The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (NSKK, The Anglican Church in Japan) held its 68th biennial Synod on 28-30 May at St. Andrew’s Church in Tokyo.

As part of this meeting an election was held to choose the 20th Primate and Archbishop of the NSKK.

The Bishop of the Diocese of Okinawa, the Rt. Revd. David Eisho Uehara was elected, and his installation was duly held on the final day of the synod.

Also at this meeting, the current Provincial General Secretary, the Revd. Jesse Shinichi Yahagi, was reappointed to his role.

During the two-and-a-half-day conference, a report was presented on the NSKK Mission Consultative Forum 2023, in which it was reaffirmed that – according to the statement issued after that forum – listening to the voice of God, listening to voices of the people and listening to the voice of the world is accepted as a fundamental part of the church’s mission in Japan. 

There was an update on the progress of the three Collaborative Mission Regions, which highlighted in particular recent steps in the journey of the dioceses of Tokyo, Kita-Kanto, Tohoku and Hokkaido towards unification. 

October this year sees the 40th anniversary of the Japan-Korea Anglican missionary collaboration, and this will be celebrated with a conference under the theme of ‘Reconciliation with God, people, and the world’; and it is hoped this meeting will engender further collaboration between the two provinces. 

A motion was passed recognizing and giving thanks for the ministry of The Society of the Sisters of the Nazarene following their dissolution after 65 years of establishment, and also expressing gratitude for the donation of their remaining assets to the work of the NSKK. 

Following the issue of a trial version of a revised NSKK Prayer Book and examining feedback from that, it was agreed to continue with this project, aiming for full publication in 2028. 

The synod also committed to continuing to work toward the development of guidelines for ‘Safe Church’ within a Japanese context.

The Province invites prayers for the new Primate and all people and clergy of the NSKK.