Between Caesar’s state and God’s kingdom: Theological reflection on two citizenships in terms of the issue of ianfu

Abstract

Japan’s war responsibility for rounding up and forcing hundreds of thousands of Asian and Dutch women to become “comfort women” has still not been clarified by the Japanese government even today. This paper is a historical and theological reflection on the Japanese military’s sexual slavery crimes, its civil-legal-moral responsibilities, and the indispensable need for it to atone in a just manner and to seek reconciliation for these criminal actions. With the exception of Korea and the Philippines, the church in Asia is not a social majority that can directly influence politics and society in the face of the state. Despite this circumstance, however, it is clearly wrong to conclude that the Asian Church cannot question its current relationship to the state. Justice for the “comfort women” may seem a “penultimate matter” in comparison to the “ultimate concerns” of the Kingdom of God, yet it is clear that the church must bear witness to the “ultimate” through the “penultimate.”