Shngo, a small village in northern Japan with only one Christian resident and no church within 30 miles bills itself as Kirisuto no Sato (Christ’s Hometown). In Shingo, the Greatest Story Ever Told is retold like this: Jesus first came to Japan at the age of 21 to study theology. This was during his so-called Read more
The number of foreigners living in Japan has reached an all-time high. According to the country’s Immigration Services Agency, more than three million aliens were living in Japan at the end of 2022. In fact, the agency’s count of 3,075,213 is lower than the actual number because there are undocumented aliens in the country in Read more
Caritas Philippines is begging Japan to stop dumping treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. Fukushima’s plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), started releasing the water into the ocean on 25 August. It says it will continue to do so for several years. Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo (pictured), president of Caritas Philippines, says Caritas Read more
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was remembered, after his assassination on Friday, as a man who showed “great respect to the Catholic Church, particularly to the Holy See”. “Though we Catholic Bishops of Japan and the late Prime Minister had great differences in opinion over several issues including nuclear disarmament, nuclear energy policy and Read more
Japan and Korea’s Catholic bishops are decrying the Japanese government’s plans to clean-up Fukushima by releasing millions of litres of radioactive water into the sea. “We oppose the release of water containing the radioactive substance tritium into the ocean after purifying the contaminated water from Tepco’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,” they said this week Read more
Japanese dioceses have chosen to suspend Masses for several weeks due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic across the country. Last week, the Archdiocese of Tokyo cancelled all public Masses for more than two weeks in order to prevent the spread of the virus — a policy in line with secular precautions being taken by the Read more
Pope Francis, visiting Japan, denounced an “epidemic” of bullying that torments young people in Japan but also around the world. “We must all unite against this culture of bullying and learn to say ‘Enough!’ “It is an epidemic, and together you can find the best medicine to treat it.” “Bullies are afraid, and they cover Read more
Pope Francis, Monday, travelled to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and standing before survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing, Francis said a world without nuclear weapons is possible. Francis said it is “perverse” to think the threat of nuclear weapons makes the world safer. Calling their use a crime against the dignity of humanity and against any Read more
As Pope Francis beging the thirty-second trip of his pontificate Nov. 19 to Thailand and Japan, he will once again be visiting nations where Catholics are a small minority. In both countries, there’s one Catholic for every 200 people, as opposed to roughly one for five in the United States. The Nov. 19-26 trip will Read more
His face weathered from years at sea, kimono-clad Japanese fisherman Masaichi Kawasaki kneels before an altar adorned with images of the Virgin Mary, crossing himself as he softly intones chants handed down through centuries. Kawasaki, 69, is one of a dwindling number of Japan’s “Kakure Kirishitan,” or “Hidden Christians,” descendants of those who preserved their Read more