National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ)

Vision Statement: Life in all its fullness is what Jesus Christ lived and died for. NCCJ envisions this life in a just, egalitarian, self-reliant, and sustainable society.

Mission: Our faith and vision move us to be an ecumenical fellowship of churches, a channel for united witnessing and common action by solidarity with the people in the struggle for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation.

The NCCJ is an ecumenical organization that exchanges information through the NCCJ Newsletter and the Japan Christian Activity News (English). Its 33-member and associate member churches and organizations include a wide range of churches and organizations. Together as the NCCJ, they relate to overseas councils in cooperation with the World Council of Churches (WCC), Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), and other national councils, especially those in South Korea and the Philippines. NCCJ conducts its mission in unity with other denominations, including the Roman Catholic Church. The NCCJ works not only with other Christian bodies but with groups of other faiths as well.

NCCJ is a very important leading Christian organization that held the first Interfaith International Conference on Article 9 in Tokyo, Japan, fully supported by North American churches and other faith groups. (Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is a clause in the National Constitution of Japan that prohibits an act of war by the state. The Constitution was enacted following World War II on May 3, 1947. In its text, the state formally renounces war as a sovereign right and bans the settlement of international disputes through the use of force. The article also states that to accomplish these aims, armed forces with war potential will not be maintained).

The NCCJ office in Tokyo is on the second floor of the seven-story Japan Christian Center.  Related organizations are the NCCJ Division of Christian Education, the NCC Center for the Study of Japanese Religions (located in Kyoto), and the Christian Literature Center.

 NCCJ Committees:

• Commission on Faith and Order (a study group for Theology and Mission)
• Peace and Nuclear Issues Committee
• Women’s Committee
• Yasukuni Shrine Committee
• Youth Committee
• Urban Rural Mission Committee
• Human Rights of Foreign Residents Committee (this committee works closely with the Christian Coalition for Refugees and Foreign Migrant Workers, which shares office space at NCCJ)
• “People with Disabilities” and Church Committee
• International Affairs Committee
• Committee on Humanitarian Aid to DPRK (North Korea)
• Chernobyl Project
• China Church Relations Committee
• German Church Relations Committee
• Philippines Committee

Website Link:  National Christian Council of Japan