The Russian Protocols of Zion in Japan

Book excerpt: 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".