured. &ldquo;That is why we pray that powers in both Asia and the West will move toward reconciliation rather than a sort of cold war, and that the spirit of peace enshrined in the European Union (EU) will spread globally and tensions in East Asia will be reduced.&rdquo; Describing current global events, the bishops&rsquo; message calls for peaceful resolution between nations. &ldquo;Depending on the power of humanity and the grace of God, we want to realize the high ideal of eliminating not only nuclear weapons but all types of weapons and violence from the world,&rdquo; the statement says. &ldquo;By making efforts to complete the fulfillment and happiness of heart and body, work and private life, and relationships with God and people in particular, we must begin building peace within ourselves,&rdquo; the bishops&rsquo; statement emphasizes. &ldquo;We all can do that and we all must do that. That is the sure path to realizing world peace.&rdquo;","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/japans-bishops-oppose-efforts-to-abandon-pacifism-in-nations-constitution\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Japan&#8217;s bishops oppose efforts to abandon pacifism in nation&#8217;s constitution"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15428\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}