The Orthodox Missions in Japan and Korea in the Second Half of the XIXth - the beginning of the XXth century

The present research is devoted to the missionary work of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Far East countries in the second half of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX century. In particular, the focus was made on Japan and Korea because missions there were established in the second half of the XIX century, when Russia's participation in the politics of the countries of the Far East began to increase gradually. The aim of this research is to investigate what role did Orthodox missions in Japan and Korea play in the external policy of the Russian empire. These missions were included in the geopolitical context of the marked period in order to examine whether the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Far East were a way of extension of influence of the Russia in the region or not. The current study examines socio-political context and main features of the Russian external policy towards the Far East and defines the way Orthodox missions worked in existing conditions. The major sources for this work are memories and letters of the missioners, their reports and articles.