In a land area of 14,361 square kilometers, the diocesan territory covers Fukuoka, Saga and Kumamoto prefectures.
In the diocesan territory, the population is 7,725,204 at end of 2016. Most residents are ethnic Japanese. There are also 64,545 non-Japanese people, according to the Immigration Bureau of Japan.
The territory also has many languages and dialects.
The diocese of Fukuoka was established on July 16, 1927, when it was separated from the diocese of Nagasaki and entrusted to the Paris Foreign Mission Society. In the beginning, it consisted of the five prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, and Oita. However, on March 29, 1928, the two prefectures of Miyazaki and Oita were entrusted to the Salesians.
The first bishop was Bishop Fernand Thiry, M.E.P. Bishop Albert Breton then served from 1930, and when he retired in 1941, Monsignor Sen'emon Fukahori became administrator apostolic. He was consecrated bishop on May 28, 1944.
On Dec. 2, 1969, Bishop Fukahori resigned and Bishop Saburo Hirata, who had been bishop of Oita, was appointed to replace him. Bishop Hirata served until 1990.
When Bishop Hirata resigned as of Oct. 6, 1990, Bishop Hisajiro Matsunaga, who had been auxiliary bishop of Nagasaki, was appointed to succeed him. Bishop Matsunaga was installed on Jan. 15 of the following year. He passed away on June 2, 2006, before celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination on Dec. 22, 2006. During the vacancy of the episcopacy for about two years, Father Soichiro Kawakami served as the diocesan administrator.
On March 19, 2008, Bishop Ryoji Miyahara was appointed bishop of Fukuoka and installed on May 18, 2008.
Airplanes, railways, bus and ships are means of transportation in the diocesan territory.
Throughout Japan, literacy is 99 percent, according to the US Central Intelligence Agency in 2010.
