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In the past, there was active repression and violence against Christians, but for the last century, Japanese people have not had harsh feelings towards Christians.

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The relationship between Japan and Christianity is a very complex one. When Jesuits first arrived in Japan during the Sengoku Jidai period (mid-1500s), they were actually quite well received. While Catholicism did not spread among many of daimyo, it was rather popular among the peasantry, especially on Kysuhu Island. Toyotomi Hideyoshi received a Jesuit to his court along with the numerous Buddhist Clerics that he hosted. He remained neutral as to the disputes between Buddhists and Catholics, ignoring the Buddhist allegations that the Catholics were the first wave of foreign invaders hoping to convert Japan before a proper military takeover.

Of course, this attitude changed when Spanish Sailors were marooned in Japan en route to the Philippines (early-1600s). Instead of graciously thanking Toyotomi for understanding their plight and choosing to assist them, the Spanish captain demanded aid. He then pointed to a map of Latin America and told Toyotomi that he could do this (colonize) to Japan as well. It was at this point that Toyotomi not only evicted the rude Spaniards, but also banned Catholicism from Japan. As he and his successor Tokugawa Ieyasu controlled all of Japan, this effectively made Japan barred to Catholicism.

There were some Catholics who persisted for the next two and a half centuries and were called Kokure Karishitan or Hidden Christians. They were hunted, bullied, tortured, and murdered by zealous Japanese ministers. As to be expected, the largest populations of Kokure Karishitan were on Kysushu Island. Christians were forced to "prove" that they were Buddhists by trampling on fumie or graven images or statues of Mary, Jesus, and other key Christian religious symbols.

The attitude towards Christianity changed somewhat in the late 1800s, when foreigners began to arrive in Japan. Roman Catholic Priests rediscovered the Kokure Karishitan and they eventually came back out into the open. Protestant Priests also arrived and began to convert Japanese individuals to Christianity. However, most Japanese at that point in time still believed that the Emperor was himself a god, making Christianity appear wrong to them. Nevertheless, in 1871, the Meiji Emperor passed a law allowing for the Freedom of Religion. By the early 1900s, Christians were an important minority in Japan with members on Imperial Councils and Heading Universities in disproportionate numbers considering that they were less than 1% of the national population.

Today there are roughly 1.4 Million Japanese Christians who are a well-integrated minority in Japan. However, religion in Japan is a private matter, not a public one as it is the West, so there is much less proselytization in Japan by virtue of culture as opposed to law. Most Japanese still see Christianity as a foreign religion that some Japanese believe in rather than a truly Japanese religion as Buddhism and Shintoism are perceived to be (even though Buddhism is not originally from Japan). Additionally, many Japanese are considered Atheists. Regardless of their beliefs about the validity of Christianity or its "being right" for the Japanese people, Japanese typically harbor no ill will towards Christians as people.

It is worth noting that the hatred that Japan had for the Allies in World War II had nothing to do with Christianity. This hatred came from the idea that Japanese expansion and Imperialism was the natural course of history and the European powers and America were trying to prevent that growth. The religion of those Europeans and Americans was incidental. Several Japanese pilots in the Pearl Harbor Attack, for example, were God-fearing Christians too.

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Simple Answer:

In the past, there was active repression and violence against Christians, but for the last century, Japanese people have not had harsh feelings towards Christians.

More Detailed Answer:

The relationship between Japan and Christianity is a very complex one. When Jesuits first arrived in Japan during the Sengoku Jidai period (mid-1500s), they were actually quite well received. While Catholicism did not spread among many of daimyo, it was rather popular among the peasantry, especially on Kysuhu Island. Toyotomi Hideyoshi received a Jesuit to his court along with the numerous Buddhist Clerics that he hosted. He remained neutral as to the disputes between Buddhists and Catholics, ignoring the Buddhist allegations that the Catholics were the first wave of foreign invaders hoping to convert Japan before a proper military takeover.

Of course, this attitude changed when Spanish Sailors were marooned in Japan en route to the Philippines (early-1600s). Instead of graciously thanking Toyotomi for understanding their plight and choosing to assist them, the Spanish captain demanded aid. He then pointed to a map of Latin America and told Toyotomi that he could do this (colonize) to Japan as well. It was at this point that Toyotomi not only evicted the rude Spaniards, but also banned Catholicism from Japan. As he and his successor Tokugawa Ieyasu controlled all of Japan, this effectively made Japan barred to Catholicism.

There were some Catholics who persisted for the next two and a half centuries and were called Kokure Karishitan or Hidden Christians. They were hunted, bullied, tortured, and murdered by zealous Japanese ministers. As to be expected, the largest populations of Kokure Karishitan were on Kysushu Island. Christians were forced to "prove" that they were Buddhists by trampling on fumie or graven images or statues of Mary, Jesus, and other key Christian religious symbols.

The attitude towards Christianity changed somewhat in the late 1800s, when foreigners began to arrive in Japan. Roman Catholic Priests rediscovered the Kokure Karishitan and they eventually came back out into the open. Protestant Priests also arrived and began to convert Japanese individuals to Christianity. However, most Japanese at that point in time still believed that the Emperor was himself a god, making Christianity appear wrong to them. Nevertheless, in 1871, the Meiji Emperor passed a law allowing for the Freedom of Religion. By the early 1900s, Christians were an important minority in Japan with members on Imperial Councils and Heading Universities in disproportionate numbers considering that they were less than 1% of the national population.

Today there are roughly 1.4 Million Japanese Christians who are a well-integrated minority in Japan. However, religion in Japan is a private matter, not a public one as it is the West, so there is much less proselytization in Japan by virtue of culture as opposed to law. Most Japanese still see Christianity as a foreign religion that some Japanese believe in rather than a truly Japanese religion as Buddhism and Shintoism are perceived to be (even though Buddhism is not originally from Japan). Additionally, many Japanese are considered Atheists. Regardless of their beliefs about the validity of Christianity or its "being right" for the Japanese people, Japanese typically harbor no ill will towards Christians as people.

It is worth noting that the hatred that Japan had for the Allies in World War II had nothing to do with Christianity. This hatred came from the idea that Japanese expansion and imperialism was the natural course of history and the European powers and America were trying to prevent that growth. The religion of those Europeans and Americans was incidental. Several Japanese pilots in the Pearl Harbor Attack, for example, were God-fearing Christians too.

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