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Churches Respond to Earthquake in Japan

Episcopal News Service. February 9, 1995 [95021]

(ENS) While trying to respond to its own losses, the Anglican-Episcopal Church in Japan (the Nippon Sei Ko Kai or NSKK) joined other churches and volunteer agencies in offering aid in the wake of the horrific earthquake that struck western Japan, January 17.

According to reports on the QUEST International computer communication network, there have been no clergy deaths from the earthquake. But the Rev. Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu, NSKK general secretary, said that at least three church members died in the Diocese of Osaka. In the Diocese of Kobe at least six students in church-related schools were reported to have died. Reports of more deaths were expected.

The Diocese of Kobe was hardest hit by the quake and subsequent fires that killed more than 5,000 people. While none of the diocese's five churches was destroyed, all suffered roof and wall damage as did the Diocesan Center and office, according to Uematsu. St. Michael's Cathedral lost its interior ceiling, and the tower was damaged and cracked, he said.

Church members left homeless

"Many church members lost their homes and offers of space have come from other church members around Japan," Uematsu said. The church-related schools all seemed to have survived without damage and have been used as refugee centers and as morgues.

"Please offer prayers for the victims so that they may return to a semblance of life as soon as possible," asked Bishop John Jun'ichiro Furumoto, bishop of the Diocese of Kobe. "We are fortunate that the number of confirmed dead is not greater than it appears."

Since the cost of repairing damage to church buildings will clearly be high, he added, "prayers in the form of monetary offering would be greatly appreciated."

Damage was concentrated in the cities of Kobe, Ashiya and Nishinomiya, particularly in the coastal areas, he said. Churches near the epicenter in addition to St. Michael's Cathedral, he said, included St. Peter's, Ascension, and St. John's in the city of Kobe; St. Mary Magdalene in Akashi; and Tarumi Mission and True Light in Sumoto on the Island of Awaji.

In the western part of the Diocese of Osaka, closest to Kobe, Christ Church Cathedral, Kawaguchi, was damaged beyond repair, according to Bishop Christopher I. Kikawada, bishop of the Diocese of Osaka. The cathedral's tower was separated from the building and leans, the floor was buckled and the brick hall was heavily damaged, he said.

The church building, rectory, kindergarten and parish hall of St. Peter's Church in Nishinomiya also were damaged beyond repair, according to Kikawada. St. Mark's Church in Ashiya was not as heavily damaged, he said, but was in an area of houses that were mostly destroyed. The church's kindergarten has served as a refugee area, and the rector and his wife helped rescue many people from collapsed homes, he said.

The Diocese of Kyoto, which experienced the lightest tremors, has reported no deaths or injuries to church members and no heavy damage to churches.

The Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief so far has sent emergency grants totaling $50,000. To donate to the Presiding Bishop's Fund, send a check marked "Japan Earthquake" to: Presiding Bishop's Fund, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017.