Abstract
“Japanese Christianity” developed in Japan during the Asia-Pacific War period has been viewed negatively as an attempt to pander to the wartime regime and to oppose Western Christianity. However, theologians who led the Christian world at the time and were active even after the war were actively involved in the development of “Japanese Christianity.” As other theologians of the same era participated proactively, we can assume that interest in this project was alive. Some theologians may have advocated “Japanese Christianity” as a way of cooperating with the wartime system. Even so, the thought and e ort poured into this project makes its discourses not completely barren, but worthy of exploration. This paper thus analyzes the discourses of Hidenobu KUWADA, Kazo KITAMORI, Tetsutaro ARIGA, and Katsumi MATSUMURA, the representative theologians who advocated “Japanese Christianity” and critically examines their possibilities.
