 Catholic Church in Japan | |
|---|---|
| Japanese:日本のカトリック教会 | |
.png) Depiction of a prayer at aNanban-ji, the earliest Catholic churches in Japan (c. 1600s) | |
| Type | National polity |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Orientation | Asian Christianity,Latin |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Governance | Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| CBCJ President | Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi,Archbishop of Tokyo |
| Apostolic Nuncio | ArchbishopFrancisco Escalante Molina |
| Region | Japan |
| Language | |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
| Separations | Protestantism in Japan |
| Members | 431,100 (2021) |
| Places of worship | 957 |
| Tertiary institutions | Sophia University,Nanzan University,Elisabeth University of Music |
| Official website | cbcj |
TheCatholic Church in Japan is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of thepope inRome. As of 2021, there were approximately 431,100 Catholics inJapan (0.34% of the total population), 6,200 of whom are clerics, religious and seminarians.[1] Japan has 15 dioceses, including threemetropolitan archdioceses, with 34bishops, 1,235priests, and 40deacons[2] spread out across 957churches (parishes, quasi-parishes,mission stations, and assembly centres).[3]
The bishops of the dioceses form theCatholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, theepiscopal conference of the nation. The main liturgical rites employed in Japan are those of theLatin Church.
The currentapostolic nuncio, who serves as theHoly See's diplomaticambassador and delegate to the local church in Japan, isArchbishopFrancisco Escalante Molina.[4]
Christianity was introduced toJapan by theJesuits, such as the SpaniardSt. Francis Xavier and the ItalianAlessandro Valignano.Portuguese Catholics founded the port ofNagasaki, considered at its founding to be an important Christian center in theFar East, though this distinction is now obsolete. There is a modern Japanese translation of the whole Bible byFederico Barbaro, an Italian missionary. Nowadays, many Japanese Catholics areethnic Japanese from Brazil andPeru and naturalizedFilipino Japanese.
ThePersonal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, apersonal ordinariate within theCatholic Church originally created as a means forAnglicans to enter communion with Rome while maintaining their patrimony, has also begun to form in Japan. As of 2015, it has two congregations.[5]
Christian missionaries arrived withFrancis Xavier and theJesuits in the 1540s and briefly flourished, with over 100,000 converts, including manydaimyōs inKyushu. It soon met resistance from the highest office holders of Japan.Emperor Ōgimachi issued edicts to ban Catholicism in 1565 and 1568, but to little effect. Beginning in 1587, with imperial regentToyotomi Hideyoshi's ban on Jesuit missionaries, Christianity was repressed as a threat to national unity.[6] After theTokugawa shogunate banned Christianity in 1620 it ceased to exist publicly. Many Catholics went underground, becominghidden Christians (隠れキリシタン,kakure kirishitan), while others died. Only after theMeiji Restoration was Christianity re-established in Japan.
![Gravestone (second from the left), in Malacca's St. Paul's Church, of Peter Martinez consecrated as the second bishop of Japan in Goa, 1595 and arrived in Nagasaki, 1596. He left in 1597 following the deaths of the 26 Martyrs of Japan. Died en route to Goa in February 1598.[7]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMelaka-St-Paul-Dutch-graves-2185.jpg)
TheCatholic Bishops' Conference of Japan is the Japaneseepiscopal conference, which serves as the main decision-making body of the Church in Japan. The current President of the CBCJ is Isao Kikuchi.[8]
The Catholic Church in Japan is divided into threeecclesiastical provinces with a total of 15dioceses, three of which are metropolitan archdioceses. Japan has nomilitary ordinariate compared with its neighbourSouth Korea. However, it does share apersonal ordinariate with two other countries,Australia and thePhilippines.
The Catholic Church in Japan is organised into 15 dioceses, 3 of which are classified as metropolitan dioceses that head each of the 3 ecclesiastical provinces in the country.
The Catholic Church is involved inreligious education in Japan, providing learning opportunities to both Catholic and non-Catholic students. According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, Japan has a total of 828 Catholic educational institutions. The Church operates different types of schools, which can be seen below:[9]
| School type | Number of schools |
|---|---|
| Kindergartens | 515 |
| Primary schools | 53 |
| Middle andhigh schools | 217 |
| Colleges anduniversities | 32 |
| Colleges of technology | 1 |
| Vocational colleges | 4 |
| Schools for special needs education | 1 |
| Miscellaneous schools | 5 |
TheJesuitSophia University inChiyoda, Tokyo is listed in the Times Higher Education and QS Global University rankings, and is considered one of the top private universities in Japan.[10][11] It is one of 37 universities selected by theJapanese Government to participate in theTop Global University Project and receive financial assistance to boost globalisation in Japan and foster research.[12]
Other Catholic universities in Japan includeNanzan University (Nagoya,Aichi) and theElisabeth University of Music (Hiroshima,Hiroshima).
Okamura Fuku, nun and co-founder of the Missionary Sisters of St. John the Evangelist.
Magdalene of Nagasaki, tertiary of theOrder of Augustinian Recollects.
Domingos Chohachi Nakamura, missionary and priest.
Shigeto Oshida, Dominican priest.
Takako Takahashi, author and nun.
Kazuko Watanabe, nun, educator, and writer.
Founded in 1986, theCommittee for Promoting Canonisation, which is directly affiliated with the Standing Committee of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, is responsible for promoting Japan'scanonisation efforts and recognition of itsmartyrs. Its main objectives are to support local dioceses in promoting cases for canonisation, support canonisation promoted by the Conference, and promotion devotions to Japanese Catholic martyrs.
All Catholic martyrs in Japan, both native Japanese and foreign missionaries, were persecuted and killed during theSakoku period of Japanese isolationism. Some of the groups of martyrs and individual martyrs were later canonised and venerated assaints in the Church'sliturgical calendar.
| Martyrs | Date | Description | Beatified | Canonised | Feast day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan (also known asSt. Paul Miki and Companions) | 1597 | First group of Catholic martyrs in Japan. Executed bycrucifixion in Nagasaki on 5 February 1597. | 14 September 1627 byPope Urban VIII | 8 June 1862 byPope Pius IX | 6 February |
| 205 Martyrs of Japan | 1598 - 1632 | 205 missionaries andHidden Christians who were persecuted and executed in a period of 20 years for their faith. | 7 May 1867 by Pope Pius IX | 10 September | |
| Augustinian Recollects Martyrs | 1632 | Two missionaryAugustinian Recollects who left the Philippines to evangelise theJapanese. They fled into the mountains to escape persecution but were later arrested and killed when they descended into the city. Martyred in Nagasaki on 11 December 1632. | 23 April 1989 byPope John Paul II | 11 December | |
| Sixteen Martyrs of Japan | 1633 - 1637 | 16 Hidden Christians who were martyred for their faith from 1633 to 1637. | 18 February 1981 by Pope John Paul II | 18 October 1987 by Pope John Paul II | 28 September |
| 188 Martyrs of Japan[13] | 1603 -1639 | Additional priests and Catholics who were persecuted and martyred from 1603 to 1639. | 24 November 2008 byPope Benedict XVI |
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