Jews in Japan: Presence and Perception

Silvia Pin

• Publisher: De Gruyter Oldenbourg
• Year: 2023
• ISBN:
  9783111338156
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Jewish History
• Index: History

Jews in Japan: Presence and Perception. Antisemitism, Philosemitism and International Relations is a study on the history of real and imagined Jews in Japan, which discusses the little known cultural, political and economic ties between Jews and Japan, and follows the evolution of Jewish stereotypes in Japan in the last century and a half.

The book begins with the arrival of Jews and their image in late 19 th to early 20 th -century Japan, when the seeds of later stereotyped visions were sown. The discussion then focuses on wartime Japan, delving into the complex and mixed attitudes of the Japanese Empire toward Jews. In postwar Japan, the partial reception of the Holocaust intertwined with earlier antisemitic and philosemitic manifestations, resulting in instances of both hatred and admiration toward Jews. Finally, the book explores the recent reframing of Japanese-Jewish historical encounters within the context of the growing ties between Japan and Israel.

This study sheds new light on the little explored relations between Jews and Japan, offering thought-provoking insights into the coexistence of antisemitism and philosemitism, the political and diplomatic uses of Jewish history, and the perpetuation of Jewish stereotypes in a land devoid of a local Jewish population.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 The origins of Japan’s contradictions towards Jews in modern Japan
• Chapter 2 Jews and their image in wartime Japan
• Chapter 3 The image of the Jews in postwar Japan
• Chapter 4 Israel and Japan: From the “exaggerate” boycott to economic cooperation
• Chapter 5 Sugihara Chiune, the rescue of Jewish refugees, and its current narrative and uses
• Conclusion
• Index