Jews In The Japanese Mind

Why are the Japanese fascinated with the Jews? By showing that the modern attitude is the result of a process of accretion begun 200 years ago, this book describes the development behind Japanese ideas of Jews and how these images are reflected in their modern intellectual life

Twenty-eight essays provide an overview of modern Japanese culture, with attention to the society's values, attitudes, behavior patterns, and communication styles. War, gender roles, seniority rules, group consciousness, and aesthetics are specifically considered. A chronology and glossary are included. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In The Japanese Mind, Roger Davies offers Westerners an invaluable key to the unique aspects of Japanese culture. Readers of this book will gain a clear understanding of what makes the Japanese, and their society, tick. Among the topics explored: aimai (ambiguity), amae (dependence upon others' benevolence), amakudari (the nation's descent from heaven), chinmoku (silence in communication), gambari (perseverance), giri (social obligation), haragei (literally, "belly art"; implicit, unspoken communication), kenkyo (the appearance of modesty), sempai-kohai (seniority), wabi-sabi (simplicity and elegance), and zoto (gift giving), as well as discussions of child-rearing, personal space, and the roles of women in Japanese society. It includes discussion topics and questions after each chapter. All in all, this book is an easy-to-use introduction to the distinguishing characteristics of Japanese society; an invaluable resource for anyone—business people, travelers, or students—perfect for course adoption, but also for anyone interested in Japanese culture. Next in this series: Now available separately, Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations is a fascinating journey through Japan's rich cultural history.

"Few peoples have drawn the 'us' and 'them' line so clearly and maintained it for so long." —From The Jews and the Japanese It is difficult to imagine two more widely different—almost incompatible—societies than those of the Jews and the Japanese: a people spread over the four corners of the world versus a people with an almost uninterrupted history of sovereignty in its own land: geographical heterogeneity versus linguistic and cultural homogeneity; a cosmopolitan experience versus an island mentality; strict religious and moral commandments versus group–based and aesthetically bound values. Yet, there are also surprising analogies between these two peoples. It is this extraordinary combination of similarities and differences that are explored. In The Jews and the Japanese, Professor Shillony describes how these two peoples, both rich in cultural heritage and historical experiences, have interacted with the Christian West, their outstanding achievements and immense tragedies, and their attempts to integrate with the West and its repeated rejection of them.

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 19th to early 20th-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.

Before World War I, Japan did not have an antisemitic tradition of its own. Although influences of Western antisemitism reached the country in the late 19th century, it was only during Japan's participation in the Siberian Intervention of 1918-22 that the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" made their way to Japan. The dissemination of this work promoted "conspiracy and scapegoating antisemitism" in the country. In 1920-21, several Japanese translations of the "Protocols" appeared, and the topics of Jewish omnipotence and the "Jewish peril" ("Yudayaka" in Japanese) became widespread in the mass media and in literature. One of the themes discussed was the "Jewish character" of the Bolshevik Revolution. Discusses writings by Eiju Oniwa, Tsuyanoske Higuchi (aka Baiseki Kitagami), Seika Ariga, Minetaro Yamanaka, Tokio Imai, etc., as well as the writings of those who criticized the conception of the "Jewish world conspiracy" and rejected the "Yudayaka" and the veracity of the "Protocols": Sakuzo Yoshino, Tokusaburo Hatta, Kametaro Mitsukawa, Masao Kinoshita, and others. In 1929 a roundtable on the "Jewish problem" was organized by the magazine "Heibon".

An updated version of a paper delivered at a symposium organized by the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism in October 2004. In the eight decades since the first publication of the "Protocols" in Japan (1924) various factors have worked to promote interest in the book or, alternatively, to suppress it. One factor is the emulation of foreign trends and fads. The first wave of antisemitic writing in the 1930s-40s was an emulation of German writings, and the second wave, from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, echoed a global surge in antisemitism. A second factor is a preoccupation with the Other; the Jews displace other external groups, mainly the USA or the West in general, which it is less "legitimate" to criticize. A third factor is use of antisemitism to reinforce the Japanese sense of uniqueness and as an explanation for Japan's current problems. Other factors are an exceptional interest in occult literature on evil attempts to control the world, exemplified by the "Protocols", and the huge commercial success of books about Jews. Responds to David Goodman's paper on Japan (Posen Paper no. 2), discussing in particular the views of Masami Uno and Shoko Asahara. Since 1995, there has been a decrease in antisemitic writings and an increase in translations of serious works about Jews. Therefore, the saga of the "Protocols" in Japan should be perceived as a microcosm of Japanese attitudes toward Jews, but also toward the West and consequently toward themselves. Jews in the Japanese mind remain symbolic, corresponding to a radically ambivalent attitude toward the Other.