01.10.2021

Dear All,

Peace be with you!

Our office, Catholic Tokyo International Center, deeply appreciates your kind support for our programs and services.

Last 26th of September, the Catholic Church celebrated the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2021. On this occasion, we wanted to express our heartfelt gratitude to all who continuously support us in various ways.

Every year the Holy Father sends a message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The theme for this year is TOWARDS AN EVER WIDER “WE”. Pope says “God willing, after all this, we will think no longer in terms of ‘them’ and ‘those’, but only ‘us’”. He invites us to show sympathy with anyone in adversities. Take their sufferings as if our own and extend comfort to each other.

During this pandemic, many of you donated goods or offered various kinds of assistance to us. Sometimes, we received sentiments saying, “I want to do something for those who are in trouble in this crisis.”, or “seeing the recent news, I feel sorry for the situations of the foreigners in this country”. I believe these remarks are real acts of love and an “us” mindset rather than “them” or “those”. And because of this, we are more inspired and determined to continue serving those in destitute situations.

The pandemic is still casting a dark shadow all over the world. Some of you might have lost your loved ones due to Covid19. But in this darkness, we still see a tiny ray of hope, such as, having the Japanese government provide access to Covid 19 vaccination for foreigners without residence status. Since then, the government has turned a blind eye to their existence and excluded them from any kind of social services like health insurance. This time, somehow, I believe, the distribution of vaccination coupons to undocumented individuals was a humanitarian act, despite their motivation being to protect the society from this pandemic and not solely to safeguard the human dignity of these people. I really hope that this will be the first step that our society may change, although sadly, at the expense of those suffering due to this pandemic.
Many foreigners are facing big problems here in Japan. And we would like to continue making efforts to find measures how we can alleviate their conditions and help them survive in this country. Your support gives courage and strength to us and to those we serve.

Ever grateful for your generosity in all its sense.
May God bless and protect us always.

Catholic Tokyo International Center
Director Kenji Takagi