Holy See–Japan relations
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The relations between the Holy See and Japan were informally established in 1919, when the
Japanese government The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...
accepted a request by the Holy See to send an apostolic delegate to their country. It was not until 1942 that Japan began full diplomatic relations between the two states, making Japan the first Asian country to do so, and not until 1958 that the Japanese mission to the Vatican in Rome was upgraded to an embassy. The decision was made by Emperor Showa during World War II, hoping that the Vatican could serve as a mediator for negotiations between Japan and the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
. Their history goes back further than that, however, dating back to the arrival of Francis Xavier on
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
island in 1549 as a missionary. A delegation of four young Japanese envoys traveled with him back to Europe and paid a visit to several European leaders, including Pope Gregory XIII. They were greeted with celebration and brought Japan to the Vatican's attention. The expansion of Christianity in Japan continued for several decades until it was banned in the early 17th century, which remained in place until being lifted by
Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...
in 1873 as part of his reforms. Nonetheless, the number of Catholics in Japan has always remained small, making up less than .5% of the population. Today, the Holy See and Japan are engaged in close cultural cooperation. The former maintains an apostolic nunciature (diplomatic mission) in Tokyo, while the latter has an embassy accredited to the Vatican in Rome.


History


First contacts (1549–1873)

Among the first Christian missionaries in
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 ...
was Francis Xavier, who came there in August 1549 and converted some seven hundred Japanese on the island of
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
to
Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
, including a man known as
Bernardo the Japanese was an early Japanese Christian convert of the 16th century, born in Kagoshima, and the first Japanese person to set foot in Europe. Bernardo was one of the first converts of Saint Francis Xavier, and one of his two disciples. Bernardo was baptiz ...
, who became the first Japanese person to visit Europe. His mission was a success and by 1580 there were about 100,000 Christians in Japan, including the '' daimyō'' (feudal lords) Ōtomo Sōrin and Arima Harunobu. The
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
missionary Alessandro Valignano later visited the country in 1579–82 and convinced Lord Sōrin to send Japanese diplomats to Europe, including to the Pope, on behalf of the converted ''daimyō''. He agreed and selected four Japanese Christian teenage boys, who left from Nagasaki harbor aboard a Portuguese trading vessel on 20 February 1582. This delegation, becoming known as the
Tenshō embassy The Tenshō embassy (Japanese: 天正の使節, named after the Tenshō Era in which the embassy took place) was an embassy sent by the Japanese Christian Lord Ōtomo Sōrin to the Pope and the kings of Europe in 1582. The embassy was led by ...
, was Japan's first diplomatic mission in Europe.O'Connell, Gerard (20 May 2016)
Pope Francis highlights friendly relations between Japan and the Holy See
''
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''. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
Cooper, Michael (21 February 1982)
"Spiritual Saga: When Four Boys Went to Meet the Pope, 400 Years Ago"
. '' The Japan Times''. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
They finally arrived in Portugal on 11 August 1584, then went on a trip through the continent, meeting various nobles and clergy, including King
Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
. The young Japanese envoys were greeted throughout European cities with celebration, eventually meeting Pope Gregory XIII upon their arrival in Rome. However, Gregory died in April 1585, not long after their arrival, and they attended the coronation of
Pope Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...
, who also treated them well. They left the port of
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, where they had first arrived to Europe, in April 1586, after having spent eight years traveling abroad. Their journey through Europe left a significant impact, bringing the continent's attention to the East Asian country, especially the Vatican's. Likewise, the four Japanese Christians were greeted upon their return in Japan by many interested in learning about Europe, and met with ''daimyō'' and imperial regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi in March 1591. They were initially unable to return due to complications regarding the status of Christian missionaries in Japan, staying in Macao for some time. In 1614 all Christian missionaries were ordered to leave Japan. This led to the beginning of a ban on Christianity in Japan for over two centuries, during which tens of thousands of Japanese Christians were executed.Sherwood, Harriet (25 November 2016)
Martin Scorsese’s Silence to premiere at the Vatican
'' The Guardian''. Retrieved 19 March 2017.


