YJM: We all know that you were born in Korea and that it is Korea special to you.  Can you tell us why this place is special to your heart?

I love Korea.  When my family was escaping from it after Japan’s defeat in the war, the situation was totally upside down.  The younger generation of Koreans hated the Japanese while the older generation, the lolas, aided us.  We survived the escape.  But my sister died of hunger on the way back to Japan.  She is buried in Korea somewhere.  I feel that Korea is my sister’s land.

YJM: Upon arriving in Japan, did the mainland Japanese discriminate against those who were born in the colonies like you?

Coming back from the outside, the migrants like us were very poor. . Because of this, some of the mainlanders looked down on us.

YJM: How were you able to survive that period?

My mother and father did odd jobs.  In fact they weren’t very different from Filipinos in that sense.  They were vendors.  They sold candies, sweet potatoes.  After awhile they had a small store.

YJM: How did you choose or discern to be a pastor?

I studied in a Christian school when I was in high school. The school invited us to church.  During the first time I entered the church, it attracted me.  Then I went to the church every Sunday.  I didn’t know why but it attracted me so much.  The activities of the church were so charming.  Young people would have activities together and meet each other.  After high school, while I was deciding on which university to go, I met very good teachers.  When other young people were thinking about what to do, about believing in God, etc., I’ve already asked God to come into my life.  That’s when I reached the decision to get baptized.  Then I chose my path of the Christian life.  So I decided to go to the seminary.  I wanted be with God for all my life, that’s the reason why I became a pastor.

YJM: Spiritual persons have different ways of expressing their faith, showing their spirituality. As for you how were you able to decide what form of ministry you would take?

For me, what I have is called an outreach ministry.  For most, ministry involves getting people baptized and getting them into church.  My mission is to bring the church to the people. To just bring people to church, into the church square that makes for a very small world. That’s the fundamental theological difference of my ministry with the others.

YJM: So Reverend, basically, you want to take God out of the Church. Out to where people live? Where people work?

Yes. God loves everyone.  But not all people love other people.  Basically that’s the mission: to bring the church to these kinds of people.

YJM: Can you tell us more about the time you became pastor?

I became a pastor around 1968, during the time of the Student Movement.  It was the era when Japan held the Olympics in Tokyo.  It was around 1964.  Japan was an under developing country before that, but after the Olympics, it became a modernized country.  I became a pastor four years after that in 1968.

YJM: You mentioned that you met with the first JFCs around the 1980s, can you tell us about that?

I first met Filipinos in the early 1970s.  The first time I visited the Philippines was in 1971.  I had attended international conferences and regarded myself as a traveler.  I didn’t have any interests in the Philippines but I was very concerned with the situation in the Asian countries particularly those connected to the Japanese. In the history of Japanese Imperialism and the war, Japan had made a lot of mistakes.  We need to apologize to the Asian people, 20 million people endured this period of war.  We have to apologize to the Asian people.  I have that kind of mindset and therefore when I was invited here I went to see the damage.  Its our responsibility to see the realities of the people, the poor people oppressed by Japanese money.  That’s my way and my criticism of Japanese policies. Then a friend mentioned about mothers of JFCs asking for lawyers.  That’s when I started the CNJFC network and Maligaya House.

YJM: There are 300,000 JFCs, that’s not a number one should laugh at. What do you think is the cause of that?

It’s easy. If Filipino and Japanese don’t meet Japanese, there will be no JFC.  Especially right now among Japanese and Koreans, there are also many Japanese Filipinos and Korean Filipinos.  Because Filipinos are eager to work with foreigners. This afternoon I visited Migrante, there I learned that there are 2,500 migrants leaving everyday, One day 5-10 come back as dead bodies in coffins.  These workers get taxed . The government gets big money and that’s why it continues the policy.  That’s what’s behind the situation of JFCs’ numbers multiplying.

But of course, on the individual level, if the Japanese man is very responsible to the Filipina and stick to the Filipina.  They can give abundance to their family. It doesn’t matter if the family is abundant or broken there’s the JFC already.  The Filipinas go to Japan and they create JFCs.  Of course there are Japanese men who go to the Philippines and they create JFC but that’s not a big number.  But why does the Philippines back that policy? That’s the point.

