by Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan

In a message marking the anniversary of the end of World War II, the Bishops' Conference renews its call for a worldwide ban on nuclear weapons. Asking forgiveness for having tried to “show patriotism” in the imperial era, Catholic bishops criticize today's change of course in Tokyo with new missile units in Okinawa and Nansei: “The elderly tell us: we are preparing for war.”

Tokyo (AsiaNews) - A reflection on the challenge of peace, 80 years after the end of World War II, which Japan experienced in its most terrible epilogue in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A word addressed in particular to young people, in this year 2025, which for the Catholic Church is also the Jubilee Year. This is the meaning of “A Path of Peace: Bearers of Hope,” an important document released today by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan. The text also contains an examination of conscience on the responsibility of the Catholic Church itself for the “patriotism” that 80 years ago prevented it from speaking words of peace. But it is above all a warning to today's Japan, which is increasingly distant from the pacifist approach enshrined in its Constitution after the tragedy of that war.

Citing explicitly the testimony of the Hibakusha, the survivors of the nuclear bombing who were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last October, the bishops reiterate Pope Francis' words on the immorality not only of the use but also of the possession of atomic weapons, spoken in Hiroshima in 2019. For this reason, they call on all countries of the world—Japan first and foremost—to join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Below is the full text of the document ;

A Journey of Peace: Bearing Hope
A Message from the Bishops 80 Years After the War

To all who want peace, especially young people:

Introduction

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. In this milestone year, we once again pray for those who lost their lives, for those whose dignity was violated in various ways, and for the natural environment that suffered so much damage. After as many years as a human lifetime, how shall we accept the idea of valuing human dignity and the desire to realize peace, and how shall we pass that idea and desire on to the next generation?

In this Holy Year which is celebrated once every 25 years in the Catholic Church, we hope to move forward with you, especially you young people, in the hope of creating a peaceful world.

80 years after the war 

In October 2024, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Japan Hidankyo) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In his speech accepting the award, Mr. Terumi Tanaka, secretary general of the organization, said, “nuclear weapons cannot — and must not — coexist with humanity.” Those words that surely touched the hearts of people around the world and inspired them to think about the abolition of nuclear weapons carried the weight of 80 years.

Many people both in Japan and around the world who experienced that war have been sharing their experiences for 80 years and acting for peace.

Now, 80 years later, the number of people who experienced the war is very small. It is precisely at such a time as this that we must honestly face historical facts, learn from them, remember them, pass them on to the next generation, and make use of them for the sake of peace.

“To remember, to journey together, to protect. These are three moral imperatives that here in Hiroshima assume even more powerful and universal significance, and can open a path to peace. For this reason, we cannot allow present and future generations to lose the memory of what happened here.” (Pope Francis in Hiroshima, 2019).

In this sense, it is very important and significant that young people have made pilgrimages and traveled to Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Okinawa to learn about peace.

At the same time, we must not forget that even before the Asia-Pacific War, Japan had already inflicted great suffering upon neighboring countries from the early Meiji era through the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars, colonial rule, and other acts.

In the course of that history and up to the end of the war 80 years ago, the Catholic Church failed to fulfill its proper role in the realization of peace. After the Meiji era, Japan established a national system centered on the emperor, and the Catholic Church took pains to present itself as loyally patriotic. Consequently, the Catholic Church used its just war theory to justify and support Japan’s wars. We must face these facts honestly, repent, and move forward with the people who will lead the next generation toward peace.

The World Today

Paralleling 80 years of peace efforts of many individual citizens, the United Nations and its member states have continued to move forward. However, the UN Charter and various other norms that seek peace have been conveniently reinterpreted and ignored, and the world is now witnessing outrageous wars.

In Ukraine and Russia, in Palestine and Israel in the Middle East, as well as in Myanmar and various African countries, many people are being killed every day, and devastation that makes one want to look away continues.

Wars are waged in the name of justice under the pretext of humanitarian intervention, preemption, defense, etc. However, those are self-justifying interpretations that result in harm to many civilians, the destruction of the environment, and the expansion of various risks. (cf. Encyclical Fratelli Tutti, 258).

