Many Japanese whose lives were profoundly touched by Pope Francis mourned the pontiff's passing on April 21 at the age of 88. 

Francis, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign state of Vatican City, visited Japan in 2019, the first pope to do so in 38 years. 

In his historic four-day visit, he encouraged Iwao Hakamata, who had long languished for decades on death row after being falsely accused of murder.

The pope also comforted atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the victims of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

POPE BLESSES HAKAMATA

Hakamata is a Catholic who was acquitted of his charges in a retrial last autumn and attended Mass when the pope visited Japan in 2019.

His older sister, Hideko, 92, told reporters on the evening of April 21 following the pontiff's death that, “We have been supported by the pope. We just pray for him.”

After Hakamata was acquitted of his charges, he received a letter from the pope.

Hakamata is unable to communicate with others due to mental illness he developed during the long decades of detention and relentless stress from the uncertainty of his execution date. So, his older sister Hideko responded to the media.

Hakamata was baptized a Catholic in December 1984 in the Tokyo Detention House where he was imprisoned. Hideko told reporters a long time ago that, “I believe that Iwao didn’t know what to believe and became a Catholic.”

When Francis visited Japan in 2019, Hakamata was unable to personally meet him, but attended the Mass in Tokyo at the pope’s invitation.

In addition, in February this year, after Hakamata was acquitted of his charges in a retrial in last autumn, the Roman Curia on behalf of the pope sent Hakamata a letter.

The letter started with the fact that the pope was glad to hear of Hakamata’s acquittal and instructed the Roman Curia to send the letter. It then went on to say that the pope hopes that Hakamata enjoys his freedom and meeting with his friends.

It also said that the pope wishes that gifts from God such as wisdom, power and peace be bestowed upon him and that he blesses Hakamata.

Both the pope and Hakamata were born in 1936. Hakamata received the letter during the time when the pope’s poor health and hospitalization were widely reported.

“We really appreciated it,” Hideko said.

ATOMIC BOMB VICTIMS IN HIROSHIMA

The pope visited Hiroshima in 2019 and gave a speech calling for nuclear weapon abolition at the Peace Memorial Park there.

He also spoke with hibakusha who wished for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Yoshiko Kajimoto, 94, told about her atomic bomb experiences to the pope when he visited Hiroshima.

“I felt very weak learning about his death,” she said.

She doesn’t remember what the pope said to her because she was too nervous. She only remembers that Francis was a “warm, divine person.”

She mourned the pope’s passing, saying, “We’re deeply saddened that he passed away during such a dangerous time when wars are occurring where nuclear weapons could be used.”

Toshiyuki Mimaki, 83, chairman of the Hiroshima-ken Genbaku Higaisha Dantai Kyogi-kai, an atomic bomb sufferers organization in Hiroshima Prefecture, met with the pope in front of the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb when the pontiff visited the peace memorial park.

Mimaki handed a letter to the pope, which contained messages including, “World politicians don’t quit making war. Please send them a message to cease all wars.”

He felt the pope’s warm and calm character. He mourned Francis' death, saying that, “I wanted him to exercise his power to make the world stable, which politicians cannot do. I wanted him to send more messages of peace to the world.”

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui remembers when the pope was giving his speech at the Peace Memorial Park and calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

“He sent a strong message to policy makers in the world and also encouraged many world citizens,” Matsui said.

Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki released a statement saying that, “Not only Catholics but also many people around the world respected him. He had a huge impact on efforts for world peace and protecting human dignity.”

Yuzaki also mentioned international society where tensions over the possible use of nuclear weapons have heightened to levels never seen before.

He then confirmed his determination again to make further efforts to realize nuclear weapon abolition and a sustainable peace.

ATOMIC BOMB VICTIMS IN NAGASAKI

Expressions of sadness and regret over the pope's death have also been heard from Nagasaki, the city that suffered an atomic bombing along with Hiroshima.

When the pope visited Nagasaki in 2019, Archbishop Emeritus Mitsuaki Takami, 79, who was the archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nagasaki, looked back on the pope's journey.

“He was a peace messenger, having declared that we should do whatever it takes to realize peace, and he continued to say so until the end,” Takami said.

Takami was exposed to the atomic bomb while he was still in his mother's womb. When the pope visited the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park in Nagasaki after arriving at Nagasaki Airport, Takami accompanied him in a car.

In the car, Takami showed the pope a tile that had melted in the bombing that another atomic bomb survivor had passed along to him. 

“The pope frowned and looked sad,” he said.

Takami reflected on that time, saying, “It seemed that the pope had a strong feeling that there shouldn’t be an atomic bomb and that the tragedy must never be repeated.”

“I strongly believe that we should carry on his will,” he added.

Then Nagasaki Governor Hodo Nakamura, who met the pope on his visit to Nagasaki, also mourned Francis' death.

“He proactively sent out messages from Nagasaki about the abolition of nuclear weapons,” Nakamura said.

On the day of their meeting, it was raining when he greeted the pope at the hypocenter park.

“The heavy rain could have soaked him, but he proceeded with the event as if he didn't care at all.”

The weather cleared during the Mass that followed. Nakamura recalled the sudden change in weather, saying, “It was like a miracle.”

MET 2011 EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

On his visit to Tokyo during his 2019 trip, the pope also met with the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

Toshiko Kato, 66, director of a Catholic kindergarten in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, spoke about her experience of the disaster with the pope at the meeting.

In response to his death, she said, “He did his job well. I pray that he rests well.”

In the Great East Japan Earthquake, one child of her kindergarten died after going home. Kato’s home also was swept away by the tsunami.

When the pope and the victims including Kato met in 2019, she said Francis listened intently to their stories, looking into their eyes.

“I felt that he truly accepted us,” she said.

Up until his death, the pope called for realizing peace in Gaza and Ukraine. Kato reflected on this call, saying that, “He showed us his desire for peace and his sympathy for the victims.”

Tokuun Tanaka, 50, head priest of Dokeiji temple in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, and an earthquake victim, also met the pope along with Kato.

He remembers the meeting saying that, “I felt his warmth and greatness, which could embrace everything.”

Tanaka said that the pope told to him that, “I want to protect all life, not just human life,” and “You must be busy in the disaster-stricken areas. I actually wanted to go to Fukushima, instead of inviting you to Tokyo. Thank you for coming all this way and telling me this important story.”

In response to the pope’s death, Tanaka said, “Thank you for all your hard work. I will embrace what I have learned from you and spend each day in a way that would please the pope.”