The Society of Jesus or Jesuits are a Catholic religious order which has been active in Japan since the arrival of Francis Xavier (St. Francis) in 1549 to spread Christianity. As in China, the Jesuits in 16th century Japan concentrated on bringing the Christian message to the ruling class, finding that they had better success in conversion from the top down rather than the bottom up. In recent times, Jesuits have been most active in education and Sophia University (“Jochi daigaku”) in Tokyo is their top educational establishment.
