World Church · November 3, 2026
Shigakukai Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Conference on Faith and Academia
Shigakukai, an organization that supports young Christian researchers and students aspiring to research careers, held a 20th anniversary commemorative convention on October 31. The event took place at the KGK Student Hall of the Ochanomizu Christian Center in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, using a hybrid format that combined in person attendance with Zoom.
The convention focused on the theme of living with faith in the academic world and the possibilities of academic research for Christians called to modern society. Mime Morita, the chairperson of Shigakukai, along with Yoichi Yamaguchi of Tokyo Christian University, Juro Otsuka of Sophia University, and Kan Suzuki, a professor emeritus at International Christian University, presented issues from the perspectives of history, universities, and the relationship between science and faith.
Shigakukai began its activities in 2002 following a call from the late Hisashi Ariga, who was the owner of Sugu Shobo, and held its founding general meeting in 2006. Since then, the organization has provided research grants for young researchers as well as lectures and retreats. Its vision is for Christian researchers to perform good work that utilizes their faith within their professional duties in education and research.
Chairperson Morita discussed the technical society described by French thinker Jacques Ellul, noting that technology and systems intended as tools for humans can instead define human life and organizations, turning qualitative aspects into quantitative ones. She linked this to the rapid spread of artificial intelligence. Morita emphasized that Christian researchers need a perspective that transcends the era based on values that are not swept away by the times while observing current realities. She stated that the challenge is to reconsider how to use scholarship for God and people from an eternal perspective. Morita also reflected on the lack of active involvement and proposals for society by Japanese evangelicals after the war and affirmed the role of Shigakukai in encouraging researchers to support one another rather than remaining isolated.
Yoichi Yamaguchi reviewed approximately 500 years of Japanese Christian history through the lens of martyrdom. He noted that while people in the Kirishitan era expressed faith through words and behavior, modern Christianity moved toward emphasizing service to the nation to reverse the perception of the faith as a national harm. During the war, martyrdom was linked to dying for the state, and faith, which should relativize the state, was absorbed by it. Yamaguchi presented conscience, human rights, and the right to resist as post war challenges, stressing the importance of continuing to question oneself as one who stands before God without absolutizing society or the state.
Juro Otsuka addressed the current evaluation systems in universities. He pointed out that while research should begin with a question of what one wants to know, the pressure for short term results, research funds, and the number of papers may shift the question to how many results can be produced. Otsuka argued that showing results numerically is not the same as judging the value or meaning of those results for scholarship. He stated that faith provides a perspective to reconsider why one does scholarship and what constitutes an important question, rather than serving as a replacement for numerical evaluation.
Kan Suzuki, a mathematics specialist, explained that science is an activity of reaching consensus by correcting theories and verifying errors, though scientific knowledge is not guaranteed to be absolutely correct. He emphasized the need to seek language that can be shared with people of different backgrounds. Regarding artificial intelligence and genome editing, Suzuki stated that while stopping technical development is difficult, individuals must consider what they value and what they learn and communicate through these tools. He urged that the question of who bears responsibility and what is valued must not be abandoned even as artificial intelligence takes over more decision making.