Japan’s Catholic weekly to cease print version, start a new online project
Archbishop Kikuchi of Tokyo made the announcement in a letter. After more than 100 years, the weekly’s print version will cease publication as of March 2025. The magazine will still deliver the news online while a free monthly paper will “be distributed to every parish.”
Tokyo (AsiaNews) – The Catholic Church of Japan marked the centennial of The Catholic Weekly of Japan last year, proud of a history that not even the terrible experiences of the Second World War disrupted, grateful for the continued support of readers and advertisers since 1923.
With the publishing world undergoing transformations and costs becoming unsustainable, the printed version of the magazine is now set to cease publication
Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, who chairs the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan, made the announcement in a letter published in the paper’s last issue in February.
Mindful of the commitment to subscribers, the print version will continue for another year until the end of March 2025; at the same time, this will enable the magazine to better prepare the new forms of communication that the Catholic Church of Japan will promote, Archbishop Kikuchi explains in the letter.
“In almost a quarter of a century since the start of the 21st century, the media have entered an era of great change," he notes. In fact, the Internet has become the main source of information.
“Of course, we bishops understand that printed information is a means to deepen understanding by offering the possibility of returning to it again and again, and, newspapers remain an important means of communication for general readers who can express their opinions to society through their contributions and other means.
“Nevertheless, given the current situation of the newspaper industry and the speed of news dissemination on the Internet, we have been considering for several years how to better disseminate information about the Catholic Church in Japan."
This has led to a plan to better integrate in a new overall project the various voices through which the Catholic Church in Japan speaks.
“The Catholic newspaper in its current form, i.e., the weekly press, will be suspended, and move to disseminate information on the Internet,” the letter reads. “Still, since it is still hard for some people to connect to the web, we will also continue to publish a print newspaper once a month.
"This newspaper will be distributed as a free public relations magazine to every parish, convent, and establishment connected to the Church.
“The editorial policy is an issue that has yet to be considered, but I think that detailed news and current events will find a place on the Internet, while the journey of the Church as a whole will find a place on paper.”
"We are very sorry to disappoint the expectations of many who have read and supported us so far,” Archbishop Kikuchi writes. “But as the Church in Japan, we will work harder than ever to disseminate information. Thank you for your understanding.”
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