The Acts of Convention

House of Deputies

Original Text of Resolution:

(D050)

Whereas, under the Alien Registration Law of Japan, Koreans and others of non-Japanese ancestry are regarded as foreigners with denial of their basic rights available to the Japanese in Japan, even when most of the non-Japanese are second, third and fourth generations born and raised in Japan; and

Whereas, out of some 850,000 permanent residents of Japan classified as foreigners, some 670,000 are Koreans, who are required to be finger-printed when they reach the age of 16 years and to carry the government issued identification card at all times, enforced with fine or prison sentence or both in case of non-compliance with the law; and

Whereas, in recent years there has been a significant number of Koreans and other foreigners in Japan who have refused to be finger-printed as a sign of civil disobedience to immoral laws; and

Whereas, the enforced fingerprinting by the present Japanese government is regarded as a form of oppression that began with the colonization of Korea in the early 1900's during which time many Korean laborers were forcibly brought to Japan, whose descendants continue to be denied basic human rights; and

Whereas, many Japanese municipal and provincial government bodies have publicly criticized the present Alien Registration Law as wrong, and

Whereas, in addition many Roman Catholic, Protestant, including Anglicans in Japan, with the ecumenical council there, the National Christian Council have been supporting the civil rights movement taking the form of fingerprinting refusal, of which there are at present some 1,000 individuals; therefore be it

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 69th General Convention join the National Council of the Churches of Christ, USA, and other religious bodies and organizations and public figures in the USA, in expressing support to this human rights movement in Japan and urge the U.S. Government to serve notice to the Japanese government to stop the oppression of foreigners, particularly the Koreans in Japan, most of whom were born and raised in that land.

Proposed Committee Amendment:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 69th General Convention join the National Council of Churches of Christ, USA, and other religious bodies and organizations and public figures in the USA, in expressing support to this human rights movement in Japan and urge the U.S. Government to serve notice protest to the Japanese government to stop the this form of oppression of foreigners, particularly the Koreans in Japan, most of whom were born and raised in that land .; and be it further

Resolved, That the Executive Council be requested to make known the plight of the Koreans in Japan to this Church at large.

Motion carried

Resolution adopted with amendment

(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #182)