After World War II the churches which decided to stay within the Kyodan faced the difficult task of clarifying the identity of the United Church—both with regard to the many traditions which were represented within its fold and with regard to the new political authorities. In 1954 a statement of faith was adopted, and in 1967 the church issued a confession concerning Japan’s involvement in the Second World War. In 1968 the Kyodan united with the United Church of Okinawa, located on the islands of Okinawa, which had remained under American occupation. The Kyodan has gone through turbulent times in the ’60s and ’70s, but it has succeeded in overcoming tendencies toward separation. Today the Kyodan is organized in the following 16 districts: Hokkai, Ou, Tohoku, Kanto, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Tokai, Chubu, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Higashichugoku, Nishichugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa.
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