ABSTRACT
Scholars writing in English are just starting to investigate and research Japan’s interest in Islam. Beginning in the Meiji Era (1868–1912), imperial Japan attempted to create relationships with Muslims throughout China and Central Asia. These efforts were part of their plans to destabilize the Russian Empire (1721–1917) and the Manchu Qing Empire (1632/1644–1911) on the Eurasian continent. Later, these efforts to work with and coopt Muslims became an important part of their strategy to undermine the Chinese Nationalists and the Chinese Communists, the British in India, and the Soviets in Central Asia. To many disenfranchised Muslims, the Japanese Empire presented a viable alternative to communism and western imperialism living throughout the region. This chapter presents an overview of some of the motivations for imperial Japan’s overtures to Muslims and examines the ways that imperial Japan appealed to Muslims living in China and Central Asia starting in the 1880s through to the early years of the Cold War.