Furthermore, an increasing number of countries, even those where no hostilities are being conducted, are strengthening their armaments to head off war and to be prepared in the event of war.

The same is true for Japan, where the pacifism that has been national policy is being overshadowed by such actions as allowing the exercise of the right of collective self-defense which was previously considered impossible under Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan, the deployment of long-range missiles capable of attacking the territory of other countries, the lifting of the ban on arms exports, the establishment of new Self-Defense Force bases, and a significant increase in military spending.

In Okinawa and the Nansei Islands, missile units are being deployed one after another in the name of “defense.” Eighty years ago, the Battle of Okinawa claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people, including more than 94,000 civilians. As they suffer from the memory of that horrific war and various violent incidents related to the presence of U.S. military bases since then, the people of Okinawa have continued to appeal for peace through nonviolence so that war will never be repeated. They want to ensure that the damage caused by the bases, including sexual violence, does not happen again. In spite of these calls, missile bases are openly being built. Among the elderly people of Okinawa, there are voices that say, “We are preparing for war,” and, “We are taking the same steps as before the war.”

The horror and sinfulness of war are clear to many people, but we must learn from the experience of 80 years ago that instilling ideas and values in everyday life unwittingly changed public opinion and led to war. Is Japan really on the path to peace?

Toward the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons

“With deep conviction I wish once more to declare that the use of atomic energy for purposes of war is today, more than ever, a crime not only against the dignity of human beings but against any possible future for our common home. The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral, just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral.” (Pope Francis in Hiroshima, 2019).

The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Japan Hidankyo was a major step amid the threat of the use of nuclear weapons toward moving the world away from “nuclear deterrence” and toward the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Those of us who live in this country that has suffered atomic bombings know from experience that nuclear weapons cause health hazards, social discrimination, and environmental destruction not only at the time of their explosion but also for a long time afterwards.

Thirty years ago, the bishops of Japan declared with great determination:
“Having experienced the destructive power of nuclear weapons, we have a responsibility as valuable witnesses to continue to advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons.” (Resolution for Peace: On the 50th Anniversary of the End of the War).

Efforts to abolish nuclear weapons are expanding through a network of partnerships between the bishops of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the United States. We pray that the award of the Nobel Prize will serve as a beacon of hope for a world without nuclear weapons. We strongly urge the governments of Japan and the whole world to open their hearts to this “sign of the times” and take action toward the signing and ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as soon as possible.

True Peace

The word “peace” (shalom) spoken of in the Bible originally means “a state of absence of defects.” In this sense, peace is not simply the absence of war and strife, but a state in which the world is free before God, where everything that God has created to be extremely good is respected and in harmony.

Therefore, when we try to work for peace, we cannot move forward without reflecting on our relationship with God, our relationship with people, and our relationship with the natural environment. We must be converted and engage in desirable relationships before God. Peace does not come from nuclear weapons or the balance of forces.

Walking Together in Hope

This year, the Catholic Church is celebrating a Holy Year. This is an event associated with the “Jubilee Year” in the Old Testament book of Leviticus (Lev. 25:10). According to Leviticus, this is a year of liberation that comes once every 50 years when fields are left fallow, land that has been sold due to poverty or other reasons is returned, compatriots who have become enslaved are freed, and debts are forgiven.

The Catholic Church celebrates a Holy Year every 25 years to reaffirm the preciousness of all people before God, to eliminate the violation of rights, overturn exploitation and free us from debt. It can be said that this is the year to return from a state of deficiency to our original state and to realize peace.

The late Pope Francis set the theme of this year’s Holy Year as “Pilgrims of Hope” and prayed that, “for all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope.”

At his first blessing as pope, Leo XIV said, “Peace be with you all! … I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world. Peace be with you!”

To all of you who desire peace, especially those of you who are young, let us make our own the journey toward peace that has been passed down through generations over the past 80 years, and let us continue together to weave peace with hope in our hearts

June 17, 2025
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan