The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tokyo (Latin: Archidioecesis Tokiensis, Japanese: カトリック東京大司教区) is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Japan. It was erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Japan on May 1, 1846, by Pope Gregory XVI, and its name was later changed by Pope Pius IX to the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Japan on May 22, 1876.
The evangelization of Japan started in 1549 with the arrival of Saint Francis Xavier and went on until 1587, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued an edict forbidding Christianity and ordering all missionaries to leave Japan. In the following years of persecution, also in Edo (now Tokyo), there were cases of martyrdom in 1612 and 1623.
On April 17, 1891, the Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Japan was divided into the Archdiocese of Tokyo and the Diocese of Hakodate. Pierre-Marie Osouf became the first Archbishop of Tokyo.[2]
In November 1937, Tokyo was entrusted to Japanese clergy, and confined to Tokyo-to and the Chiba Prefecture. The remaining territory was detached to form the Diocese of Yokohama. The first Archbishop selected from among the Japanese clergy was Archbishop Peter Tatsu Doi.[3]
