Dear brothers and sisters in the Archdiocese of Tokyo:

Re: Extension of the Suspension of Public Masses
in the Tokyo Archdiocese

In the announcement issued on August 14, we have informed everyone that public masses will be suspended due to the declaration of a state of emergency in Metropolitan Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture which belong to the Archdiocese of Tokyo. Later on September 3, we have made the announcement concerning our appropriate response to the possibility of the government extending the period of the emergency declaration.

On September 9, the government announced that the state of emergency will be extended until September 30. At this point, the spread of COVID-19 infection has being controlled to some extent, and the number of people announced everyday who are testing positive for the coronavirus is declining, At the same time, the government has assessed that “COVID-19 infection has spread across prefectures, causing major problems in the medical care provision system and public health system.”

Hereafter, except for unexpected improvements in the situation, the suspension of public masses will generally continue until September 30.

Concerning our suitable response from October 1, we will make the announcement before September 25.

Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, SVD
Archbishop of Tokyo