During the meeting, which took place at the Bellesalle Hanzomon event center in Tokyo, a song composed for victims of the 2011 earthquake was performed. The title of the song is "Flowers Will Bloom."
Noting the Daiichi nuclear power plant accident and its aftermath, Pope Francis said concern needs to be taken not only for the scientific and medical concerns, but also the destruction to the fabric of the community.
"Until social bonds in local communities are re-established, and people can once more enjoy safe and stable lives, the Fukushima accident will not be fully resolved," he said.
This, he continued, concerns the use of nuclear power, which is why the bishops of Japan have called for an end to nuclear power plants.
"Our age is tempted to make technological progress the measure of human progress. This 'technocratic paradigm' of progress and development shapes the lives of individuals and the workings of society, and often leads to a reductionism that affects every aspect of human and social life," he warned.
It is important, he said, to stop and think critically about who one is and who one wants to be - to think about "what kind of world, what kind of legacy" we will leave to those who come after.
"The wisdom and experience of elders, united to the zeal and enthusiasm of young people, can help to forge a different vision, one that fosters reverence for the gift of life and solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the one multiethnic and multicultural human family," he said.
"Whenever you take one step, you move one step forward. I invite you, then, to move forward each day, little by little, to build a future based on solidarity and commitment to one another, for yourselves, your children and grandchildren, and for the generations to come," he encouraged.
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.