SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY DIVINITY SCHOOL

Dumaguete City

Japanese Occupation and the Churches

(A Written Report in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the course Christianity in the

Philippines)

Submitted by:

Kimberly R. Palantang

Submitted to:

Dr. Victor Aguilan

 In December, 1941, there was born a Church of Christ in Japan, into which all denominations
were united. It is now entirely independent of support from foreign missions and it is a very
active organ in developing the spiritual welfare of the country. It is my earnest desire to see the
unification into one strong body of the evangelical churches in the Philippines such as was done
in Japan.
-- Lt. Col. T. Naruzawa
Head, The Religious Section, Imperial Japanese Army

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, the Japanese
authorities implemented a policy of forceful unity in an attempt to control and assimilate the
Filipino population. This period was marked by various strategies aimed at consolidating
Japanese control over the Philippines.
But how was the Church during this time?
In this written report, we will find out the situation of the Churches under the Japanese
occupation. But before that, it is also important to know some highlighted events prior to their
settlement- like how they were able to accept or reject Christianity in their country (Japan).
1
From the very beginning, Christianity in Japan faced tension with the government. The state,
whether the Bakufu, the Meiji government, or the military government, tried to control religion.
The authorities in every age never found the value of Christianity but only permitted it when
there were pressures from the Western countries. The Kirishitans did not have the power to fight
persecution by the government, and soon their religion was driven underground. Protestants in
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, on the other hand, chose, consciously or unconsciously, to
compromise with the state. Protestant Christianity was accepted as a Western religion, which
would be superior to any Japanese religion, by the warrior class, and later by the middle classes,
who were increasing in numbers with the growth of capitalism. As the government’s policy
became more nationalistic and public opinion followed, the churches became apologetic. While
theology, undertaken by those who were educated in the West, remained essentially “Western,”
the effort of the churches in Japan was made to claim how Christianity and their patriotism were

1
Japanese Church History, page 243-244
complementary, not contradictory. The dissenting voice was suppressed in the heyday of
Japanese militarism. At the end of Japan’s imperial ambition in 1945, with the persecution and
oppression by the government ended, the churches ceased to be drawn to Japanese nationalism
and instead absorbed yet further the current theological thought of the West. This phenomenon is
further exacerbated by the fact that Christian theological academia was born and formed in the
West according to the issues and concerns of the people thereof, and to be accepted by such a
society, the only possible way for the Japanese Christian scholars was to join the discourses of
the West.

“The Religious Bodies Law on April 1, 1940”

Due to the passing of this law and the demand from the government, thirty-four
Protestant denominations joined and became the United Church of Christ in Japan [Nihon
Kirisuto Kyodan].
These were the significant events that occurred in Japan’s Church history.
Moving on, after scanning the sources being provided, I was able to trace some important
happenings during the Japanese occupation in relation to the Churches here in the Philippines.
However, I find it easy to understand the account of Kazuo Wakai in Anne C. Kwantes’s
Chapters in the Philippine Church History. To further clarify their settlement here and its impact,
I will be making a timeline out of it.

Protestants in the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines

December 1941- December 1942
2
The Japanese Occupation of the Philippines was marked not only by militarism and
political coercion but also by cultural campaigns and propaganda efforts. The Japanese Imperial
Army tried to make the best use of radio, print, film, theatre, language, and religion in such
cultural campaigns. The occupation army took advantage of the Church as a social institution to
make the occupation effective and efficient.
Propaganda Corps
The need to establish an organization to win the hearts of Asians was anticipated within
the Japanese military government several years before the war began.

2
Chapters in Philippine Church History; Protestants in the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines, page 291
1938- The first propaganda force was organized, under the supervision of the Bureau of Military
Affairs of the Department of Military.
September 1941- Propaganda Corps was established
According to Terami-Wada, the main duties of the Corps were:
1. To engage in propaganda campaigns aimed at the local people and enemy soldiers in the
occupied areas.
2. To report to the Japanese at home concerning the situation of the southern area so as to
keep up morale and heighten the fighting spirit of the Japanese soldiers in the field.
Propaganda Corps of the 14th Army in the Philippines- was headed by Lt. Cl. Katsuya
Tomishige and assisted by Capt. Hitomi Junsuke, Lt.2 Mochizuki Shigenobu, and others.

