The Catholic Church committed to spreading their religion around the world; Japan was a non-Christian nation. The Church sent missionaries to Japan as soon as possible to convert the pagan Japanese. What was the name of the religious order first to arrive in Japan?

Benedictines

Jesuits

Augustinians

Friars

The correct answer is Option B. Jesuits

Explanation:

In 1543 the first Portuguese ships arrived and the missionary activity of the first Catholic priests in Japan began in early 1549, mainly by Jesuits sponsored by the Kingdom of Portugal. The Jesuit San Francisco Javier arrives in Japan on August 15, 1549, together with his companions Cosme de Torres and Juan Fernández and the translator Anjirō, beginning what is called the Christian Century of Japan.

They disembarked in Kagoshima, then capital of the southern kingdom of Japan. They remained in this city for a year and for Japanese lands for two years and three months. In collaboration with his partner Pablo de Santa Fe, he evangelized in Japanese lands and translated the work Declaration of the Articles of Faith, which was learned by heart and used to recite in the corners. The Jesuits, supported by the Portuguese, estimated that by the end of the 16th century, there were 300,000 Catholics in Japan.