War and Peace: Ogawa Takemitsu's Theological Engagement with State and Religion

The Manchurian Incident of 1931 marked a pivotal moment in the rise of Japanese fascism. During the period from this incident until the Pacific War's defeat, dissent from the state's control was not tolerated, leading to coercive measures in religious communities. The Christian community, rather than devising theological reasoning to resist the state's control, chose to align with the state emphasizing unwavering loyalty to the emperor. This paper aims to focus on Ogawa Takemitsu, who led Christian peace movements through post‐war organizations such as the “Christian Peace Association.” Reflecting on the state of Japanese Christianity during wartime, Ogawa deepened his theological contemplation on the church and state, war and peace, and sought to shape a new form of post‐war Japanese Christianity. Ogawa's peace movement, which distanced itself from the logic of the state that causes war and strived to build a peaceful community through transnational citizen solidarity, reminds us of the issues of the Japanese Constitution and pacifism that have been central themes in post‐war Japanese politics. It can also serve to re‐emphasize the meaning of a peaceful community to Japanese society, which continues to pursue constitutional revision aimed at becoming a war‐capable state.