Pope appoints new bishop in Kagoshima, Japan

Pope Francis on Saturday appointed a new bishop to the Diocese of Kagoshima in southern Japan’s Kyushu Island. 

Fr.  Francis Xavier Hiroaki Nakano, the 67-year old rector of the Catholic Seminary of Japan, is the new Bishop of Kagoshima. 

Fr. Nakano takes over from the Bishop Paul Kenjiro Koriyama who has stepped down having reached the canonical retirement age of 75 last year.  He was appointed Bishop of Kagoshima in December 2005.

Bishop-designate Nakano was born on April 15, 1951 in Kagoshima. He studied philosophy and theology at St. Sulpice Major Seminary of Fukuoka.  He later obtained a licentiate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Urban University of Rome, Italy.  Fr. Nakano was ordained a priest on April 2, 1978 for the Diocese of Kagoshima.

After his priestly ordination Fr. Nakano held the following positions:

• 1978-1981: Secretary of the bishop and editor of the diocesan newspaper of Kagoshima
• 1981-1984: Assistant parish priest of Kamaoike
• 1984-1988: Higher studies in Rome
• 1988-1993: Parish priest of Tamazato
• 1993-2005: Parish priest of Naze
• 2005-2009: Chancellor of the Diocese of Kagoshima
• 2009-2011: Parish priest of St. Francis Xavier
• 2011-2013: Formator at the Catholic Seminary of Japan; parish priest of Shibushi (few months in 2011)
• 2013-2017: Vice-rector of the Japan Catholic Seminary
• Since 2017: Rector of the Japan Catholic Seminary.