YJM: We all know that there’s a big statistics of unsupported children and children not recorded in the family registry. What do you think is the reason why behind this figure?

The Japanese are also an oppressed people.  If a sophisticated educated, mature Japanese man marries a Filipina, they will raise the child.  But the other Japanese they are also very much oppressed by Japanese society.  They have 2^nd rate jobs and careers.  They need to look for something relaxing like cabaret.  They go there to meet Filipinas. Some of these men are rich and  some not so rich.  But in Japan, they are not so rich.  They look for something different, and some power. Those kinds of people don’t care about the responsibility.   Also if a Japanese marries an American, European, they follow them and never abandon them. I’ve never seen a Japanese abandon an American or European.

YJM: What do you think the solution to this issue?

Very difficult. Economically, the Japanese government have changed their policies.  Especially, right now the Japanese policy of giving away money is actually a business.  Japan is a great country to raise money. Only money has value for the Japanese. From the bottom to the top, it’s all about raising money.  There’s no moral standard, no responsibilities, there is nothing. Those with the heritage and the culture, they are abandoned.  The old Japanese have to change their mindset.  In Japan, everybody has enough.

The father works outside. Nobody cares about families. Only the mothers care for the families.  Some of the mothers have to work and the children are pretty much abandoned  That’s the  spiritual atmosphere of the Japanese people right now.  If we change that kind of lifestyle or value system then Japan will be a more worthy nation.  If the old Japanese mindset/value system will change then the policies toward other Asian countries will also likewise change.

YJM: You have very contradictory stances from the normal Japanese.  For example, history.  They try to erase World War II from their textbooks. But you would bring it up. Also about the JFC issues, you stand up for JFCs instead of forgetting about them.  Doesn’t this cost you anything when relating to the Japanese Society in general?

I’m a minority in regards to Japanese society.  Even in the church world, I’m a minority.  The outreach missions, concerning social issues. This is the only concern with the political mindset. This is my understanding of the bible, of theology.  Therefore I need to see outside of the churches.

The church people know what I’m doing and since they cannot do the things I do, they need to accept my way at the church. But so far they accept my opinions and respect me.

YJM: Actually, you mentioned this outreach is your understanding of the bible, if you could summarize your career, your life in a verse of the bible what verse would it be?

The kingdom is not the outside, the kingdom is your home. The kingdom is not somewhere.  The kingdom is here. The kingdom is with you.

YJM: What specific life lessons, I think you’ve accomplished very much in your life. What advice can you give to people who want to reach your level of achievement?:

The church workers need to change to their theology, need to look at the future again on another point of view. Their point of view, their theology is no longer applicable for the 21^st century.  Their point of view was created around the 19^th century or sometime after Martin Luther.  No, even at the time of Martin Luther.  What the protestants started, it’s still now their very much the mainstream of their theology.  It’s no longer adequate for the younger people. People have to check their reality and they have to read the scripture again.

YJM: Meaning you would advise people to constantly challenge their ideas?

Yes.  I think so The church has a responsibility to change their theologies.

YJM: Reverend Aso, you’ve pretty much done a lot for JFCs.  You helped build the Citizen’s Network for Japanese Filipino Children.  You’re the founding board of Maligaya House.  In light of these achievements, people regard you as the grandfather of JFCs.  You have around 300,000 grandchildren! Now, if they’re here around you right now, what do you want to say to them?

The future is yours.  And then, the heritage is yours.  Not only yours, the heritage is ours. Every good belongs to every body not just a few people. Every land belongs to everybody, every nation belongs to everybody. We work together so we can achieve togetherness as a big family. That is the kingdom of God.

Their escape was fraught with danger. The younger generation of Koreans were enraged against the Japanese for all the years of colonization and were hunting down those who were escaping into the mainland as revenge. Reverend Aso’s family encountered danger several times over during the journey. During a particular junction, his father had to look for food and told their mother to commit suicide with the children if he hadn’t come back after three days. He returned after two. The Aso family were only able to dodge peril after peril through the generosity and compassion of old Korean women who hid their whereabouts and helped them on their way.

