History of the Jews in Japan
Encyclopedia
The history of the Jews
in Japan
is well documented in modern times with various traditions relating to much earlier eras.
are a minor ethnic
and religious
group in Japan
, presently consisting of only about 2,000 people or about 0.0016% of Japan's total population
. Although Jews have been present in Japan and Judaism
has been practiced since the 16th century, on a very limited scale, in Japan, Japan comprised but a small part of Jewish history
from the ending of Japan's "closed-door
" foreign policy
to World War II
.
(16th century) with the arrival of European travelers and merchants (primarily the Portuguese
and Dutch
). However it was not until 1853, with the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry following the Convention of Kanagawa
ending Japan's "closed-door" foreign policy that Jewish families began to settle in Japan. The first recorded Jewish settlers arrived at Yokohama
in 1861 establishing a diverse community consisting of 50 families (from various Western countries) as well as the building of the first synagogue
in Japan. The community would later move to Kobe
after the great Kanto earthquake
of 1923.
Another early Jewish settlement was one established in the 1880s in Nagasaki, a large Japanese port. This community was larger than the one in Yokohama, consisting of more than 100 families. It was here that the Beth Israel Synagogue was created in 1894. The settlement would continually grow and remain active until it eventually declined by the Russo-Japanese War
in the early 20th century. The community's Torah scroll
would eventually be passed down to the Jews of Kobe, a group formed of freed Russian Jewish war prisoners that had participated in the Czar's army and the Russian Revolution of 1905
.
From the beginning of the 1900s to the 1950s
the Kobe Jewish community was one of the largest Jewish communities in Japan formed by hundreds of Jews arriving from Russia (originating from the Manchurian city of Harbin
), the Middle East
(mainly from Iraq
and Syria
), as well as from Central
and Eastern Europe
an countries (primarily Germany
). During this time Tokyo
's Jewish community (now Japan's largest) was slowly growing with the arrival of Jews from the United States
and Western Europe for multiple reasons. Both of these communities were formed based on constitutional values along with community organizations that had a committee president and treasurer and communal structure. Each community now has its own synagogue and welcomes anyone of the Jewish faith 18 years or older to become a member.
(鮎川 義介), came to believe that Jewish economic and political power could be harnessed by Japan through controlled immigration, and that such a policy would also ensure favor from the United States
through the influence of American Jewry
. Although efforts were made to attract Jewish investment and immigrants, the plan was limited by the government's desire not to interfere with its alliance with Nazi Germany
. Ultimately it was left up to the world Jewish community to fund the settlements and to supply settlers, and the plan failed to attract a significant long-term population or create the strategic benefits for Japan that had been expected by its originators.
On December 6, 1938, Five ministers council (Prime Minister
Fumimaro Konoe
, Army Minister
Seishirō Itagaki, Navy Minister
Mitsumasa Yonai
, Foreign Minister
Hachirō Arita
and Finance Minister
Shigeaki Ikeda
), which was the highest decision making council, made a decision of prohibiting the expulsion of the Jews
in Japan.
During World War II, Japan was regarded as a safe refuge from the Holocaust
, despite being a part of the Axis
and an ally of Germany. During World War II, Jews trying to escape German-occupied Poland
could not pass the blockades near the Soviet Union
and the Mediterranean Sea
and were forced to go through the neutral country of Lithuania
(which was occupied by belligerents in June 1940, starting with the Soviet Union, then Germany, and then the Soviet Union again).
Of those who arrived, many (around 5,000) were sent to the Dutch West Indies with Japanese visas issued by Chiune Sugihara
, the Japanese consul
to Lithuania
. Sugihara ignored his orders and gave thousands of Jews entry visas to Japan, risking his career and saving more than 6,000 lives.
Sugihara is said to have cooperated with Polish intelligence, as a part of bigger Japanese-Polish cooperative plan.
They managed to flee across the vast territory of Russia by train to Vladivostok
and then by boat to Kobe
in Japan. The refugees in number of 2,185 arrived in Japan from August 1940 to June 1941. Tadeusz Romer
, the Polish ambassador in Tokyo
, had managed to get transit visas in Japan, asylum visas to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Burma, immigration certificates to Palestine, and immigrant visas to the United States and some Latin American countries. Most Jews were permitted and encouraged to move on from Japan to the Shanghai Ghetto
, China
, under Japanese occupation for the duration of World War II. Finally, Tadeusz Romer arrived in Shanghai
on November 1, 1941, to continue the action for Jewish refugees. Among those saved in the Shanghai Ghetto were leaders and students of Mir yeshiva
, the only European yeshiva
to survive the Holocaust
. They, some 400 in number, fled from Mir
to Vilna with the outbreak of World War II in 1939, and then to Keidan, Lithuania. In late 1940, they obtained visas from Chiune Sugihara, to travel from Keidan, then Lithuanian SSR
, via Siberia
and Vladivostok
to Kobe
, Japan. By November 1941 the Japanese moved this group and most of others on to the Shanghai Ghetto in order to consolidate the Jews under their control.
Throughout the war, the Japanese government continually rejected requests from the German government to establish anti-Semitic
policies. Towards the end, Nazi representatives pressured the Japanese army to devise a plan to exterminate Shanghai's Jewish population, and this pressure eventually became known to the Jewish community's leadership. However, the Japanese had no intention of further provoking the anger of the Allies
, and thus delayed the German request for a time, eventually rejecting it entirely.
