The
Roman Catholic Church in Japan is part of the worldwide
Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the
Pope in
Rome. There are approximately 509,000 Catholics in Japan—just under 0.5% of the total population. There are 16 dioceses, including three archdioceses with 1589 priests and 848 parishes in the country. The bishops of the dioceses form the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, the
episcopal conference of the nation.