Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ has appointed Fr Tsutomu Sakuma SJ as the new Provincial of Japan. He succeeds Fr Renzo De Luca SJ, who has been Provincial since 2017. Fr Sakuma brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience after serving in various roles in the Society of Jesus for over four decades.
Fr Sakuma was born on 15 February 1952 in Kobe, and was baptised at the Rokko Church in 1962. In 1975, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Kyoto University, but his calling to serve the church led him to join the Society of Jesus on 1 April 1975 at Nagatsuka, Hiroshima.
After two years in the novitiate, Fr Sakuma made his First Vows in Hiroshima. He then pursued theological studies, earning a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology from St Mary’s, Sophia University in Tokyo in 1979. Later, he went to West Germany to pursue a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at St Georgen between 1981 and 1984, and was ordained a priest in Frankfurt, West Germany on 31 July 1984.
In 1995, Fr Sakuma earned his Doctor of Sacred Theology in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He spent the next 27 years, from 1995 to 2022, teaching at Sophia University in Tokyo. In between those years, Fr Sakuma concurrently held various positions in the province, including Province Assistant for Formation, Prefect of Studies, Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Province Consultor, Principal of Seibo College, and Rector of the Jesuit house in Tokyo.
In 2002, Fr Sakuma made his Final Vows at Kamishakujii, Tokyo. In 2018, He was appointed Chancellor of Sophia School Corporation, where he currently serves.
Fr Sakuma’s years of experience and service to the Society of Jesus have prepared him well for his new role as the Provincial Superior of the Jesuits in Japan. As the provincial, he will be responsible for the Jesuits’ mission and apostolic work in the country.
Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) President Fr Tony Moreno SJ thanked Fr Tsutomu for “his readiness to accept this mission of leadership, which includes assisting in the governance of JCAP”, as well as Fr De Luca “for his immense contributions to the conference as a major superior and consultor”.