One famous Orthodox Jewish
institution that was saved this way was the Lithuanian
Haredi
Mir yeshiva
. The Japanese government and people offered the Jews temporary shelter, medical services, food, transportation, and gifts, but preferred that they move on to reside in Japanese-occupied Shanghai.
At war's end, about half of the Jews who had been in Japanese-controlled territories later moved on to the Western hemisphere
(such as the United States and Canada
) and the remainder moved to other parts of the world, many to Israel
.
had no traditional antisemitism until the 20th century, when Russian antisemitism and Nazi
ideology
and propaganda
influenced a small number of Japanese
. Adolf Hitler
argued the Anglo-Japanese Alliance
dissolve was due to the Jewish Press.
Antisemitism took mainly the form of a subculture
of conspiracy theory which was expressed in the context of a conspiracy to subjugate the world or Japan which is ultimately controlled by Jews. Antisemitic and conspiracist
books and pamphlets are sold in major bookstores and themes which may be influenced by stereotypical views of Jews have entered the popular culture and even affect the educated academic community.
Japanese society lacks many of the racist taboo
s held by the Western world; this is reflected in elements of Japanese popular culture
, reflecting stereotype
s or other forms of expression regarding the Jewish people, or other peoples, that would be considered outrageous in the West.
In 1918, the Japanese army sent troops
to Siberia
to aid the White Army
against the Bolshevik
Red Army
. It was at this time that Japanese were first introduced to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an antisemitic text.
Though deeper research by the Japanese military and government unearthed no evidence of a global Jewish conspiracy, a small number of officials and officers continued to believe in the economic and political power of the Jewish people. In the early 1930s, a plot known as the Fugu Plan
was thus hatched, in which this small cadre of "Jewish experts" convinced the government and military to arrange for the re-settlement of thousands of Jews from Europe in the Japanese Empire
. The underlying belief behind this plan was that a population of Jews could create amazing economic benefit for Japan, and that the power of Jews in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States, was great enough that the rescue of Jews from the Nazis could benefit US-Japan relations.
In 1936, lieutenant general
Shioden Nobutaka
(四王天延孝), translated the Protocols into Japanese. Shioden became a believer in a Jewish conspiracy
while he was studying in France
. According to Dr. David Kranzler
, "The key to the distinction between the Japanese and the European form of antisemitism seems to lie in the long Christian
tradition of identifying the Jew with the Devil
, the Antichrist
or someone otherwise beyond redemption ... The Japanese lacked this Christian image of the Jew and brought to their reading of the Protocols a totally different perspective. The Christian tried to solve the problem of the Jew by eliminating him; the Japanese tried to harness his alleged immense wealth and power to Japan's advantage."
As Japan was allied with Nazi Germany
in World War II
, Nazi ideology and propaganda regarding the Jewish people came to be circulated within Japan as well, contributing to the development of Japan's particular brand of antisemitism. However, while various theories about the Jewish people may have gained a degree of acceptance among the Japanese people as a whole, the Japanese government and military never gave in to Nazi recommendations that extermination programs or the like be undertaken.
By the end of the 20th century, a great many books were published relating to the Jewish conspiracy or the theory that Japanese and Jews have common ancestry. Various theories and explanations for the alleged Jewish control of the world were thus circulated, many involving elements of the occult and intellectual play, and gossip. Occult theories relating to the Jewish people, along with theories connecting the Jews and Japan, play a major role in a number of so-called "New Religions" (Shinshūkyō
) in Japan. However, anti-semitic books in Japan are usually regarded as a type of tondemo
bon (トンデモ本, dodgy/outrageous books, a term which covers a wide range of esoteric subjects taken lightly by the vast majority of the population.
. Some of those who remained married locals and were assimilated into Japanese society.
The Israeli embassy and its staff is based in Tokyo. Presently, there are several hundred Jewish families living in Tokyo, and a small number of Jewish families in Kobe. A small number of Jewish expatriates of other countries live throughout Japan, temporarily, for business, research, a gap year
, or a variety of other purposes. There are always Jewish members of the United States armed forces serving on Okinawa and in the other American military bases throughout Japan.
There are two major active synagogues in Japan. The Beth David Synagogue is active in Tokyo, and the Ohel Shlomo Synagogue is active in Kobe. The Chabad-Lubavitch
organization has two centers in Tokyo.
Refugees, short expatriates:
Other related people to Judaism and Jews in Japan:
Occultism
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
is well documented in modern times with various traditions relating to much earlier eras.
Status of Jews in Japan
JewsJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
are a minor ethnic
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
and religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
group in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, presently consisting of only about 2,000 people or about 0.0016% of Japan's total population
Demographics of Japan
The demographic features of the population of Japan include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
. Although Jews have been present in Japan and Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
has been practiced since the 16th century, on a very limited scale, in Japan, Japan comprised but a small part of Jewish history
Jewish history
Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their religion and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Since Jewish history is over 4000 years long and includes hundreds of different populations, any treatment can only be provided in broad strokes...
from the ending of Japan's "closed-door
Sakoku
was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
" foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early settlements
The first confirmed contacts between the Japanese and people of Jewish ancestry began during the Age of DiscoveryAge of Discovery
The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration and the Great Navigations , was a period in history starting in the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world, establishing direct contacts with...
