Le Bien Public of 25 February, as well as the Journal d’Anvers of 25–26 February, both Catholic
newspapers, rather belatedly ran extracts of a letter that had been sent from Japan and published in the
aforementioned Les Missions Catholiques of 27 September 1872. The letter blamed Iwakura and his
company for the edicts that ordered the persecution of the Christians. The two newspapers also claimed to
have received a letter from Rome, which confirmed Iwakura’s responsibility in the persecution. At the timethey were publishing these letters, the Japanese government was notifying the Western representatives in
Tokyo its intention to halt the arrests and repeal the edicts (kōsatsu). However, the Japanese authorities
had given similar assurances in the past, but they had remained a dead letter. Catholic public opinion in
Europe, therefore, remained very cautious. Finally, on 14 March, the Japanese government abrogated the
anti-Christian decrees, and the deported Christians were returned to their home villages.