The Religious Section of the Propaganda Corps

Religious Section- headed by Lt. Col. Tomonori Naruzawa

December 1941- Commanded by a Buddhist named Lt. Col. T. Naruzawa, the Religious
Section was composed of some 26 priests and ministers, equally divided between a Catholic
unit led by Msgr. Paul Yoshigoro Taguichi, Bishop of Osaka, and a Protestant unit led by one
Lieutenant Mihara, who was subsequently replaced by the Rev. Dr. Tadashi Aiura, assisted
by the Rev. Isamu Chiba. Aiura. To be exact, 14 Japanese Roman Catholics, and 12 Japanese
Protestant ministers were sent to the Philippines under the auspices of the Japanese Imperial
Army. They were involved in propaganda activities with the support of the Japanese Protestant
Church.

December 24, 1941- Landing of the Religious Section of the Imperial in the Philippines
(Lingayen Gulf) and spent their first night in San Fernando, La Union.

January 1, 1942- Some of the members of the Religious Section went to Baguio to work there.
The task of the Religious Section was to induce the various Philippine Churches to bring
themselves in line with the Japanese Churches and to "cooperate" in bringing to fruition the "co-
prosperity sphere" program of "Greater East Asia."
Activities of the Protestant Unit
The Japanese Occupation of the Philippines was to establish as soon as possible, in order
to secure the way for the advance of Japanese forces into the other areas of the region. Thus, the
Japanese attempt to rule the Philippines was carried out in a hasty manner.
In one year, the members of the Religious section were to accomplish three miracles:
1. To win the hearts and minds of the Filipino Christians within the limited time
2. To eradicate decades of American influence from the Protestant churches in the
Philippines
3. To establish a church union in the country.

1) Propaganda Activities
Members of the Religious Section led by Lt. Col. Narusawa made their first visit to Fr.
John F. Hurly, superior of the Philippine Jesuits.

January 6, 1942- 3Knowing the great influence of religion in the lives of Filipinos, the Religious
Section, within days of their arrival, met separately with the Catholic Archbishop of Manila
Michael D. O'Doherty, Obispo Maximo [Supreme Bishop] Santiago Fonacier of the Philippine
Independent Church, and the various Protestant leaders.

January 11, 1942- both the Catholic priests and the Protestant ministers of the Religious Section
led masses and Sunday worship services in various churches in Manila, and started their
propaganda activities among the inhabitants of Manila, using the people’s religion.
Fear crept into the minds of the Filipinos during these times yet, the members of the
Protestant Unit traveled around the city to calm the fears of the people. The message of the
Japanese Army that was sent to the Protestant Churches assured the Filipinos of their freedom of
religion through the Protestant Unit. With that, many of them were beholden to the efforts of the
Religious Section because their freedom to worship was secured and their activities protected
from disturbances by Japanese soldiers.

However, this was not true freedom of religion. Because,

3
Several Springs One Stream, Chapter X. Vol.2
  The Churches were required to inform the army concerning the number of
worshippers who had attended
 The content of the sermon, and
 The amount of the offerings.
The army was putting all the activities of churches under its supervision.
Protestant Unit’s Way of Disseminating Japanese Propaganda
1. Propaganda from the Pulpit
Japanese ministers would spread the doctrines of the empire from the pulpits of
respective churches.
2. Propaganda through Media
The sermons by the Japanese ministers were also delivered through radio broadcasts and
newspapers.
April 19, 1942- From this day, every Sunday morning from 9-9:30, the Religious Section took
charge of a Christian program to attract people both to the Word of God and to the Nippon way.
The Protestant Unit and the Catholic Unit worked on alternating shifts.
3. Propaganda through Japanese Lessons
Teaching the Japanese language was a significant strategy for propagandizing ideas
underlying Japanese ambition.
4. Goodwill Missions: Duties in the Provinces
Its primary duty was “to promote normal conditions in the provinces by informing people
about the ‘real’ aims and purposes of the Japanese Army and asking them to return to their
homes and resume their peaceful pre-war pursuit.
5. Issuance of Marriage Licenses and Other Duties
All priests and pastors were required to secure a permit or authorization in order to solemnize
marriages. No marriage ceremony was authorized unless it was performed by a priest or pastor
licensed by the military government.
From time to time, the Religious Section worked as a branch of the Bureau of Religious
Affairs. All Protestant pastors were required to visit the office of the Religious Section in order
to obtain the license that entitled them to solemnize marriages.
However, American and British missionaries were not given this privilege.
2) Elimination of Western Influence
 The Release of the Missionaries
January 13, 1942- one hundred and fifty-three American and British missionaries and their
families were released from the internment camp. However, the missionaries were not given total
freedom.; they were placed under house arrest. Their activities were under constant surveillance
by Japanese Secret Service agents and the Kempeitai (military police), which considerably
restricted their activities.