Unfortunately, the trip was not one without heartbreak as Reverend Aso’s sister died of hunger only a few days before they reach port. She is buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Korea to this day.

When the Aso family reached the shores of Japan, they were welcomed by a time of hardships. All of their assets were in Korea. They had nothing in the country of their origin.

Reverend Aso’s parents, however, were survivors. Mr. and Mrs. Aso sold candies and roasted sweet potatoes for a living. When they had enough resources, they started their own store.

Reverend Aso would grow up to be a young man in this environment of little blessings and simple abundances. His parents sent him to the nearby Christian school for his education. During his high school years, the teachers there invited him and his classmates for a gathering in the local church. Seeing how the people there worship and talk to God was a revelation to the young Toshifumi. This had led him to visiting the place of worship every Sunday hence. By the time high school was over, Toshifumi Aso already surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus Christ and decided to serve Him as a pastor.

By 1968, Toshifumi Aso was ordained against a backdrop of unrest. It was the days of the Student Movement. Various student groups rallied against the Vietnam War and Japan’s support of the United States campaign. These demonstrations had been violent as student groups clashed with other factions and with the police. Four years prior to the ceremony, Japan hosted the 1964 World Olympics signaling the country’s entry into the ranks of the first world countries.

One can say that Toshifumi Aso took his vows of service at an important crossroads in Japanese history. And it is these times that have profoundly influenced his ministry into one that embraced society, its problems and the future with humanity and openness.

Reverend Toshifumi Aso went on frequent trips abroad during his early days as a pastor. He fancied himself a traveler and his sojourns would take him to Thailand, Cambodia and all the other countries that have been affected by World War II. These trips opened his eyes to the realities of the communities that were devastated by the global conflict and the role Japan played in it. From then on, he began expressing his opinion that Japan apologize for the war.

It was inevitable that his trips would lead him to the Philippines. By 1970, Reverend Toshifumi Aso went to Davao to see the condition of the banana plantation workers there. One day in his visit, one of the workers called his attention to the plight of Japanese Filipino children. These children were being raised by their mothers in poor living conditions. Their fathers have abandoned them. The reverend felt for the children and vowed action after he returned to Japan.

Months after his arrival, the reverend raised the plight of the JFC to his church and to various citizen’s groups. Together with journalist Yayori Matsui, Reverend Aso would form various networks including the Citizen’s Network for Japanese Filipino Children (CNJFC). They coordinated with the BATIS Center for Women in the Philippines to focus on helping Japanese Filipino Children and their mothers cope with their situation. Today, the CNJFC has meaningful partnerships with the BATIS Center for Women and the Development Action for Women’s Network (DAWN), assisting these other NGOS with the livelihood and guidance of the intercultural families under their care. The CNFJC also has incarnation in the Philippines through the Maligaya House, a Non-Government Organization tasked with providing legal assistance to Japanese Filipino Children.

When not fighting for the cause of Japanese Filipino Children, Reverend Aso espoused other causes in his spare time. He was a member of Second Harvest, a group which aims to lessen hunger by repackaging the excess, unserved and unspoiled food restaurants throw away at the end of the day. These repackaged goods are then provided free to the poor.

The good reverend also adopted runaways at a farm he called Cosmo Plantations in Ryugasaki City. He guided them and taught them agriculture. These unwanted teenagers healed through his guidance and the loving environment in his domicile. There, they learned the value of working as they eat the crops they grow.

Reverend Aso continued his deeds well into his last days. His actions, his advocacy and his love for Japanese Filipino Children were the reasons why he was dubbed as “the Grandfather of all JFCs.”

The good reverend died last Saturday, July 31, 2010 at the age of 69. He is survived by his wife Michiko, his son and daughter-in-law, his three grandchildren, his protege’ Mr. Cesar Santoyo, the people of his church, his colleagues at the United Church of Christ of Japan (UCCJ), the volunteers of CNJFC and his Japanese Filipino “grandchildren” numbering 200,000.

KTI 03/08/2010