(16th century) with the arrival of European travelers and merchants (primarily the Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
). However it was not until 1853, with the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry following the Convention of Kanagawa
Convention of Kanagawa
On March 31, 1854, the or was concluded between Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. Navy and the Tokugawa shogunate.-Treaty of Peace and Amity :...
ending Japan's "closed-door" foreign policy that Jewish families began to settle in Japan. The first recorded Jewish settlers arrived at Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
in 1861 establishing a diverse community consisting of 50 families (from various Western countries) as well as the building of the first synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in Japan. The community would later move to Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
after the great Kanto earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
of 1923.
Another early Jewish settlement was one established in the 1880s in Nagasaki, a large Japanese port. This community was larger than the one in Yokohama, consisting of more than 100 families. It was here that the Beth Israel Synagogue was created in 1894. The settlement would continually grow and remain active until it eventually declined by the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
in the early 20th century. The community's Torah scroll
Sefer Torah
A Sefer Torah of Torah” or “Torah scroll”) is a handwritten copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, the holiest book within Judaism. It must meet extremely strict standards of production. The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Torah reading during Jewish services...
would eventually be passed down to the Jews of Kobe, a group formed of freed Russian Jewish war prisoners that had participated in the Czar's army and the Russian Revolution of 1905
Russian Revolution of 1905
The 1905 Russian Revolution was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. Some of it was directed against the government, while some was undirected. It included worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies...
.
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
the Kobe Jewish community was one of the largest Jewish communities in Japan formed by hundreds of Jews arriving from Russia (originating from the Manchurian city of Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
), the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
(mainly from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
), as well as from Central
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an countries (primarily Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
). During this time Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
's Jewish community (now Japan's largest) was slowly growing with the arrival of Jews from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Western Europe for multiple reasons. Both of these communities were formed based on constitutional values along with community organizations that had a committee president and treasurer and communal structure. Each community now has its own synagogue and welcomes anyone of the Jewish faith 18 years or older to become a member.
Jewish settlement in Imperial Japan
Some Japanese leaders, such as Captain Inuzuka Koreshige (犬塚 惟重), Colonel Yasue Norihiro (安江 仙弘) and industrialist Aikawa YoshisukeYoshisuke Aikawa
-External links:*...
(鮎川 義介), came to believe that Jewish economic and political power could be harnessed by Japan through controlled immigration, and that such a policy would also ensure favor from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
through the influence of American Jewry
History of the Jews in the United States
The history of the Jews in the United States , has been part of the American national fabric since colonial times.Until the 1830s the Jewish community of Charleston, South Carolina was the most numerous in North America. With the large scale immigration of Jews from Germany in the 19th century,...
. Although efforts were made to attract Jewish investment and immigrants, the plan was limited by the government's desire not to interfere with its alliance with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Ultimately it was left up to the world Jewish community to fund the settlements and to supply settlers, and the plan failed to attract a significant long-term population or create the strategic benefits for Japan that had been expected by its originators.
On December 6, 1938, Five ministers council (Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Fumimaro Konoe
Fumimaro Konoe
Prince was a politician in the Empire of Japan who served as the 34th, 38th and 39th Prime Minister of Japan and founder/leader of the Taisei Yokusankai.- Early life :...
, Army Minister
Ministry of War of Japan
The , more popularly known as the Ministry of War of Japan, was cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Army...
Seishirō Itagaki, Navy Minister
Ministry of the Navy of Japan
The was a cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It existed from 1872 to 1945.-History:...
Mitsumasa Yonai
Mitsumasa Yonai
was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and politician. He was the 37th Prime Minister of Japan from 16 January to 22 July 1940.-Early life & Naval career:...
, Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
Hachirō Arita
Hachiro Arita
was a Japanese politician and diplomat who served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs for three terms. He is believed to have originated the concept of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.- Biography :...
and Finance Minister
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
Shigeaki Ikeda
Shigeaki Ikeda
', also known as Seihin Ikeda, was a Japanese politician and businessman prominent in the early decades of the 20th century. He served as director of Mitsui Bank from 1909-1933, was appointed governor of the Bank of Japan in 1937, and served as Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Fumimaro...
), which was the highest decision making council, made a decision of prohibiting the expulsion of the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
in Japan.
During World War II, Japan was regarded as a safe refuge from the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, despite being a part of the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
and an ally of Germany. During World War II, Jews trying to escape German-occupied Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
could not pass the blockades near the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and were forced to go through the neutral country of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
(which was occupied by belligerents in June 1940, starting with the Soviet Union, then Germany, and then the Soviet Union again).
Of those who arrived, many (around 5,000) were sent to the Dutch West Indies with Japanese visas issued by Chiune Sugihara
Chiune Sugihara
was a Japanese diplomat who served as Vice-Consul for the Japanese Empire in Lithuania. During World War II, he helped several thousand Jews leave the country by issuing transit visas to Jewish refugees so that they could travel to Japan. Most of the Jews who escaped were refugees from...
, the Japanese consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
to Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. Sugihara ignored his orders and gave thousands of Jews entry visas to Japan, risking his career and saving more than 6,000 lives.
Sugihara is said to have cooperated with Polish intelligence, as a part of bigger Japanese-Polish cooperative plan.
They managed to flee across the vast territory of Russia by train to Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
and then by boat to Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
in Japan. The refugees in number of 2,185 arrived in Japan from August 1940 to June 1941. Tadeusz Romer
Tadeusz Romer
Tadeusz Romer was a Polish diplomat and politician.He was a personal secretary to Roman Dmowski in 1919. Later he joined the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he served as Polish ambassador to Italy, Portugal, Japan and the Soviet Union...
