Only Romanian Orthodox Priest in Japan Reflects on 12 Years of Ministry in Tokyo
Fr. Daniel Corîu describes the challenges and quiet blessings of serving Romania’s small Orthodox community in largely secular Japan.
TOKYO — In a recent interview, Fr. Daniel Corîu reflected on the joys and challenges of his pastoral mission in Japan, where he has served for the past 12 years. As the only Romanian Orthodox priest in the country, he ministers to approximately 200 families, most of them Romanian–Japanese, within a single permanent parish center in Tokyo.
Fr. Corîu noted that Japan is home to an estimated 5,000 Orthodox Christians, a small minority in a largely secular society. The parish worships in a former Catholic church purchased in 2017 with the support of the Romanian Patriarchate and consecrated in 2020. Services are celebrated in Romanian, English, and Japanese, with assistance from a Japanese deacon.
He also highlighted unexpected local support, including help from Buddhist priests in building a small cemetery chapel. Concluding the interview, Fr. Corîu asked for prayers for Romanians in Japan striving to preserve their faith and identity.
Previously, UOJ reported on Fr. Daniel Corîu's involvement in the installment of a Romanian hand-carved wooden church in an Orthodox cemetery in Japan.
