Sapporo Japan Temple

News of the announcement of the Sapporo Japan Temple—so long desired by the Saints of Hokkaidō—was met with shouts for joy, prayers of gratitude, and tears from an overwhelming sense of the Spirit. President Hiroyuki Domon of the Sapporo Japan West Stake said, "My heart was literally burning like a fire. There are no words to express my joyous feelings." He further explained, "We started to have one vision five years ago. 'Let us build a temple in this northern island.…It is our dream, it is our mission.'…We have prepared ourselves so that we may be worthy to enter the temple and the Lord has given us the greatest blessing."¹

President Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of a temple in Sapporo, Japan, on October 3, 2009, during the Saturday morning session of the 179th Semiannual General Conference. This will be the third temple built in Japan, which has 29 stakes and 14 districts. Sapporo is Japan's fifth largest city and is located on the northern island of Hokkaidō.²

The Sapporo Japan Temple will be the third temple built in Japan, following the Tokyo Japan Temple (1980) and the Fukuoka Japan Temple (2000).