On October 23, 1910, Kitagawa was born in Taihoku City,
Japan which is currently known as
Taipei, Taiwan. In 1928 he went to one of Japan's leading schools of theology,
St. Paul/Rikkyo university. One of his biggest mentors was the bishop of Kyoto,
Shirley H. Nichols. He received the degree in 1940. He focused on his
Episcopal studies and occasionally connected with the Japanese communities of
New York city. Kitagawa even worked with the state government, authoring a report for Minnesota Governor
Luther Youngdahl's Interracial Commission on Japanese American Resettlement in Minnesota.
International Christian Maritime Association Kitagawa represented the WCC in the formation of the
International Christian Maritime Association, promoting ecumenism and cooperation among Christian seafarers' ministries. He was actively involved in recruiting new members, and the steering and working committees that led to the organization's formation. He served as the secretary and treasurer from its foundation in 1969 until his unexpected death in 1970, but was unable to attend the first official conference in 1969 due to his failing health. While Kitagawa had not himself been directly involved in ministry to seafarers prior to his work founding ICMA, historian of maritime missiology
Paul Mooney describes him as an insightful commenter on seafarers and their lives. He is quoted as supporting the provision of communication services to seafarers by their employers or governments, saying"economically and technologically we are all one world. The existing structure of the international community needs to adjust to this reality. [As] President Nixon talked to a man on the moon, there is no reason why a man on board a ship could not be in touch with his family.” == Works ==