[Yonhap News] Family Federation holds anniversary marking 55 years of missions in Japan

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Gong Byeong Seol Reporter = 

The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (hereafter as Family Federation) held an anniversary ceremony marking 55 years of missions to Japan, and 54 years since the Japanese church was founded in the country and was attended by some 20,000 people in the Saitama Super Arena on the 16th.

Dr. Hak Ja Han spoke about how "Japan has an epochal and historical destiny to move forward together with Pacific Rim Nations" and added "The truth cannot be known by closing one's eyes to the past and looking to the future. Japan must reinvent itself for the sake of world peace.

The Family Federation a first sent missionary to Japan in 1958, and the following year the first church service was held in Tokyo. Currently, there are about 600,000 Japanese Unification Church members, and there are 266 churches or training centers in Japan.

 

Dr. Han began a 5 major city speaking tour since the 22nd.

[Newsis]

To commemorate the 55th anniversary of missions in Japan and 54 years since the Japanese Church was established, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification(Unification Church) is hosting anniversary celebrations in 5 regions. 

The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity was founded on May 1st 1954 and a first sent missionary to Japan on July 15th 1958 after deciding that Japan would be the first mission country. The founder of the Unification Church, Reverend Sun Myung Moon (1920~2012) brought attention to the fact that one by one countries were turning to communism, and with the goal of saving Japan and Korea rushed to start the mission in Japan. If Japan were to become communist or put itself in a pro-communist position, it is predicted that Korea could be adversely affected so a new ideology would be sent to Japan to arm itself against the spreading communism. Providentially, Korea is the Adam nation and Japan the Eve nation, therefore Japan had to be the first country to send missionaries to. Also, it was expected that from an economic standpoint Japan would play a leading role in expanding missions throughout the world.

Within 1 year missionaries in Japan established themselves, and the first service was held on October 2nd 1959 under the name of the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity Tokyo. Founded by the Japanese Church (President Tokuno Eiji).  Currently there are nearly 600,000 followers and 266 churches or training centers throughout the country. There are more than 21 friendly organizations like the Universal Peace Federation, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, or the Women's Federation for World Peace.

This was the first time Dr. Hak Ja Han (70) will be speaking to the Japanese mission regions since Reverend Moon's Seonghwa Ceremony in September of last year. 

President Han successfully completed the speech on the 14th in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and on the 16th 20,000 people attended the Saitama rally near Tokyo on the 16th, and on the 18th a central district rally was held in Nagoya followed by a rally on the 20th in Shineje, Nagano, on the 22nd in Kobe and in a western Japan rally planned to encourage Japanese members and urge them to make a new start.

President Han presented goals for the Japanese church to achieve by 2020 which marks the 100th year of the birth of Reverend Moon, and asked them to dedicating themselves towards inheriting the traditions and unfinished work of Reverend Moon. The Unification Church of Japan is taking the opportunity of Dr. Han's speaking tour to dedicate themselves to the directive to achieve the goal of 'vision 2020.'

Before the speaking tour the President has been overseeing world missions from Korea. She dedicated herself to inheriting the unfinished business of Reverend Moon and managing foreign and domestic affairs. For 50 years Dr. Han has been at Reverend Moon's side helping with the world peace movement and the salvation of mankind, and with the chance of a tour to Japan she is now expected to be cast as a global religious leader...

[read article in Korean] 

 http://www.newsis.com/ar_detail/view.html?ar_id=NISX20131015_0012435814&cID=10102&pID=10100

[Newsis]

Dr. Hak Ja Han (70) the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (Unification Church) emphasized that Japan must take responsibility as a first class nation in the world. 

Dr. Han spoke on the 16th at 2pm at the 55th anniversary of missions in Japan and the 54th anniversary since the Japanese Church was established at the rally in Saitama Prefecture in the Saitama Super Arena which is nearby Tokyo.

Dr. Han was not concerned with the largest typhoon that struck Japan in 10 years and instead indicated to an arena filled with 20,000 devoted followers about how the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the British Empire and the superpower, American which is experiencing decline and of “nations that have been blessed by God have a responsibility that comes with that blessing” adding “we have seen what happens to such nations when they do not fulfill their responsibility.”

 This was followed by “Japan was blessed as the mother nation” and “such a blessing is not for Japan only, but to go and share with the world. You must take care of the children of the world if you are the Mother nation. You must lead global citizens back to True Parents" she asked, and emphasized the responsibility and role that Japan has as a leading nation in the world to stretch itself. 'True Parents' advocates 'salvation' according to the Unification Church. In the Unification Church, after the Seonghwa of the self-proclaimed ‘Lord of the Second Coming’ the Founder, Reverend Sun Myung Moon (1920~2012) his wife, Dr.  Han has been leading the Unification Church and carrying on his mission.

Dr. Han lectured about how “Japan must become one geopolitically with Korea.” The recent problems emerging between Korea and Japan can be indirectly interpreted as Japan having to take a more forward-looking to ease conflict between Korea and Japan.

At the rally scheduled in Sapporo Hokkaido on the 14th she emphasized that “the truth cannot be known by closing one's eyes to the past and looking to the future, and if there is no truth, then there will be no friends. Japan will become the nation of a true people that stand out in the world by humbly attending True Parents." Japan is passing through an awakening period regarding the problem with Korea and Japan's past.

The Unification Church which was founded on May 1st 1954 and first sent missionaries to Japan on July 15th 1958 after deciding that Japan would be the first mission country, and the following year the first church service was held in Tokyo on October 2nd under the name of the Tokyo Church. 

In commemoration of this, the Unification Church has organized anniversary rallies in 5 regions to be held from the 14th through the 22nd. On the 4th in Sapporo, today in Saitama followed by Nagoya on the 18th making up the central region rally, a rally on the 20th in Shineje and on the 22nd in Kobe for the rally of west Japan.