Did Japan ever have slavery?

Asked by: Lucienne Cassin  |  Last update: February 15, 2026
Score: 4.4/5 (75 votes)

Yes, Japan has a long history of slavery, with an official system from the 3rd century AD, involving debt, crime, and warfare captives, though it was often distinct from Western concepts and later suppressed, yet resurfaced with forced labor and sex slavery (comfort women) during WWII, marking its formal end post-WWII under Allied occupation.

Did Japan have African slaves?

African people are believed to have first visited Japan during the Sengoku period as servants or slaves of European ships from Portugal and Spain.

Did the Japanese ever own slaves?

During this time, slavery in Japan had a very diverse nature. Unfreedom could be expressed and practiced through a variety of terms, statuses, conditions, and modes of entering slavery. Slaves were usually understood to be heritable property which could be bought and sold, and the status of slavery was also heritable.

Was there a country that never had slavery?

The country of Australia has never legally allowed slavery. Australia as a country has only existed since 1901. Before Federation (creation of the Commonwealth of Australia) the colony of Queensland used Kanaka (now considered offensive) labourers.

Was there a real black samurai in Japan?

Yasuke (Japanese: 弥助 / 弥介; pronounced [jasɯ̥ke]) was a samurai of African origin who served Oda Nobunaga between 1581 and 1582, during the Sengoku period, until Nobunaga's death. According to historical accounts, Yasuke first arrived in Japan in the service of Italian Jesuit Alessandro Valignano.

Exposing Africa's Part In The Slave Trade

32 related questions found

Is there a black man in Japan in the 1500s?

Yasuke was the only African and first non-Japanese samurai. His story began around 1579 in Edo Japan. Not much is known about his life before arriving in Japan. Some say he was from the country of Mozambique and came to Japan on a ship with an Italian missionary named Alessandro Valignano on an inspection tour.

When did slavery end in Japan?

Under the actions of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, chattel slavery has been abolished across Japan since 1590, though other forms of forced labour were used during World War II.

Which president had 600 slaves?

Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. President and author of the Declaration of Independence, enslaved over 600 Black people throughout his life, the most of any U.S. president, with many working at his Monticello plantation and also in the White House. Jefferson's life presented a paradox, as he championed liberty while holding hundreds in bondage, a contradiction highlighted by the enslaved individuals who served him. 

Did Russia ever have slaves?

Slavery, by contrast, was an ancient institution in Russia and effectively was abolished in the 1720s. Serfdom, which began in 1450, evolved into near-slavery in the eighteenth century and was finally abolished in 1906. Serfdom in its Russian variant could not have existed without the precedent and presence of slavery.

What country has the longest unbroken chain of slavery?

Peterson of Brigham Young University, Korea has the longest unbroken chain of indentured servitude or slavery of any society in history (spanning about 1,500 years) in part due to the fact that the social structure was one of the most stable in world history with a single polity existing from the time of Silla to ...

Are geishas slaves?

Even with the gifts, patrons, parties, and musical training, geisha were still virtual slaves. And it is unclear whether or not a geisha-in-training had control over her sexuality, or if it was also owned by the house.

What race was enslaved for 400 years?

People of African descent were the primary race enslaved for approximately 400 years in the Americas, beginning with the forced arrival of enslaved Africans in English North America in 1619, a system of racialized chattel slavery that profoundly shaped U.S. history and continues to impact society today. This transatlantic slave trade forcibly brought millions of Africans to the Americas, creating enduring legacies of inequality and struggle for African Americans.
 

Did black people exist in Japan?

People often think that the Black community in Japan is relatively recent, but there has been a documented Black presence in Japan since at least the 1500s. Let's take a look at five incredible Black history facts from Japan that will blow your mind!

Which country was most involved in slavery?

Britain became the world's leading slave-trading country. Transatlantic slavery was especially lucrative because ships could sail with full holds on every stage of their voyage, making large profits for merchants in London, Bristol and Liverpool.

Was there a Black shogun in Japan?

I inquire because there were Black people in Japan in 1600 and before, though Japan could teach Florida a thing or two about rewriting history. According to multiple sources, one of the early real-life Shoguns, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758–811), was Black, though denied by others.

What are some common Japanese last names?

Here are the 10 most common last names :

  • Sato (1,928,000) 佐藤 - means "to help"
  • Suzuki (1,707,000) 鈴木 - means "tree bell"
  • Takahashi (1,416,000) 高橋 - means "high bridge"
  • Tanaka (1,336,000) 田中 - means "center of the paddy field"
  • Watanabe (1,134,000) 渡 辺 - means "to cross"
  • Ito (1,080,000) 伊藤 - means "The Fujiwara of Ise"

What country never had slavery?

There's no single country that never had slavery in some form, as it's a nearly universal historical practice, but some societies, like ancient Persia and Japan, lacked chattel slavery, while nations like Bulgaria (ancestors) culturally opposed it and made it a crime, and Haiti became the first nation to permanently abolish slavery after its own revolution, though even modern nations like Mauritania were last to abolish it in 1981. Defining "country" (modern state vs. ancient civilization) and "slavery" (chattel vs. debt/forced labor) is key. 

What country did slavery first start in?

Slavery was institutionalized by the time the first civilizations emerged (such as Sumer in Mesopotamia, which dates back as far as 4000 BC). Slavery features in the Mesopotamian Code of Hammurabi (c. 1750 BC), which refers to it as an established institution.

Why did Russia not colonize Africa?

Military and Strategic Challenges Colonizing Africa required naval power and the ability to defend overseas territories. Russia, although a major land power, did not have a globally dominant navy until the late 19th century.

Which president never freed his slaves?

Many U.S. Presidents did not free slaves, as slavery was legal and common, with prominent enslavers including Andrew Jackson, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson, while others like John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Abraham Lincoln did not own slaves but faced complexities in their stances on emancipation. President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in rebellious states, not all enslaved people, and many presidents supported the institution, never freeing those they enslaved. 

What president bought slaves to free them?

President James Buchanan is known for buying enslaved people in Washington, D.C., and then bringing them to Pennsylvania to be freed or become indentured servants, a nuanced action that some historians view as personal abolition efforts, while others note he never enacted broad anti-slavery legislation as president. He bought a Black mother and daughter in 1835, bringing them to Pennsylvania where they became indentured servants under terms not required by Pennsylvania law, a common practice at the time. While accounts suggest he freed others while in office, records are less clear, and his actions don't equate to abolitionist legislation. 

Which president freed the most slaves?

President Abraham Lincoln freed the most slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and the 13th Amendment (ratified 1865), which abolished slavery nationwide, freeing millions, though it was a gradual process involving Union armies and Black agency, not an immediate blanket release. 

What country has the longest run of slavery?

While many ancient civilizations had slavery, Korea is often cited as having the longest unbroken history, with its indigenous slave system (nobi) lasting over 2,000 years from antiquity until its gradual abolition in the late 19th century, with deeply entrenched social structures. However, the Arab Muslim slave trade, spanning over 1,300 years from ancient times into the 20th century, also represents one of history's longest-running forced labor systems.
 

Was there an actual black samurai in Japan?

In these tellings, Yasuke is often described as a "real-life Black samurai who served under Oda Nobunaga," a barrier-breaking hero in 16th-century Japan.

Did white people end slavery?

Everyone practised slavery at that time, from the Africans themselves through the Middle East and Asians. White people did it too but it was white people who ended it and otherwise there would still be global slavery.