, the Polish ambassador in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, had managed to get transit visas in Japan, asylum visas to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Burma, immigration certificates to Palestine, and immigrant visas to the United States and some Latin American countries. Most Jews were permitted and encouraged to move on from Japan to the Shanghai Ghetto
Shanghai ghetto
The Shanghai ghetto, formally known as the , was an area of approximately one square mile in the Hongkou District of Japanese-occupied Shanghai, to which about 20,000 Jewish refugees were relocated by the Japanese-issued Proclamation Concerning Restriction of Residence and Business of Stateless...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, under Japanese occupation for the duration of World War II. Finally, Tadeusz Romer arrived in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
on November 1, 1941, to continue the action for Jewish refugees. Among those saved in the Shanghai Ghetto were leaders and students of Mir yeshiva
Mir yeshiva
Mir Yeshiva or Mirrer Yeshiva may refer to:* Mir yeshiva * Mir yeshiva * Mir yeshiva...
, the only European yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
to survive the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. They, some 400 in number, fled from Mir
Mir, Belarus
Mir is an urban settlement in Kareličy raion, Hrodna Voblast, Belarus on the banks of Miranka River, about 85 kilometers southwest of the national capital, Minsk....
to Vilna with the outbreak of World War II in 1939, and then to Keidan, Lithuania. In late 1940, they obtained visas from Chiune Sugihara, to travel from Keidan, then Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
, via Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
to Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Japan. By November 1941 the Japanese moved this group and most of others on to the Shanghai Ghetto in order to consolidate the Jews under their control.
Throughout the war, the Japanese government continually rejected requests from the German government to establish anti-Semitic
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
policies. Towards the end, Nazi representatives pressured the Japanese army to devise a plan to exterminate Shanghai's Jewish population, and this pressure eventually became known to the Jewish community's leadership. However, the Japanese had no intention of further provoking the anger of the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, and thus delayed the German request for a time, eventually rejecting it entirely.
One famous Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
institution that was saved this way was the Lithuanian
Lithuanian Jews
Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks are Jews with roots in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania:...
Haredi
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
Mir yeshiva
Mir yeshiva (Poland)
The Mir yeshiva , commonly known as the Mirrer Yeshiva or The Mir, was a Haredi yeshiva located in the town of Mir, Russian Empire...
. The Japanese government and people offered the Jews temporary shelter, medical services, food, transportation, and gifts, but preferred that they move on to reside in Japanese-occupied Shanghai.
At war's end, about half of the Jews who had been in Japanese-controlled territories later moved on to the Western hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
(such as the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) and the remainder moved to other parts of the world, many to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Accusations of antisemitism
With only a small and relatively obscure Jewish population, JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
had no traditional antisemitism until the 20th century, when Russian antisemitism and Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
and propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
influenced a small number of Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
. Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
argued the Anglo-Japanese Alliance
Anglo-Japanese Alliance
The first was signed in London at what is now the Lansdowne Club, on January 30, 1902, by Lord Lansdowne and Hayashi Tadasu . A diplomatic milestone for its ending of Britain's splendid isolation, the alliance was renewed and extended in scope twice, in 1905 and 1911, before its demise in 1921...
dissolve was due to the Jewish Press.
Antisemitism took mainly the form of a subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
of conspiracy theory which was expressed in the context of a conspiracy to subjugate the world or Japan which is ultimately controlled by Jews. Antisemitic and conspiracist
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
books and pamphlets are sold in major bookstores and themes which may be influenced by stereotypical views of Jews have entered the popular culture and even affect the educated academic community.
Japanese society lacks many of the racist taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
s held by the Western world; this is reflected in elements of Japanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, manga, and music all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation...
, reflecting stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s or other forms of expression regarding the Jewish people, or other peoples, that would be considered outrageous in the West.
In 1918, the Japanese army sent troops
Siberian Intervention
The ', or the Siberian Expedition, of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil War...
to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
to aid the White Army
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
against the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. It was at this time that Japanese were first introduced to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an antisemitic text.
Though deeper research by the Japanese military and government unearthed no evidence of a global Jewish conspiracy, a small number of officials and officers continued to believe in the economic and political power of the Jewish people. In the early 1930s, a plot known as the Fugu Plan
Fugu Plan
The Jewish settlement in Imperial Japan involved the movement of Jews to and through Japan to its occupied areas of China shortly prior to and during World War II, coinciding with the Second Sino-Japanese War...
was thus hatched, in which this small cadre of "Jewish experts" convinced the government and military to arrange for the re-settlement of thousands of Jews from Europe in the Japanese Empire
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. The underlying belief behind this plan was that a population of Jews could create amazing economic benefit for Japan, and that the power of Jews in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States, was great enough that the rescue of Jews from the Nazis could benefit US-Japan relations.
In 1936, lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Shioden Nobutaka
Shioden Nobutaka
- Notes :...
(四王天延孝), translated the Protocols into Japanese. Shioden became a believer in a Jewish conspiracy
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
while he was studying in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. According to Dr. David Kranzler
David Kranzler
Professor David Kranzler was a researcher and historian specializing in those who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. He was born in Germany on May 19, 1930. To avoid imminent danger from the Nazis, his family fled to the United States in 1937...
, "The key to the distinction between the Japanese and the European form of antisemitism seems to lie in the long Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
tradition of identifying the Jew with the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
or someone otherwise beyond redemption ... The Japanese lacked this Christian image of the Jew and brought to their reading of the Protocols a totally different perspective. The Christian tried to solve the problem of the Jew by eliminating him; the Japanese tried to harness his alleged immense wealth and power to Japan's advantage."
