First national assembly on Vietnamese migrant ministry in Japan

By Fr. Mario Yamanouchi, SDB

Tokyo, Japan, 15 March 2018 -- At present time there are about 200.000 Vietnamese migrants resident in Japan, good number of them are Catholics. The proposals of the first General Assembly on Vietnamese migrant ministry (Tokyo, March 13) are very concrete and viable. These are the first impression after this important meeting.

After first stage of individualistic approach to the Vietnamese migrants pastoral care was convoked the first ‘General Assembly’ to share the present experiences of many initiative at diocesan and religious congregation level. Some of these ministers are also the lay activist for human rights, called in Japan simply ‘group of help’ or ‘cooperative who work even at the airports when some are about to be deported to their country of origin and know the local laws better than the mafias who are involved in human trafficking. Indeed famous Japanese agencies called ‘Haken Gaisya’ are indeed dedicated simply to human trafficking and able to cheat even own family members with many tales about romantic Japan. Also in Ho Chi Min City there is also one center for unwanted children of women who became pregnant in Japan. This is just one of the many stories told during the Assembly.

As Salesian we could to something, for example to link Salesian parishes in both countries, get in touch with the agencies or enterprises that receive Vietnamese workers. But the migrant numbers are growing, the estimates are about 230.000 Vietnamese and if you count the children of Nepalese and Filipinos, are about one million.

Two Salesians – Fr. Mario Yamanouchi and Fr. Takei together with three other CONFER members (Association of Major Religious Superiors of Japan).

The Assembly was organized by the Catholic Commission for Migrants and Refugees of Japan in the headquarters of Japan Catholic Bishops conference in Shiomi and was presided by Bishop of Nagoya, Michael Matsuura Goro who represented the whole bishops conference. More than 40 Vietnamese and Japanese participants from religious congregations, lay people involved in this ministry. Few professionals in human rights and advocacy contributed to the quality discussions.

The Salesians of Japan would like to contribute effectively to the needs of Vietnamese migrants in Japan, since their numbers are growing and some of them have been living here already for past 20-30 years and their second generation is already around. Since an effective help to the migrants can’t be done only by few, there is a strong need of networking among all conregagations and dioceses involved as well the mutual information and cooperation network between the Catholic Church in Vietnam and Japan.

Operative conclusions of the meeting:

1. Make sure that in each parish or local community an effective welcoming environment for the migrants with their Eucharist, confessions or other necessary sacramental and pastoral services like feast, visit to the sick and in difficulty.
2. Awareness campaign in the parishes about the situation of vietnamese migrants and distribute adequate leaflefts with necessary basic in formations both for the Japanese and Vietnamese language speakers. Also the (pone cohotline in both countries
3. Make know to the catholic community the real situation of the migrants and distribute the leafleft (attachment photo) that both sides – Vietnamese and Japanese could know the dangers and posible help to the migrants. In difficult cases there is a need of professsional assistance (lawyer, counselling)
4. As there are already appointed episcopal vicars for the migrants and refugees, is also important there in each of 16 dioceses of Japan there is one delegate with his team of priests, religious and lay who pay more attention to the Vietnamese people.
5. After setting up a diocesan migrant ministry structures, each bishop could ask help to other bishop in Vietnam or some religious congregations who have communities in both countries. Indeed networking among dioceses and religious congregations became already a strongly felt need.
6. Many religious houses open their doors for weekend encounters of Vietnamese migrants for their prayer meeting, meals and life sharing, including also one overnight hospitality. Next day the guests continue to the Sunday parish Mass and this experience may become a start of vocation journey in Japan.

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