Caritas Japan

Japanese Catholic charity

Caritas Japan

カリタスジャパン

Established| 1946
Type| Nonprofit
Location|

* Tokyo, Japan

Coordinates| 35°39′25″N 139°49′00″E﻿ / ﻿35.6569°N 139.8167°E﻿ / 35.6569; 139.8167
Origins| Catholic Social Teaching[1]

Region served

| Japan, worldwide
Fields| social work

President

| Daisuke Narui[2]
Affiliations| Caritas Asia, Caritas Internationalis
Budget| ¥293,490,588[3] (2023)
Website| www.caritas.jp

Caritas Japan (Japanese: カリタスジャパン) is a Catholic non-profit organisation of the Episcopal Conference of Japan.[4] It was founded in 1946 and is a member of the global Caritas Internationalis confederation and of its regional structure Caritas Asia.

## Background and work

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In 1946, after the end of World War II in Japan, the Japanese government established a committee to receive and distribute food, clothing, and others items received by the Licensed Agencies for Relief in Asia (LARA), an initiative of American welfare organisations.[5][6] The Catholic Church of Japan was one of many Christian initiatives that partnered with public authorities to distributing relief items[7] and part of this committee.[8]

Two years later, in response to a letter by the Holy See on the coordination of the Catholic social programmes, the Japanese bishops decided to register the Caritas Society of Japan as an incorporate association. Its goal was to coordinate and guide the work at national level. In each diocese, a priest was appointed to be in charge of the social services provided. Caritas Japan in its current form was established in 1970.[8]

The national office of Caritas Japan has five employees who coordinate the work of the 16 diocesan Caritas organisations. The organisation works with thousands of volunteers across the country.[9]

In 2023, Caritas Japan funded the humanitarian relief efforts of the other members of the Caritas Internationalis confederation aronund the globe, including in South Sudan, Ukraine, Pakistan, Madagascar, Venezuela and Morocco, as well as development efforts abroad and activities implemented in Japan.[3]

## Presidents

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* 2007–2022: Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi[10]
* 2022-now: Daisuke Narui[2]

## References

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1. ^ "Member organisation in Japan". caritas.org. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
2. ^ a b Castellano Lubov, Deborah (9 January 2024). "Caritas Japan President: Accompany our people in prayer after earthquakes". Vatican News. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
3. ^ a b "2023年度年次報告書 [2023 Annual Report]". caritas.jp. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
4. ^ "ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 小項目事典 「カリタス・ジャパン」の意味・わかりやすい解説". kotobank.jp. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
5. ^ "Licensed Agencies for Rellef in Asia (LARA)". National Library of Medicine. January 1948. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
6. ^ Okada, Aya (2013). "Mobilizing the donor public: Dynamics of development NGOs Message Framing" (PDF). University of Pittsburgh. p. 5 May 2024.
7. ^ Van der Watt, Stéphan (1 May 2023). "Diaconal Church Initiatives and Social/Public Welfare in Postwar Japan: A Descriptive Overview". Religions. 14. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
8. ^ a b "成り立ちと歴史 [Origin and History]". caritas.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 May 2024.
9. ^ Virola, Madonna T. (12 January 2024). "Caritas Japan appeals to accompany people in prayer after earthquakes". Radio Veritas Asia. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
10. ^ Watkins, Devin (13 May 2023). "Caritas Internationalis elects Archbishop Kikuchi as new president". Vatican News. Retrieved 2 May 2024.