As Japan was allied with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Nazi ideology and propaganda regarding the Jewish people came to be circulated within Japan as well, contributing to the development of Japan's particular brand of antisemitism. However, while various theories about the Jewish people may have gained a degree of acceptance among the Japanese people as a whole, the Japanese government and military never gave in to Nazi recommendations that extermination programs or the like be undertaken.
By the end of the 20th century, a great many books were published relating to the Jewish conspiracy or the theory that Japanese and Jews have common ancestry. Various theories and explanations for the alleged Jewish control of the world were thus circulated, many involving elements of the occult and intellectual play, and gossip. Occult theories relating to the Jewish people, along with theories connecting the Jews and Japan, play a major role in a number of so-called "New Religions" (Shinshūkyō
Shinshukyo
is a Japanese term used to describe domestic new religious movements. They are also known as in Japanese, and are most often called simply Japanese new religions in English. Japanese theologians classify all religious organizations founded since the middle of the 19th century as Shinshūkyō. Thus,...
) in Japan. However, anti-semitic books in Japan are usually regarded as a type of tondemo
Tondemo
Tondemo means "outrageous" or "preposterous" in Japanese. Recently the word has gained another meaning thanks to the activity of Togakkai which annually award Nihon Tondemo-bon Taisho , which is a sort of combination of Razzie, Ig Nobel Prize and James Randi Foundation...
bon (トンデモ本, dodgy/outrageous books, a term which covers a wide range of esoteric subjects taken lightly by the vast majority of the population.
Jews and Judaism in modern Japan
After World War II, a large portion of the few Jews that were in Japan left, many going to what would become IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Some of those who remained married locals and were assimilated into Japanese society.
The Israeli embassy and its staff is based in Tokyo. Presently, there are several hundred Jewish families living in Tokyo, and a small number of Jewish families in Kobe. A small number of Jewish expatriates of other countries live throughout Japan, temporarily, for business, research, a gap year
Gap year
An expression or phrase that is associated with taking time out to travel in between life stages. It is also known as sabbatical, time off and time out that refers to a period of time in which students disengage from curricular education and undertake non curricular activities, such as travel or...
, or a variety of other purposes. There are always Jewish members of the United States armed forces serving on Okinawa and in the other American military bases throughout Japan.
There are two major active synagogues in Japan. The Beth David Synagogue is active in Tokyo, and the Ohel Shlomo Synagogue is active in Kobe. The Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch is a Chasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism. One of the world's larger and best-known Chasidic movements, its official headquarters is in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York...
organization has two centers in Tokyo.
Tokyo Jewish Community
- Rabbi Herman Dicker, 1960–1963, Orthodox
- Rabbi Marvin Tokayer, 1968–1976, Conservative
- Rabbi Jonathan Z. Maltzman, 1980–1983, Conservative
- Rabbi Michael SchudrichMichael SchudrichMichael Joseph Schudrich is the Chief Rabbi of Poland. He is the oldest of four children of Rabbi David Schudrich and Doris Goldfarb Schudrich.-Biography:...
, 1983–1989, Conservative - Rabbi Moshe Silberschein, 1989–1992, Conservative
- Rabbi Jim Lebeau, 1993–1997, Conservative
- Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose, 1998–1999, Conservative
- Rabbi Elliot Marmon, 1999–2002, Conservative
- Rabbi Henri Noach, 2002–2008, Conservative
- Rabbi Rachel Smookler, Reform, interim-rabbi
- Rabbi Antonio Di Gesù, 2009–present, Conservative
List of notable Jews in Japan
- James Rosenberg
- Alfred BirnbaumAlfred BirnbaumAlfred Birnbaum is an American translator.Alfred Birnbaum was born in the United States and raised in Japan from age five. He studied at Waseda University, Tokyo, under a Japanese Ministry of Education scholarship, and has been a freelance literary and cultural translator since 1980.From March...
- Dan CalichmanDan CalichmanDaniel Jacob "Dan" Calichman is a retired American soccer player.-College:Calichman played college soccer at Williams College, where he was a three-time Division III All-American.-Professional:...
- Lopo Sarmento de Carvalho
- Julie DreyfusJulie DreyfusJulie Dreyfus is a French actress.Dreyfus, who speaks fluent Japanese, French, and English, is well known in Japan, where she made her TV debut on a French-language lesson program on NHK's educational channel in the late 1980s, and has appeared on the TV show Ryōri no Tetsujin as a guest and...
- Peter DruckerPeter DruckerPeter Ferdinand Drucker was an influential writer, management consultant, and self-described “social ecologist.”-Introduction:...
, management consultant - Rachel EliorRachel EliorRachel Elior is an Israeli professor of Jewish philosophy and mysticism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Jerusalem, Israel.-Academic career:...
- Péter FranklPéter Frankl----Péter Frankl is a Hungarian mathematician and street performer. Frankl studied Mathematics in University Paris Diderot and has lived in Japan since 1988, where he sometimes appears on NHK. Though not as popular as he once was, he still performs juggling in public spaces around Tokyo...
, Hungarian mathematician - Martin "Marty" Adam Friedman, rock guitarist
- Ayako FujitaniAyako FujitaniAyako Fujitani is a writer and actress. She is fluent in English and Japanese.-Early life:...
, writer and actress, convert
- Szymon GoldbergSzymon GoldbergSzymon Goldberg was a Polish-born American violinist and conductor.Born in Włocławek, Congress Poland, Goldberg played the violin as a child growing up in Warsaw...
