OSAKA -- A Catholic beatification ceremony for Takayama Ukon (1552-1615), a feudal lord who was exiled from Japan by the Tokugawa shogunate because of his Christian faith, was carried out at Osaka-Jo Hall.

The ceremony declaring the late Takayama blessed took place in the city's Chuo Ward, and was attended by around 10,000 people from Japan and abroad.

Being declared blessed is just one rank lower than being declared a saint, which is the highest form of veneration. This is the second beatification ceremony that has been held in Japan, after one in Nagasaki in 2008.