The Role of the Catholic Church in the Support Activity for the Foreigner

Abstract

This paper aims to show the importance as the sector to help foreigners in Japan, especially when the big disaster (earthquake, tsunami, typhoon, and so on) occurs. I explain 1) the history of the activity and its organization process to foreigners in Japan by the Catholic Church, and 2) how it supports the foreigners after East Japan Earthquake. The Catholic Church as a support sector in disaster area has some priorities: 1) the Catholic Church has the global network in the world and, when the disaster occurs somewhere, the Catholic churches and people all over the world can support sufferers. 2) It has a lot of churches in small city or town, and can use them as stronghold of support activity for the disaster areas. Especially, for Filipino immigrants living in countryside of Japan, such activities by the Catholic churches are valuable. This paper explain the process and its effort of the support activity by the Catholic Church after the East Japan Great Earthquake, especially shelter to Filipino’s refugees from Fukushima and the Volunteer tours to Sanriku-area managed by Filipino’s community in Tokyo area and CTIC (Catholic Tokyo International Center). These cases show the significance of the activity by the Catholic Church in non-collective residential area of foreigners in Japan.