Japan is a country that merges ancient tradition with modern technology—and as it turns out, it merges Japanese culture and Jewish life, too! Believe it or not, this island nation has been home to a vibrant Jewish community for over 150 years. Read on to discover 12 facts about the Jews of the Land of the Rising Sun.
1. We Don’t Know When Jews First Came
Who were the first Jews to settle in Japan? No one knows for sure. There’s speculation that Jews arrived alongside the Portuguese when they first came to Japan in the 1500s. However, the first documented Jewish communities sprang up 300 years later, when Japan reopened its doors to the West.
2. Jews Entered Japan’s Reopened Borders
For over two centuries, Japan maintained a strict closed-door policy, cutting off nearly all contact with foreign nations. Then, in 1853, outside pressure finally led Japan to open its borders to the world. Among the newcomers who settled there were Jews, who established communities in Yokohama, Kobe, and Nagasaki.
3. Its Communities Were Diverse
Japan’s early Jewish communities were small but diverse. They included Sephardic Jews from Iraq and Syria, as well as Ashkenazi Jews from Germany and Russia. Many Russian Jews fled to Japan to escape the violent pogroms of the 1880s, and additional refugees arrived during World War I.
4. Japanese Synagogues
The first synagogue to open on Japanese soil was established in Yokohama in 1895. That building no longer operates; a devastating earthquake in 1923 forced the Jews of Yokohama to relocate to Kobe, which became the hub of Jewish life in Japan until World War II. Today, Japan’s oldest functioning synagogue is Ohel Shelomoh in Kobe, which has been serving the local Jewish community since the 1930s.
5. Jews Were Safe There During the Holocaust
Although Japan was an Axis power during World War II, it did not adopt antisemitic policies. The Jews living in Japan were safe from deportation and persecution—a remarkable fact given Japan’s alliance with the Nazis. When the caretaker of the Kobe synagogue painted over the building’s name to make it less conspicuous, the local chief of police personally instructed him to restore the lettering and assured him that the community had nothing to fear.
6. A Japanese Diplomat Saved Thousands of Lives
During the Holocaust, a number of extraordinary individuals risked their careers and lives to save Jews from certain death. One of these heroes was Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat stationed in Kaunas, Lithuania. Defying direct orders from his superiors, he issued transit visas to thousands of Lithuanian Jews, allowing them to travel through Japan until they could find a third country to take them in. After several months in Kobe, most refugees spent the remainder of the war years in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, China.
It is estimated that over 40,000 descendants of these refugees are alive today because of Sugihara’s courageous actions!
7. Students Opened Makeshift Yeshivahs There
Among the fortunate recipients of Japanese visas were hundreds of yeshivah students, who continued their Torah learning without interruption during their time in Japan. For several months, the streets of Kobe were filled with the sound of Torah study, until the students were relocated to Shanghai. Among these students were 38 from the Lubavitch Tomchei Temimim yeshivah and several hundred from the famed Mir yeshivah.
8. The Great Shabbat Debate
While the students were in Japan, a fascinating halachic controversy arose: on which day should Shabbat be observed? The International Date Line cuts through the Pacific Ocean, but some authorities held that the halachic date line should be placed west of Japan—meaning that Shabbat should be celebrated on the local Sunday. The majority opinion, however, held that the local Saturday was indeed the correct day. Still, many students refrained from prohibited work on Sunday as well, out of caution.
9. Tokyo Took the Lead
After World War II, the center of Jewish life in Japan shifted from Kobe to Tokyo. Following Japan’s defeat, the country was occupied by U.S. forces for several years, and many American Jewish soldiers were stationed in the capital. They were joined by an influx of Russian immigrants and, more recently, by American and Israeli businesspeople drawn by Japan’s remarkable economic boom.
10. The Rebbe Helped Them Get a Rabbi
By the 1960s, Tokyo’s Jewish community was growing—but they had no rabbi. The Rebbe encouraged Rabbi Marvin Tokayer, who had previously served as a U.S. military chaplain in Japan, to return to the country and lead the local community. Although initially hesitant, Rabbi Tokayer ultimately agreed and went on to spend eight years as the country’s only rabbi. In addition to his rabbinical duties, he authored 20 books in Japanese on Judaism and Jewish life, bringing the light of Torah to an entirely new audience.
Watch: The Rabbi of the Far East
11. Kosher Sushi Is a Worldwide Favorite
Sushi has taken the culinary world by storm—and kosher cuisine is no exception! Today, you can find kosher sushi restaurants and sushi bars in Jewish communities across the globe, from Tel Aviv to Toronto, and Brooklyn to Berlin. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, try making your own—like these sushi-shaped hamantaschen for Purim!
12. Chabad Is Active There
Chabad has maintained an active presence in Japan since 2000. Today, two Chabad Centers operate in the country—one in Tokyo and one in Kobe. There’s a kosher deli in Tokyo, and mikvahs in Tokyo, Kobe, and Kyoto, ensuring that Judaism is accessible to any Jew who calls Japan home.
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