## External links

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* Official website (in Japanese)

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Caritas Internationalis Member Organisations and Regional Secretariats

Caritas Africa Member Organisations

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Caritas Angola
Caritas Benin
Caritas Botswana
Caritas Burkina Faso (OCADES)
Caritas Burundi
Caritas Cameroon
Caritas Cape Verde
Caritas Central African Republic
Caritas Chad
Caritas Comoros
Caritas Congo-Brazzaville
Caritas Congo
Caritas Côte d'Ivoire
Caritas Equatorial Guinea
Caritas Eritrea

Caritas Eswatini
Caritas Ethiopia (ECC- SDCO)
Caritas Gabon
Caritas Gambia (CaDO)
Caritas Ghana
Caritas Guinea (OCPH)
Caritas Guinea-Bissau
Caritas Kenya
Caritas Lesotho
Caritas Liberia
Caritas Madagascar
Caritas Malawi (CADECOM)
Caritas Mali
Caritas Mauritius
Caritas Mozambique
Caritas Namibia

Caritas Niger (CADEV)
Caritas Nigeria
Caritas Rwanda
Caritas São Tomé and Príncipe
Caritas Senegal
Caritas Seychelles
Caritas Sierra Leone
Caritas South Africa (Siyabhabha Trust)
Caritas South Sudan
Caritas Sudan
Caritas Tanzania
Caritas Togo (OCDI)
Caritas Uganda
Caritas Zambia
Caritas Zimbabwe (CADEC)

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Caritas Asia Member Organisations

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Caritas Bangladesh
Caritas Cambodia
Caritas Hong Kong
Caritas India
Caritas Indonesia
Caritas Japan
Caritas Kazakhstan
Caritas Kyrgyzstan
Caritas Laos

Caritas Korea
Caritas Macau
Caritas Malaysia
Caritas Mongolia
Caritas Myanmar (KMSS)
Caritas Nepal
Caritas Pakistan
Caritas Philippines (NASSA)
Caritas Singapore and CHARIS

Caritas Sri Lanka
Caritas Taiwan
Caritas Tajikistan
Caritas Thailand
Caritas Timor Leste
Caritas Uzbekistan
Caritas Vietnam

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Caritas Europa Member Organisations

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Caritas Albania
Caritas Andorra
Armenian Caritas
Caritas Austria
Caritas Azerbaijan (corresponding member)
Caritas Belarus
Caritas Catholica Belgica
Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina
Caritas Bulgaria
Caritas Croatia
Caritas Czech Republic
Caritas Denmark
Caritas Estonia
Caritas Finland
Secours catholique
Caritas Georgia

Caritas Germany
Caritas Hellas
Caritas Hungary
Caritas Iceland
Trócaire
Caritas Italy
Caritas Kosovo (corresponding member)
Caritas Latvia
Caritas Lithuania
Caritas Luxembourg
Caritas Malta
Caritas Moldova
Caritas Monaco
Caritas Montenegro
Cordaid
Macedonian Caritas

Caritas Norway
Caritas Poland
Caritas Portugal
Caritas Romania
Caritas Russia
Caritas Serbia
Caritas Slovakia
Caritas Slovenia
Caritas Spain
Caritas Sweden
Caritas Switzerland
Caritas Turkey
Caritas Ukraine & Caritas-Spes
CAFOD, CSAN and SCIAF

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Caritas Latin America and Caribbean Member Organisations

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Caritas Antilles
Caritas Argentina
Caritas Bolivia
Caritas Brazil
Caritas Chile
Caritas Colombia
Caritas Costa Rica
Caritas Cuba

Caritas Dominican Republic
Caritas Ecuador
Caritas El Salvador
Caritas Guatemala
Caritas Haiti
Caritas Honduras
Caritas Mexico
Caritas Nicaragua

Caritas Panama
Caritas Paraguay
Caritas Peru
Caritas Puerto Rico
Caritas Uruguay
Caritas Venezuela

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Caritas Middle East and North Africa Member Organisations

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Caritas Algeria
Caritas Cyprus
Caritas Djibouti
Caritas Iran
Caritas Iraq

Caritas Jerusalem
Caritas Jordan
Caritas Lebanon
Caritas Libya
Caritas Mauritania

Caritas Morocco
Caritas Somalia
Caritas Syria
Caritas Tunisia

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Caritas North America Member Organisations

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Development and Peace

Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Charities

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Caritas Oceania Member Organisations

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Caritas Australia
Caritas Fiji
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand

Caritas Pacific Islands
Caritas Papua New Guinea

Caritas Samoa
Caritas Tonga

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