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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Japanese Anglicans Apologize for Meiji Japan's Invasion of Korea & Pray for Peace for Asia

Anglicans say sorry for Japan’s Korea invasion

June 30, 2010
By Paul Hwang, Seoul
UCA News

Japanese Anglican bishops have agreed to issue an apology for Japan’s annexation of Korea 100 years ago.

The decision was made during a June 28-29 meeting of Japanese and Korean Anglican bishops on Jeju island.

Japan annexed Korea on Aug. 29, 1910 and its occupation lasted until 1945 when World War II ended.

Koreans have accused Japanese forces of wartime atrocities.

During the recent meeting, bishops from both countries agreed that the Japanese bishops would issue an apology on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the annexation.

Japanese Anglicans would also make a pilgrimage to South Korea’s Ganghwa island, a stronghold of the Korean Anglican Church, in October, as a way of repenting for their country’s aggression.

Bishops from both countries also agreed to hold their second “peace meeting” in Okinawa, Japan, in October 2011, to pray for peace in Asia.

The first such meeting was in Paju, near the Demilitarized Zone with North Korea, in 2007.

Participants from the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the Philippines and the United States discussed world peace, focusing on the Korean peninsular in particular.

Eleven Japanese and three Korean bishops participated in the June 28-29 bishops-only meeting, which is held irregularly.

However, a joint committee comprising bishops, priests and laypeople meets every April.

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