Tokyo, Japan—On May 28, 2015 about twenty UPF guests, including representatives of the Shinto, Buddhist and Christian faiths, gathered in Tokyo, Japan for the 63rd Interfaith Forum, organized by UPF-Japan’s Council of Religious Ambassadors for Peace.
The forum was held in observance of the Global Day of Parents, which was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2012 with resolution A/RES/66/292. In its resolution, the General Assembly noted that the “family has the primary responsibility for the nurturing and protection of children,” and designated June 1 as the Global Day.
Mr. Seiichi Kikuya, secretary general of UPF-Japan, explained the significance of the day: “The UN’s resolution more or less reflected a proposal made by UPF’s founder, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who had advocated strong and sound families as the very foundation of world peace.”
He also spoke of a proposal that Rev. Moon and his wife, UPF co-founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, offered at an international conference at the UN in New York in August 2000. The proposal called for the UN to establish a bicameral system, comprised of a “lower house” of representatives of the UN’s member states and an “upper house” of religious leaders, who could bring a broad vision and wisdom to address international conflicts and enhance world peace.
Mr. Kikuya concluded his message by encouraging UPF-Japan’s Council of Religious Ambassadors for Peace to continue their work: “The Council promotes sound marriages and strong families through the nationwide campaign ‘Educating Good Characters, Strengthening Families and Building the Nation’. Japan faces seemingly insurmountable problems, including a declining birth rate and rapidly aging population. With the Ambassadors for Peace standing at the forefront of this national campaign, let us tackle these problems proactively.”
A Shinto priest and vice chairman of the Council of Religious Ambassadors for Peace, Rev. Taishu Nara, then offered a Shinto prayer.
Subsequently, Mr. Takayuki Matsunami, education director of the Council gave a lecture on “A Vision of Peace in a World of Confusion.” He spoke about tensions between religions and races and the root causes of conflicts in the world, and offered ideas for solving these problems.
Finally, a Youth Ambassador for Peace spoke about the prevalence of religious persecution on college campuses: “College officials and teaching staff are actively engaged in what they call ‘countermeasures against cults,’ warning students on various methods [different religious groups use to recruit new members]. They look at religions suspiciously and ostracize them.” One participant expressed concern to what was shared and said, “Such a situation is relevant to [all] religions in Japan. We must cooperate to safeguard freedom of religion.”