- David G. Goodman, Japanologist
- Karl Taro GreenfeldKarl Taro GreenfeldKarl Taro Greenfeld is a journalist and author known primarily for his articles on life in modern Asia and both his fiction and non-fiction in The Paris Review....
, journalist and author - Manfred GurlittManfred GurlittManfred Gurlitt was a German opera composer and conductor. He studied composition with Engelbert Humperdinck, conducting with Karl Muck, and piano with Moritz Mayer-Mahr...
- Jack HalpernJack Halpern (linguist)Jack Halpern is an entrepreneur and linguist specializing in Chinese characters or Kanji. He is best known as Editor in Chief for the Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary and the New Japanese-English Character Dictionary....
, Israeli linguist, Kanji-scholar - Suiren Higashino, female photographer, model (Israeli mother)
- Shifra HornShifra Horn.Shifra Horn is an Israeli author.-Biography:Shifra Horn was born in Tel Aviv. She lives in the Gilo neighbourhood of Jerusalem. After majoring in Bible Studies and Archeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, she earned an MA in Bible Studies...
- Chaim JanowskiChaim JanowskiChaim Janowski was a Polish chess master and organizer.Born into a Jewish family in Wołkowysk , he was the younger brother of Dawid Janowski. He was educated in Łódź where lived and played chess for many years...
- Max JanowskiMax JanowskiMax Janowski , was a composer of Jewish liturgical music, a conductor, choir director, and voice teacher. Born in Berlin, in the early 1930s he became head of the piano department at the Musashino Academy of Music, Tokyo, Japan. He emigrated to the United States in 1937 and served in the U.S...
- Charles L. Kadis (ja)
- Kanji (Yitzhak) Ishizumi , convert
- Rena "Rusty" Kanokogi, née GlickmanRena KanokogiRena "Rusty" Kanokogi , née Glickman, was a renowned Jewish-American judo expert from Brooklyn, New York. In 1959, disguised as a man, she won a medal at a YMCA judo tournament, but had to return it after acknowledging that she was a woman...
- Abraham KaufmanAbraham KaufmanDr. Abraham Josevich Kaufman was a Russian-born medical doctor, community organizer and Zionist who helped protect some tens of thousands of Jews seeking safe-haven in East Asia from Nazi atrocities during World War II.As a consequence of his contacts with Japanese authorities during World War II...
- Michael KoganMichael Koganwas a Russian Jewish businessman who founded the Japanese games maker Taito Corporation. He was born in Odessa, but his family moved to Harbin, Manchuria to escape the Russian Revolution of 1917, where he later met Colonel Yasue Norihiro, a member of the Japanese Army's intelligence services and...
, founder of Taito CorporationTaito CorporationThe is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company.... - Fumiko KometaniFumiko KometaniFumiko Kometani, born in Osaka, Japan in 1930, is a Japanese author and artist and a longtime resident of the United States. Kometani moved to the U.S. in 1960 when she was working as an abstract painter, spending time at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire where she met her husband, Josh...
, author and artist, convert - Setsuzo Kotsuji, Hebrew professor, convert
- Leonid KreutzerLeonid KreutzerLeonid Kreutzer was a classical pianist.Kreutzer was born to a family of German Jewish parents. He was a highly influential piano teacher at the Berlin Academy of Music , together with Egon Petri...
, pianist
- Joseph Henry Levyssohn
- Yaacov LibermanYaacov LibermanYaacov Liberman is a Zionist politician and writer.He was born in Harbin into a wealthy Russian-Jewish family . He was Shanghai Zionist leader...
- Henryk LipszycHenryk LipszycHenryk Lipszyc is a Polish scientist of Jewish ancestry, specialist in Japanese culture, theatre and a translator from Japanese. In 1964 he graduated from the Warsaw University. Between 1972 and 1978 he studied at various Japanese universities, including University of Waseda and University of...
- Leza LowitzLeza LowitzLeza Lowitz is an American expatriate writer residing in Tokyo, Japan. She has written, edited and translated over fifteen books about Japan, its relationship with the U.S.A., on the changing role of Japanese women in literature, art and society, and about the lasting effect of the Second World...
, American Japanologist
- Alan MerrillAlan MerrillAlan Merrill is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. In the early 1970s Merrill was the first westerner to achieve pop star status in Japan...
- Sulamith MessererSulamith MessererSulamith Mikhailovna Messerer was a Russian ballerina and choreographer who laid the foundations for the classical ballet in Japan.Sulamith studied in the Moscow Ballet School under Vasily Tikhomirov and Elisabeth Gerdt and danced in the Bolshoi Theatre from 1926 until 1950. In 1933, she and her...
- Emmanuel MetterEmmanuel MetterEmmanuel Leonievich Metter was a Ukrainian conductor.Emmanuel Metter was born in Kherson, Ukraine, in a Jewish family running a business. He entered the faculty of medicine at the Kharkiv National University on August 26, 1897; however, he transferred to the faculty of law on September 7, 1898,...
- Michael "Mike" S. Molasky, Japanologist
- Albert MosseAlbert MosseIsaac Albert Mosse was a German judge and legal scholar. Mosse's importance lies in the working out of Japan's Meiji Constitution and his continuation of Litthauer's Comments on the German Commercial Code.-Biography:...
- John NathanJohn NathanJohn Nathan is the translator of Japanese works written by celebrated authors such as Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburō Ōe. Nathan is also an Emmy-award winning producer, writer and director of many films about Japanese culture and society and American business.He studied at University of Tokyo...
