| Judaism In Japan |
Website Links For Jews |
Information AboutJudaism In Japan |
|
Jews are a minor Ethnic Group in Japan , presently consisting of only about 1,000 Jew s or about 0.0008% of Japan's Total Population . Though Judaism has existed and been practiced on a very limited scale in Japan, Japan is very rich in Jewish History , from the ending of Japan's " Closed-door " Foreign Policy to World War II . JEWISH HISTORY IN JAPAN Early settlements First contacts between the Japanese and people of Jewish ancestry began during the Age Of Discovery ( 16th Century ) with the arrival of European travelers and merchants (primarily the Portuguese and Dutch ). However it wasn't 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 1880 s 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 European 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. The Fugu Plan and World War II See Also: Fugu Plan The was a scheme created by the Japanese government in the 1930s, centered around the idea of creating political and economic advantages for Japan by settling Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe in Japanese-controlled Manchuria . The motivation behind the plan appears to have been based on an uncritical acceptance of Anti-Semitic Propaganda such as the Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion , which promulgated the idea that the Jewish people had an intrinsic and almost supernatural ability to accumulate money and power. Japanese leaders such as Captain Inuzuka Koreshige (犬塚 惟重), Colonel Yasue Norihiro (安江 仙弘) and industrialist Aikawa Yoshisuke (鮎川 義介), known as the "Jewish experts", came to believe that this 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. Ironically, 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, which persecuted the Jews. During World War II, Jews trying to escape 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 . 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 as many as 10,000 lives. Most Jews were permitted and encouraged to move on from Japan to Settle In Shanghai , China under Japanese occupation for the duration of World War II. Late in the War, 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. The relative safety of the Jews during this period, in contrast to the Japanese treatment of Chinese during the war, was linked to Jewish connections in the United States . It was believed that good treatment of Jews within Japanese territory would help cause the US to look favorably upon Japan. Nevertheless, conditions in the Designated Area were abysmal, particularly during the summer months. 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. Throughout the war, the Japanese government continually rejected requests from the German government to establish Anti-Semitic policies. At war's end, about half these Jews 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. ANTISEMITISM With only a small and relatively obscure Jew ish population, Japan had no traditional Antisemitism until Nazi Ideology and Propaganda influenced a small number of Japanese . While antisemitism did not become a widespread phenomenon in the country, it persists even today, taking a form of Subculture . Antisemitic and Conspiracist books and pamphlets are sold in major bookstores , and anti-semitic themes enter the popular culture and even affect the educated academic community. Current antisemitism in Japan includes many elements of the occult and intellectual play. To the background, many Japanese like plot theories (plots by Jews, plots by government, SGI ,the act of ghosts, devils). Historical and modern examples of antisemitism in Japan, its most notable proponents In 1918 , the Japanese army sent troops to Siberia and made contact with the White Movement . The White army soldiers had '' The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion '', and Japanese soldiers found out about antisemitism. They translated the book and it was spread. The Japanese army researched "the plot of the Jews," and discovered nothing. For good management of Manchuria , the Japanese government helped many Jews. 