From America, the priest Basil wrote to Bishop Vladimir that he had strengthened his desire to become a monk; nevertheless, in July 1967, he was recalled to Japan and returned to serve at the church in Kagoshima City.
The issue of electing a new primate turned out to be difficult: the most relevant candidate, Bishop Theodosius, has not yet gained proper authority among the clergy and believers, and therefore the Japanese leadership of the Church, headed by Fr.
Archbishop Juvenal, for his part, also assured the participants that the Moscow had no objections to a Japanese occupying the metropolitan see, although, of course, if they wished to receive a bishop from the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch would not ignore this request either.
Convinced that the nomination of a new primate was an urgent need, the delegates of the Council chose the Japanese: the decision in favor of Bishop Theodosius (Nagashima) of Kyoto and Western Japan was made unanimously.
On March 21, 1972, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church granted Metropolitan Vladimir's request for resignation and approved the candidacy of a new primate.
Metropolitan Theodosius was supported mainly by people of his generation, graduates of St. Vladimir's Seminary: he promoted 39-year-old priest Sabbas Onami, who served in Yamate Parish and served as metropolitan translator and secretary, to the position of head of the Tokyo Consistory; In the Diocese of Kyoto, an important role was played by 41-year—old Archpriest Cyril Arihara, rector of the Osaka Church, and the rector of the Kobe parish, 36-year-old priest Proclus Ushimaru, a classmate of Metropolitan Theodosius at the Tokyo Seminary, a church historian and the only employee of the Department of External Relations of the Japanese Orthodox Church.
Already at the Council in July 1972, a number of relocations were made in the Church on the initiative of the new primate: according to the servants of the Patriarchal Compound in Tokyo, "all those who were in good relations with the former Metropolitan Vladimir turned out to be far on the periphery".
On May 13 of the same year, at 13:00, his funeral service was held at the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Tokyo, which was performed by: Archbishop Clement (Kapalin) of Kaluga and Borovsk, Archbishop Herman (Swaiko) of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania (Orthodox Church in America), rector of St. Sophia Monastery in Chiba Archbishop Nicholas (Sayama) of Ramenskoye, Bishop Sotirios (Trambas) of Seoul and Korea (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople), Archpriest John Udics (Orthodox Church in America), Archpriest Nikolai Katsyuban and twenty-four priests of the Japanese Orthodox Church.
Under the funeral bells and the singing of the Irmos of the Great Canon "Helper and Patron", the coffin with the body of the deceased archpastor was surrounded by the clergy around the cathedral.