Bishop Motoda

Dr. J. S. Motoda, of Tokyo, holds a D.D. from Kenyon College, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. But it is not his American educational degrees that make him a significant figure in Japan today, but rather his title of Bishop, which he acquired last week.

Since 1859 Anglican and Episcopal missions have been working to build up Christian churches, schools and hospitals in the diocese of Tokyo. Patriotic Japanese have often resented foreign control in religion, and have inveighed against Christian converts as anti-Japanese, apostates to their fatherland, men dependent for religion on America and England. But since 1859 the missionaries have kept in their ideal of church autonomy. Last week this ideal was attained. The first national church of Japanese Christians was formed, and their bishop was elected. (Previous independent Japanese churches have been not national, but one congregation only). Standing committees of Japanese clergymen and laymen were appointed to help run the 21 churches of the diocese. Bishops McKim of the American Episcopal Church, and Hesslett, of the Anglican Church, have limited their dioceses to that portion of their fields that extends outside Tokyo -- except that the schools and hospitals will for the present remain under their charge. Christians in Osaka, second largest city in the Empire, will soon elect a native bishop for their eight churches.