The Tokyo Theological Seminary started the new academic year with a prayer service and a faculty meeting. According to the website of the Japanese Orthodox Church, there are currently only two students enrolled. A new intake of students is expected next year, and in the meantime, the seminary is working on revising its curriculum, announced Archbishop Seraphim of Tokyo, head of the Japanese Orthodox Church.

The prayer service for the beginning of the academic year took place on September 11, 2024, at the Resurrection Cathedral in Tokyo, also known as the Church of Saint Nicholas of Japan. Archbishop Seraphim led the service. In his sermon after the liturgy, he encouraged those present: "The final year of the seminary holds great importance for the students' entire lives. I hope they will do their utmost."

Later, during the faculty meeting held at the seminary, Archbishop Seraphim emphasized:

"This is an important year for sending off students who are entering their final year of study. With the start of the new academic year, we have prepared a new teaching structure, which includes online lectures from professors in Kansai and priests from Japan's diplomatic missions. As highlighted at the Church Council in July, attracting new students requires the effort of the entire church community. Last week, I personally met with the students one-on-one, asking them about their family situations and future prospects—questions that are often difficult to ask. In order to harness the individual talents of the students, it is essential that they make efforts themselves, but we as teachers must also give our all in the new year."

Photo: Japanese Orthodox Church

The Tokyo Theological Seminary was founded in 1878 by the Russian Orthodox Church to train clergy and missionaries in Japan. The initiator of the seminary’s creation was Saint Nicholas (Kasatkin), Archbishop of Japan, who led the Russian spiritual mission in Japan and actively promoted Orthodoxy in the country.

The seminary was respected among the Japanese, with even high-ranking officials sending their children to study there. Some graduates became notable translators, laying the foundation for Russian studies in Japan. After the 1917 Russian Revolution, funding for the seminary ceased, and it was closed. Attempts to reopen it were made in the mid-20th century, and the seminary resumed its operations in 1954.

Since its founding, the seminary has exclusively taught in Japanese, with clergy and laypeople of the Japanese Orthodox Church serving as instructors. The number of students at Tokyo Seminary has always been small, ranging from 1 to 10 students at any given time.