The First Manila Hotel Convention of January 27, 1942

12 American religious workers and 1 British clergyman together with 26 Filipinos were
summoned to a conference of Protestant leaders held at the Manila Hotel.
Japanese aim for this conference:
 To obtain a pledge of cooperation from the Protestant leaders for Japanese propaganda
campaigns.
The Pledge of Cooperation

We, the Protestant missionaries and those who are connected with Christian works [sic], will
gladly cooperate with the Japanese Army as it proclaims the military administration in the
Philippines, and do hereby pledge ourselves to take the duties of the restoration and
maintenance of peace by observing the following items:
(1) Although we are granted the freedom of faith, we will gladly offer our buildings and their
equipment whenever they are needed and are requested through proper channels for military
strategy;
(2) We would never hold meetings primarily for the people of the hostile nations (worship
services included) except services in the Santo Tomas internment camp;
(3) We would not hold for the time being any meetings other than religious services;
(4) We would lead and instruct our members of the church, trusting in the Japanese Army,
understanding that the great ideal of the Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere is on the road to
its realization, and believing that the very fulfillment of that great ideal is to attain world peace;
 (5) We would positively cooperate with the Japanese Army and would not fail its generous
consideration towards us.
All participants were pressured to sign copies of the pledge of cooperation. Most of the
religious workers signed their names and pledged their cooperation with the Japanese, whether
out of their own volition or pressured into doing so. There were 4 who did not sign and the
Japanese brought them back to the Santo Tomas internment camp, and they spent the rest of the
war time inside the camp.

3) Establishment of the Church Union

In their attempt to eliminate Western influence, the Religious Section designed a plan for
their establishment of a Protestant church union.

The Second Manila Hotel Convention on May 20, 1942

Representatives of all main Protestant churches were invited to another conference at the
Manila Hotel on May 20, 1942.
Purpose of the conference as explained by Lt. Col. Narusawa:
 To imitate what the Japanese protestants experienced in Japan and apply it to the
Protestants in the Philippines.
It should be noted that the coercive procedure of the Imperial Army for the Protestant Union
in the Philippines followed more or less the same pattern as the formation of the Kyodan. As in
Japan, only large denominations in the Philippines were recognized. Smaller denominations were
pressured to affiliate with larger Churches.

The Establishment of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in the Philippines

October 10, 1942- some 200 delegates from thirteen small denominations came together at the
United Church of Manila, and during this two-day convention, the Federation of Evangelical
Churches in the Philippines was born. Rev. Dr. Enrique C. Sobrepeňa of the Evangelical
Church was elected its president.
 It was the greatest achievement of the Religious Section toward control of Philippine
churches. From then on, under pressure from the Japanese Imperial Army, interchurch activities
increased with the goal of fostering closer church relationships. Within a mere ten months of
their arrival in the Philippines, the Religious Section accomplished the formation of a church
union.

Was Japanese Propaganda through Religion Successful?

4
The Japanese Religious Section considered the establishment of the Federation as its
greatest achievement toward the military’s speedy control over Philippines Churches. By acting
in a Christian manner, the members of the Religious Section gave a good impression to many
people in the Philippines. They protected the lives of the people, secured freedom of religion,
helped in the release of some missionaries, assisted in the rehabilitation work, and simply served
the people. They carried out a humanizing role in a war filled with atrocities and cruelties for
which Japanese soldiers were mostly responsible.
Still, this does not mean that the section was able to capture the sincere cooperation of
most Protestant denominations. Although Protestant believers in the Philippines accepted the
Protestant members of the Religious Section as their brothers in the faith, they also recognized
these brothers were being used by the Japanese military. Their cooperation with the Japanese
authorities was a logical option, as there was no way one could say “no”. As the war situation
became unfavorable to the Japanese, the Religious Section lost its effectiveness.

4
Chapters in Philippine Church History; Protestants in the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines, page 313
 Bibliography
Yumi Murayama-Cain, Japanese Church History: Historical Background and the Issue of
Identity
Sitoy, Chapter X “The Wartime Union of 1943 in Several Springs One Stream 1
Protestants in the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines- Kazuo Wakai in Anne C.
Kwantes, ed. Chapters in Philippine Church History, OMF Literature