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." (''Japanese, Nazis & Jews: The Jewish Refugee Community in Shanghai, 1938-1945'' by David Kranzler. p.207) During the war, Yamanaka Minetaro (山中峯太郎), a juvenile Novel ist, wrote stories in which Japanese heroes knock down Jewish conspirators. The end of 20th, Many books about "Plot of Jews" or "The theory that Japanese and Jews have common ancestry" were sold. The theories and explanations for the alleged Jewish control of the world were circulated. There were high elements of the occult and intellectual play, and gossip. Such books are called Tondemo books. In 1973, a book named "ノストラダムスの大予言" (''Nostradamus no daiyogen''; "The Great Prophecy of Nostradamus") became one of the best sellers. This book is based on ''The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion''. The author, Goto Ben (五島勉), is from a traditional Russian Orthodox family. In 1979, a book named "日本人に謝りたい あるユダヤ人の懺悔" (''Nihonjin ni ayamaritai - Aru yudayajin no zange''; "I'd like to apologize to the Japanese - A Jewish elder's confession") was published. The author of this book, モルデカイ・モーゼ (Mordecai Mose), called himself a rabbi, but actually that was a pseudonym of the self-styled translator of this book, Kubota Masao (久保田政男). In this book, Kubota spread the rumor that Enola Gay means "Kill the Emperor " in Yiddish . This rumor is groundless, but anti-Semites in Japan still support it. In 1984, a book named "世界を動かすユダヤ・パワーの秘密" (''Sekai wo ugokasu yudaya power no himitsu''; "Secrets of the Jewish power which controls the world") was published. This book is based on Jewish conspiracy theory. The author, Saito Eizaburo (斉藤栄三郎), was a member of the House Of Councillors . In 1986, a book named "ユダヤが解ると世界が見えてくる" (''Yudaya ga wakaruto sekai ga mietekuru''; "To watch Jews is to see the world clearly") became one of Japan's best sellers. This book is also based on ''The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion'', and the author, Uno Masami (宇野正美), still insists that the Ashkenazim are "fake Jews", and that the Zionist s are controlling the world. According to him, the Japanese are the descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel , so Japanese will defeat "fake Jews" someday, he says. In 1986, a book named "これからの１０年間 ユダヤ・プロトコール超裏読み術―あなたに起こるショッキングな現実" (''Korekara no 10 nenkan: Yudaya protocol cho urayomi jutu - Anata ni okoru shocking na genjitsu''; "The forthcoming 10 years: How to read Jewish protocol inside out - Shocking realities that happen to you") also became one of Japan's best sellers. The author, Yajima Kinji (矢島鈞次), was an economist, and a professor at Aoyama Gakuin University . In 1987, a Magazine named "歴史読本" (''Rekishi dokuhon''; "The history magazine") featured articles titled "世界、謎のユダヤ" (''Sekai, nazo no yudaya''; "The world, mysterious Jews"), and insisted that the Watergate scandal and the Lockheed scandal were Jewish conspiracies. It is reported that Tanaka Kakuei (田中角栄) said "Yudaya ni yarareta, yudaya ni ki wo tsukero (I've been taken in by Jews, be wary of Jews)", when he was released on bail. In 1995, a magazine named '' Marco Polo '' (マルコポーロ) carried a Holocaust Denial article by a Doctor , Nishioka Masanori (西岡昌紀). The Simon Wiesenthal Center protested against this article, so the publisher apologized deeply, and discontinued the magazine. Aum Shinrikyo (オウム真理教), a controversial Buddhist religious group, also distributed conspiracy theories to attract the Japanese readers as part of their recruitment efforts in 1992-1995. Some argue that Goto Ben's books had reportedly had influences on Aum Shinrikyo publications of this time. It is reported that Murai Hideo (村井秀夫), one of the leaders of Aum Shinrikyo, uttered "Yudaya ni yarareta (Jews got me)." when he was stabbed to death. Later Aum abandoned the populist writings and changed their name to Aleph , a first letter of Hebrew Alphabet . Nowadays, Ota Ryu (太田龍), an ex- Trotskyist , is one of the leading propagandists for Jewish conspiracy theory. He has translated the books of Eustace Mullins into Japanese. Anti-semitic books are usually regarded as a type of " Tondemo Bon" (トンデモ本, dodgy/outrageous books）, which covers a very wide range of occultist subjects, such as UFO's and psychic power, and generally taken very lightly. JEWS AND JUDAISM IN MODERN JAPAN After World War II, the few Jews that were in Japan left, many going to what would become Israel . 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 a number of active synagogues in Japan. The Beth David Synagogue is active in Tokyo. There is an active Orthodox synagogue in Kobe. The Chabad Lubavitch organization has a center in Tokyo [http://www.chabadjapan.org/ . FILMS
SEE ALSO
REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS AND REFERENCES ; General ; Occultism
; History
; Jewish life in modern Japan
; Judaism and Japan
|
|
|