An Investigation on"Japanese Missionaries and Missionary Status"by the Japanese Consul-ates in China in 1908
On November 16,1908,the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan issued a confidential order through its embassy in China to 22 consulates,including the Shanghai Consulate,requiring each consulate to in⁃vestigate Japanese missionaries and missionary status in their jurisdictions,including the missionaries’ages,sects,methods,funding,number of followers,and relationships with local officials and people.The investigation was a crucial measure for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to understand the actual state of mis⁃sionary activities and to decide future diplomatic policies,when the Sino-Japanese missionary rights nego⁃tiations in the late Qing Dynasty was stalled.This investigation provides excellent materials for under⁃standing the historical facts of the Japanese religious sect and missionaries,how they preached(including funding),the effectiveness of their missionary work,and the local responses.The investigation also strengthened consensus among Japanese consulates regarding missionary work in China and also influ⁃enced Japan’s foreign missionary work and the relevant decisions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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