The Catholic Church maintains a minimal presence in Japan, so what was Pope Francis doing there?
Published daily by the Lowy Institute
Dr. Peter Mauch lectures in Asian history at Western Sydney University. He is currently in Tokyo, as a visiting professor at Meiji University. He has written Sailor Diplomat: Nomura Kichisaburō and the Japanese-American War (Harvard UP); Hirohito and General MacArthur; and The Showa Political Crisis. He is currently writing a book-length study of General Tōjō Hideki.