ABSTRACT
Although its claim to document a nefarious Jewish conspiracy to rule the world has long since been disproved and the tract itself has been shown to be a malicious forgery cobbled together from plagiarized sources, it is sobering to realize that The Protocols of the Elders of Zion continues to circulate and influence large numbers of people around the globe.1 Japan has not been exempt from this trend. Ever since the New York Times reported in 1987 that books claiming to reveal a global Jewish conspiracy had become bestsellers in Japan, there has been concern, dismay, and disbelief about the popularity of the Protocols in that country.2 Particularly disturbing has been the spread of suspicions about and animosity toward Jews − and, by extension, toward the State of Israel − to a non-western country with virtually no Jewish population or historical contact with Jews. How might this phenomenon be understood, and what are its implications? This chapter reviews briefly the history of the Protocols in Japan, introduces several authors who have exploited this tract, and offers an analysis of its popularity there.