Return of Christianity to Japan (1873–1919)

It was not until 1873, during the era of westernization in Japan, that
Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...
lifted the ban on Christianity, giving it religious freedom and allowing missionaries to enter the country. The Vatican recognized the underground activities during the last two centuries and canonized several executed Catholics as martyrs, although much of the missionary work after the lifting of the ban was done by Protestants. Nonetheless, in 1906
Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
authorized the Society of Jesus to organize establish a Catholic university in Japan, and three Jesuits did so in 1908, getting official approval from the Japanese Ministry of Education in 1913, thus creating the Sophia University as the country's first Catholic university. Discrimination against Christians continued in Japan, with many people viewing it as a "foreign religion", and by 1907 there were only 140,000 Christians in Japan (only 60,000 out of those were Catholic). The Holy See also began reaching out to the Japanese government during that time. It sent the American bishop William Henry O'Connell to Tokyo in 1905 as a special envoy to thank the Meiji emperor for protection of Catholics from persecution during the
Russo–Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
. Japan replied by sending its own envoy in 1907. During World War I, the Vatican sent its apostolic delegate to the Philippines, Joseph Petrelli, to deliver a personal greetings from the pontiff to the emperor of Japan. DuBois (2016), p. 197


Beginning of diplomatic relations (1919–1958)

In 1919,
Pietro Fumasoni Biondi Pietro Fumasoni Biondi (4 September 1872 – 12 July 1960) was an Italian people, Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Sacred Cong ...
was sent as the apostolic delegate from the Roman Catholic Church to Japan, beginning a new era in relations between that country and the Holy See. It was not until 1942 that full diplomatic relations between the two states were established, making Japan the first Asian country to have a legation to the Vatican. Emperor Showa established relations because the Vatican had significant moral authority in Western countries, gathered information from all over the world, and he believed that it could serve as mediator between Japan and the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
. By that point in World War II, Japan had some 20 million Christians living on its territory (the largest group, 13 million, being in the
occupied ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...
Philippines). This drew criticism against the Holy See from the United States and the United Kingdom, which claimed the move suggested that the Vatican approved of Japan's actions. Despite these protests, the Vatican went ahead and established full relations with Japan, accepting the diplomat Ken Harada, who formerly worked at the Japanese embassy in Vichy France, as the first country's ambassador to the Holy See. Meanwhile, the Vatican's apostolic delegate to Japan Paolo Marella was given full diplomatic status by the Japanese government (although remained only a delegate, to not inflame Buddhists). Pollard (2014), p. 329 However, the Vatican did not give in to pressures by Japan and Italy into recognizing the Wang Jingwei Government, Japan's puppet state in occupied
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. This was satisfied by an informal agreement with Japan that the pontiff's apostolic delegate in Beijing would visit Catholic missionaries in the Wang Jingwei regime's territory. In 1944 it was reported that Harada gave
Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
indications that Japan was ready to begin peace negotiations, though later Tokyo radio denied these claims. In 1958 the Japanese government upgraded the legation to an embassy, also on orders of Emperor Showa, and Pope Pius XII assigned Maximilien de Furstenberg, Vatican City's delegate in Tokyo, as the first Apostolic Nuncio to Japan.


Current relations (1958–present)

In modern times, Japan and the Holy See have cordial relations and are engaged in cultural cooperation. Despite the small number of Christians in Japan, many Japanese have sympathy for the faith, and according to Ambassador Hidekazu Yamaguchi the Japanese government recognizes "the contribution that the Catholic Church has made to the education and health care of the Japanese people through its schools and hospitals", as well as the
humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...
that the Holy See provided in the immediate aftermath of the
2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''El ...
. He added that Japan and the Vatican share views on many issues.


High level visits

Since the establishment of relations in 1942, several official visits have been made by officials from both countries. In 1993 Emperor Akihito visited the Vatican, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2014, and
Prince Akishino is the younger brother and heir presumptive of Emperor Naruhito of Japan and the younger son of Emperor emeritus Akihito and Empress emerita Michiko. Since his marriage in June 1990, he has had the title and has headed his own branch of the im ...
in 2016. In November 2019, Pope Francis made an Apostolic Visit to Japan.Pope Francis lands in Japan for the first papal visit in decades
CNN.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.


Religious leaders of the two states

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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 ...
PlotData= align:center mark:(line,black) bar:jp from: 05/01/2019 till: $now text:" Naruhito" color:jp from: 07/01/1989 till: 05/01/2019 text:" Akihito" color:jp from: 01/01/1970 till: 07/01/1989 text:" Emperor Shōwa" color:jp bar:va from: 13/03/2013 till: $now text:"
Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...
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John Paul I Pope John Paul I ( la, Ioannes Paulus I}; it, Giovanni Paolo I; born Albino Luciani ; 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 26 August 1978 to his death 33 days later. Hi ...
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Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
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See also

*
Apostolic Nunciature to Japan The Apostolic Nunciature to Japan ( la, Nuntius Apostolicus in Iaponia, ja, 駐日本国バチカン市国大使館) is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Japan. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is ca ...


References


Notes


Books

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holy See-Japan relations
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 ...
Bilateral relations of Japan