Archbishop Seraphim of Sendai (Tsujie) has been elected the new primate of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church (YAAOC), according to the website of the Moscow Patriarchate.
"On September 28, 2023, an extraordinary Council of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church took place in Tokyo, electing its new primate. Archbishop Seraphim (Tsujie) of Sendai, locum tenens of the Metropolitan See of the Japanese Orthodox Church, became the newly elected Archbishop of Tokyo, Metropolitan of all Japan," the message reads.
In accordance with the tomos on the autonomy of the Japanese Orthodox Church, given to her in 1970, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on Thursday by his decree approved the election and "called God's blessing on the works of the newly elected primate," the ROC added.
Metropolitan Seraphim was born on March 23, 1951 in the city of Akita. In 1987, he was baptized with the name Andrew in honor of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, in 1990 he graduated from the Tokyo Theological Seminary. He was ordained a priest on August 18, 1991, and served at the Resurrection Cathedral in Tokyo since August 1993. On August 20, 1999, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he was tonsured a monk with the name Seraphim in honor of St. Seraphim of Sarov, in December 1999 he was elected bishop of Sendai, and in July 2012 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop.
The former primate of the JAAOC, Metropolitan Daniel of Tokyo and All Japan (Nushiro Ikio), died on August 10 this year at the age of 85. On August 11, Vladyka Seraphim was elected locum tenens of the Metropolitan See of the Japanese Orthodox Church.

Orthodoxy in Japan
The Orthodox Spiritual Mission in Japan was established in 1870. In 1880, Archimandrite Nikolai (Kasatkin) was appointed by the Holy Synod "Bishop of Reval, vicar of the Diocese of Riga, with a secondment to Japan," thereby establishing the first episcopal chair of the Japanese Orthodox Church. In 1906, the department received the name Tokyo and Japanese.
On April 10, 1970, the Japanese Church of the Tomos of Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow and All Russia received autonomy. The JA'aoc is governed by its primate and Synod according to the statute of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The YAAOC includes the Kyoto and West Japan, Sendai and East Japan, as well as the Tokyo dioceses.
According to the materials of TASS