NEWS

ICU Reconciliation Forum Interview Seminar "Living as a Community of Peace" Atsuhiro Katano

Update: June 1, 2023

The interview seminar, "Living as a Community of Peace: the Mennonite Church and the Work of Reconciliation" was held on Thursday, May 25, 2023 at the Seabury Chapel. The event was organized by one of JICUF's grant programs, the ICU Reconciliation Forum, and was co-hosted by the Peace Institute Research and the patronage of the ICU Religious Center. A total of approximately 30 students and faculty members attended the event.

ICU's Associate Professor, Rekishu Yamazaki, whose area of expertise is in Physics, interviewed Mr. Atsuhiro Katano, a 35th ICU alumni who studied at the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary and is an expert on international law.

Mr. Katano studied peace studies at ICU under Professor Mogami. He subsequently entered Chuo University Graduate School and the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in the U.S. where he gained his master's degree in peace studies. He is an old friend of Professor Yamazaki who also studied at a Mennonite university in the U.S.

With its roots in the 16th century Anabaptists, Mennonites, are members of the Christian church who were at the time regarded as heretics and faced persecution from both the Catholics and Protestants in Europe. Although not well known in Japan, Mennonites are famous throughout the world for their pacifism and conscientious objection. Their belief is founded on Jesus Christ, the church community and reconciliation.

Mr. Katano made several thought-provoking comments such as "Peace is a process rather than a situation, and peace is, above all, making the effort towards reconciliation." "Maintaining a situation of acquiescence is not peace, but we must instead listen carefully to the voices of people around us who are facing harm and are in a weak position."

Furthermore, Mr. Katano shared with the participants data such as eleven percent of deaths worldwide are from violence including wars, and 56% of deaths are from suicide, and the event provided the participants with an opportunity to wish for peace among people near to us, as well as posing an important question towards ICU.