Who are we?

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staff members: Kawachi Chiyo, Ando Isamu, Shibata Yukinori The Catholic Church in Japan serves people through a wide network of institutions: Churches, Schools, from Kindergarten to Universities and Centers, and social-welfare Institutions, from children's Homes to Hospitals, or Homes for senior citizens. Many of such institutions were established by religious groups, called religious congregations of the Catholic Church. Most of these Congregations have members who run institutions in many countries of the world.

The Jesuits are one of those congregations specialized in education and pastoral activities. There are about 320 Jesuits from more than 25 countries, dedicated to educational work as well as pastoral activities in Japan. They also run four social centers, two of them located in Tokyo, one at Sophia University and our social center here; one in Osaka and another in Shimonoseki.

After Vatican II (1965), Jesuits all over the world built up new systems for the promotion of Christian faith and social justice. This Social Center was established in 1981. It is the liaison office for social commitments of the Jesuits in Japan. One Jesuit with two full-time lay staff work together there in a two-story house, located in an old residential area of central Tokyo.

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