The is the 20th constructed and 18th operating

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). Located in

Minato, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is also called Minato City in English. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Akasaka, Azabu and Shiba wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. The modern Minato ward exhibits th ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, it was the first temple built in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, being dedicated in 1980. It has a compact style that was a precursor for later buildings in urban areas, such as the

Hong Kong China Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and Manhattan New York temples.

History

The intent to construct a temple in Tokyo was announced by the LDS Church on August 9, 1975. The temple was built on less than half an acre, on the site of the former

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

home in downtown Tokyo. The mission home had to be demolished for the temple construction to proceed. The temple is very compact, with a parking garage in the basement and an apartment on one of the upper floors for the

temple president Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual ...

. It has two ordinance rooms, five sealing rooms, and a total floor area of . The exterior of the temple is reinforced concrete covered with 289 pre-made panels of stone, which look like light gray granite. An open house was held September 15 through October 18, 1980, to allow the public to see the interior of the new temple. Church president

Spencer W. Kimball Spencer Woolley Kimball (March 28, 1895 – November 5, 1985) was an American business, civic, and religious leader who was the twelfth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The grandson of early Latter-day S ...

dedicated the Tokyo Japan Temple October 27, 1980. On December 10, 2004, a ceremony was held in which an

angel Moroni The Angel Moroni () is an angel whom Joseph Smith reported as having visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. According to Smith, the angel was the guardian of the golden plates, buried in the hill Cumorah near Smith's ...

statue was added to the spire of the temple. In June 2000, the

Fukuoka Japan Temple The is the 88th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The temple serves more than 7,700 members in Kyūshū, Okinawa, Yamaguchi, Hiroshima and Shikoku History Plans to build a temple in Fukuoka were ...

was dedicated in

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

. Ground was broken for the Sapporo Japan Temple on October 22, 2011. On April 10, 2017 the LDS Church announced that the temple would close in October 2017 for renovations that were originally anticipated to be completed in 2020. After delays due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the LDS Church announced on March 23, 2022 that a public open house would be held from June 3 through 18, 2022, excluding Sundays. The temple was rededicated by Henry B. Eyring on July 3, 2022. Tokyo Japan Temple

Presidents

Notable

presidents President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the temple include Adney Y. Komatsu (1982–85); Sam K. Shimabukuro (1985–88); and

Yoshihiko Kikuchi has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1977, and was the first native Asian to be called as a general authority of the Church. Kikuchi was born on the island of Hokkaido. His father served in the mi ...

(1994–97).

References

External links

*
Tokyo Japan Temple Official site

Tokyo Japan Temple
at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org

{{LDS-Asia 20th-century Latter Day Saint temples Christianity in Tokyo Religious buildings and structures in Tokyo Religious buildings and structures completed in 1980 Temples (LDS Church) in Japan The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan 1980 establishments in Japan

History

Presidents

See also

References

External links