In February 1981, Pope John Paul II became the first leader of the Catholic Church to visit Japan.

Thirty-five years on, the Vatican is believed to be considering another papal visit, scheduled around the time Pope Francis plans to attend a Catholic festival in Indonesia between July 30 and Aug. 6 next year, according to comments made in July by Antoine Camilleri, the Vatican's undersecretary for relations with states, at a meeting with Katsuyuki Kawai, an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Inspirational visit: Pope John Paul II looks at an exhibit at the Hiroshima Peace Park Atomic Bomb Museum on Feb. 25, 1981. | KYODO
Inspirational visit: Pope John Paul II looks at an exhibit at the Hiroshima Peace Park Atomic Bomb Museum on Feb. 25, 1981. | KYODO