- Emil OrlíkEmil OrlíkEmil Orlik was born in Prague, which was at that time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and lived and worked in Prague, Austria and Germany...
- Klaus Pringsheim
- Roger Pulvers
- Ludwig RiessLudwig RiessLudwig Riess was a German-born historian and educator, noted for his work in late 19th century Japan.-Biography:...
- Joseph RosenstockJoseph RosenstockJoseph Rosenstock was a Polish Jewish conductor.-Early years:He worked at the State Opera in Wiesbaden before being brought into the Metropolitan Opera in New York to replace Artur Bodanzky in 1928...
, conductor of the NHK Symphony OrchestraNHK Symphony OrchestraThe in Tokyo, Japan began as the New Symphony Orchestra on October 5, 1926 and was the country's first professional symphony orchestra. Later, it changed its name to Japan Symphony Orchestra and in 1951, after receiving financial support from NHK, it took its current name... - Jay RubinJay RubinJay Rubin is an American academic and translator. He is most notable for being one of the main translators into English of the works of the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. He has also written a guide to Japanese, Making Sense of Japanese , and a biographical literary analysis of Murakami.He has...
- Lester Salwin
- Raphael "Ralph" Schoyer (1800–1865)
- Steven SeagalSteven SeagalSteven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
- Arie SelingerArie SelingerAryeh Selinger is widely regarded as one of the greatest volleyball coaches of all time.Selinger has served as the head coach of the USA Women's Team in the years 1975-1984, a team that would go on to win the Bronze medal in the 1982 World Championship and the Silver Medal in the 1984 Summer...
- Ben-Ami Shillony, Israeli Japanologist
- Kurt SingerKurt SingerKurt Singer was a German economist and philosopher.Born in Magdeburg, he was a professor at Hamburg University .He taught at Tokyo Imperial University from 1931 to 1935.Singer died at Athens, Greece....
- Beate SirotaBeate SirotaBeate Sirota Gordon is a former Performing Arts Director of the Japan Society and of Asia Society, and was a member of the team that worked under Douglas MacArthur on the Constitution of Japan....
, former Performing Arts Director of Japan Society and Asia SocietyAsia SocietyThe Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States and around the world Hong Kong, Manila, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, and Melbourne... - Leo SirotaLeo SirotaLeo Sirota was a Jewish pianist born in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Podolskaya Guberniya, Russian Empire, now Ukraine....
- Dave SpectorDave SpectorDave Spector is a gaijin tarento in Japan.Spector, a Jewish American, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He studied abroad at Sophia University in 1972. He has lived in Japan since 1983...
- Christopher W(ładysław Antoni). Szpilman
- Zerach WarhaftigZerach WarhaftigRabbi Dr. Zerach Warhaftig was an Israeli lawyer and politician and a signatory of Israel's Declaration of Independence.-Background:Warhaftig was born in Volkovysk in the Russian Empire in 1906. His parents were Yerucham Warhaftig and Rivka Fainstein...
- Sally Weil
- Luís de AlmeidaLuís de AlmeidaLuís de Almeida served as the Angolan government's top diplomat to Europe during the 1980s, at one point specifically as ambassador to France.-External links:*...
(Hebrew CatholicHebrew CatholicsHebrew Catholics are a movement of Jews converted to the faith of the Roman Catholic Church. The phrase was coined by Father Elias Friedman, OCD who was himself a converted Jew...
) - Vladimir AshkenazyVladimir AshkenazyVladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian-Icelandic conductor and pianist. Since 1972 he has been a citizen of Iceland, his wife Þórunn's country of birth. Since 1978, because of his many obligations in Europe, he and his family have resided in Meggen, near Lucerne in Switzerland...
, Patrilineal Jew - Peter Barakan, Patrilineal Jew
- Bernard Jean BettelheimBernard Jean BettelheimBernard Jean Bettelheim was a Christian missionary to Okinawa, the first Protestant missionary to be active there.-Biography:...
(Jewish Christian) - Hideo LevyHideo Levyis an American-born Japanese Language author. He was born in California and educated in Taiwan, America, and Japan.He gained attention in Japan for his work Seijōki no Kikoenai Heya published in 1992, which won the Noma Literary Award for New Writers. He is one of the first Americans to write...
, Patrilineal Jew - Steven SeagalSteven SeagalSteven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
, Patrilineal Jew
Refugees, short expatriates:
- Moshe AtzmonMoshe AtzmonMoshe Atzmon is a Hungarian-born Israeli conductor.He was born in Budapest, and at the age of thirteen he emigrated with his family to Tel Aviv, Israel. He started his musical career on the horn before going to London for further studies in conducting....
- Robert Alan Feldman
- George W. F. HallgartenGeorge W. F. HallgartenGeorge W. F. Hallgarten, or Georg Wolfgang Felix Hallgarten was a German-born American historian....
- Albert Kahn (banker)Albert Kahn (banker)Albert Kahn was a French banker and philanthropist. He was born Abraham Kahn at Marmoutier, Bas-Rhin, France on 3 March 1860, into a Jewish family, one of 5 children of his parents, Louis and Babette Kahn. He died at Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France on 14 November 1940.In 1879 Kahn...
- Mirra AlfassaMirra Alfassa-Early life:Mirra Alfassa was born in Paris in 1878, of a Turkish Jewish father, Maurice, and an Egyptian Jewish mother, Mathilde. She had an elder brother named Matteo. The family migrated to France the year before she was born. For the first eight years of her life she lived at 62 boulevard...
