Yudayaka — “The Jewish Peril”
Although anti-Semitism has found support among certain segments of all social groups, Japanese society at large and its governments have never adopted firm anti-Semitic attitudes. The idea of Jewish economic, political and intellectual “omnipotence” (mannoron) — an integral though “soft” form of Jew-hatred which sometimes inadvertently instills suspicion and fear among non-Jews — has gained wide adherence among Japanese who are not otherwise anti-Semitic.
Yudayaka — “The Jewish Peril”
The first and most successful nation to modernize in the Asia Pacific region, Japan also has the oldest and richest anti-Semitic tradition in the area. Japanese anti-Semitism may be the ultimate oxymoron since Japan is a Shintoist/Buddhist society with virtually no Jewish minority. Nonetheless, under the powerful impact of The Protocols (introduced by soldiers returning from the Siberian Intervention of 1918-23), and the regicidal Bolshevik revolution, anti-Semitism became a component of the Japanese national political discourse. The Protocols and The International Jew have been available in Japanese since 1924, Mein Kampf since 1934. This anti-Semitic trilogy has come out in new editions about every ten years.