- Emil LedererEmil LedererEmil Lederer was a Bohemian-born German economist and sociologist. Purged from his position at Heidelberg University in 1933 for being Jewish, Lederer fled into exile. He helped establish the "University in Exile" at the New School in New York City.-Biography:Lederer was born in 1882 to a Jewish...
- Karl LöwithKarl LöwithKarl Löwith , was a German philosopher, a student of Heidegger.Löwith was born in Munich. Though he was himself Protestant, his family was of Jewish descent and he therefore had to emigrate Germany in 1934 because of the National Socialist regime. He went to Italy and in 1936 he went to Japan...
- Norman MailerNorman MailerNorman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
- Leo MelamedLeo MelamedLeo Melamed is a former chairman of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange , current board member of CME Group and chairman of the CME Group Foundation. He is a longtime executive in the field of global derivatives....
- Franz OppenheimerFranz OppenheimerFranz Oppenheimer was a German-Jewish sociologist and political economist, who published also in the area of the fundamental sociology of the state.-Personal life:...
- Moritz Philippson
- A. M. Pollak, Ritter von Rudin
- Hayyim Selig SlonimskiHayyim Selig SlonimskiHayyim Selig Slonimski was a Hebrew publisher, astronomer, inventor, and science author.-Biography:Hayyim Selig Slonimski was born in Byelostok, Russian Empire March 31, 1810....
Other related people to Judaism and Jews in Japan:
- Hana BradyHana BradyHana Brady was a 13-year old Jewish girl murdered in the Holocaust. She is the subject of the 2002 non-fiction children's book Hana's Suitcase, written by Karen Levine.-Biography:Hana Brady was born in Nové Mesto, Czechoslovakia on May 16, 1931...
, George Brady - Junko ChodosJunko ChodosJunko Chodos is a contemporary Japanese-American artist residing in the United States. Her works represent an unusually wide variety of techniques and styles, ranging from close, very detailed and painstaking work with pencil, pen, and collage, to more gestural works done with acrylic.Her...
- Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky
- Jeremy GlickJeremy GlickJeremy Logan Glick was one of the passengers on board United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked as part of the September 11 attacks. Aware of the earlier crashes at the World Trade Center, Glick and some of his fellow passengers attempted to foil the hijacking...
- Lili KrausLili KrausLili Kraus was a Hungarian-born British pianist.-Biography:Lili Kraus was born in Budapest in 1903. Her father was from Czech Lands, and her mother from an assimilated Jewish Hungarian family....
- Samuel UllmanSamuel UllmanSamuel Ullman was an American businessman, poet, humanitarian. He is best known today for his poem Youth which was a favorite of General Douglas MacArthur. The poem was on the wall of his office in Tokyo when he became Supreme Allied Commander in Japan...
See also
- Religion in JapanReligion in JapanMost Japanese people do not exclusively identify themselves as adherents of a single religion; rather, they incorporate elements of various religions in a syncretic fashion known as . Shinbutsu Shūgō officially ended with the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order of 1886, but continues in practice...
- Ethnic issues in JapanEthnic issues in Japan- Demographic :About 1.6% of Japan's total legal resident population are foreign nationals. Of these, according to 2008 data from the Japanese government, the principal groups are as follows....
- Japanese-Jewish Common Ancestor TheoryJapanese-Jewish Common Ancestor TheoryThe Japanese-Jewish Common Ancestor Theory is a hypothesis which originated in the latter half of the 19th century which claims the Japanese people and the Jews have common ancestors such as Jacob and Abraham and the Japanese are the main part of the ten lost tribes of Israel...
- Timeline of Jewish historyTimeline of Jewish historyThis is a timeline of the development of Jews and Judaism. All dates are given according to the Common Era, not the Hebrew calendar....
- Jewish settlement in Imperial Japan
- Fugu PlanFugu PlanThe Jewish settlement in Imperial Japan involved the movement of Jews to and through Japan to its occupied areas of China shortly prior to and during World War II, coinciding with the Second Sino-Japanese War...
(1934, 1938) - Israel-Japan relationsIsrael-Japan relationsIsrael–Japan relations began on May 15, 1952 when Japan recognized Israel and an Israeli legation opened in Tokyo. In 1954 Japan's ambassador to Turkey assumed the additional role of minister to Israel. In 1955 a Japanese legation with a Minister Plenipotentiary opened in Tel Aviv. in 1963,...
(since 1952) - Racial Equality Proposal, 1919Racial Equality Proposal, 1919The Racial Equality Proposal was a Japanese proposal for racial equality at the Paris Peace Conference.-The proposal:After the end of seclusion, Japan suffered unequal treaties and demanded equal status with the Powers. In this context, the Japanese delegation to the Paris peace conference proposed...
External links
General- The Jews and the Japanese: Cultural Traits and Common Values
- The Jews of Kobe
- PBS: Ten Lost Tribes: Japan
- Article and video on Japanese convert and rabbi Hatori
Occultism
- Jews in the Japanese Mind by David G. Goodman and Miyazawa Masanori. A seminal book on this topic.
- On Ignorance, Respect and Suspicion: Current Japanese Attitudes toward Jews by Rotem Kowner. A large-scale study of Japanese views of Jews.
- On Symbolic Antisemitism: Motives for the Success of the Protocols in Japan and Its Consequences by Rotem Kowner. A critical essay.