The Japanese Koran
There are only three Japanese translations of Koran.
The most sold version of Koran in Japanese was translated by Toshihiko Izutsu. In fact, the first Japanese Koran was a work of translation by Izutsu.
Toshihiko Izutsu (1914 – 1993) was Professor Emeritus at Keio University in Japan and author of many books on Islam and other religions. He taught at the Institute of Cultural and Linguistic studies at Keio University in Tokyo, the Iranian institute of Philosophy in Tehran, and McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He was fluent in over 10 languages, including Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Greek.Izutsu was a genius in language. He once said that he had mastered English, German, French, Italy and other European languages, taking only three months for each.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshihiko_Izutsu
It is because those European languages pose no resistance to learners. But languages used in regions with longer history than Europe have a kind of resistance confronting learners, according to Izutsu. So, he had to make more effort to master Arabic, the Hebrew word, Sanskrit, etc.
When Izustu was young, he studied Arabic day and night. He studied various types of Arabic day and night. He also taught Arabic to students. But Izutsu learnt himself various aspects of Arabic, including the Koran and ancient Arabic poets, day and night. However he had foreign teachers, too. One of them was Musa Bigiev (1875-1949), a Tartar, who visited Japan before WWII when Izutsu was a young scholar. Musa Bigiev was also called Musa Carullah.
Japanese Scholar Toshihiko Izutsu, has many books on the Qur'an and other subjects. He is believed to be a turning point in the field of Qur'anic semantics. His books are highly accepted by the scholars worldwide and translated into several languages. His masterpiece Ethico-Religious Concepts in the Qur'an was from his earlier books in the field of Qur'anic semantics. Professor Dr. Muhammad Khalid Masud, Izutsu's student in Canada, has translated this book into Urdu language in Pakistan with a very valuable introduction about İzutsu and his relations with several muslim scholars. Musa Carullah of Kazan, Izutsu's master in Arabic and Islamic sciences had very deep influence on izutsu. In his introduction to the translation Khalid Masud stresses on the Izutsu's method of understanding of the Qur'an: In fact Shah Wali Allah of Dehli was the first scholar who has underlined the importance of the study of Qur'an as a whole. But izutsu and some other schoiars such as Hamiduddin Farahi and Amin Ahsan Islahi have developed this method of understanding. This introduction tries to show Izutsu's relation with muslim scholars and muslim world and his importance in the field of Qur'anic studies.Musa Bigiev had very excellent power of memory, which even Izutsu was surprised at. One day when Izutsu was sick, Musa Bigiev paid a sympathy visit to Izutsu. Then in a room where Izutsu stayed in bed, Musa Bigiev found many books. He asked, "What do you do with these books?" Izutsu replied that he would carry all these books with him to study them even when he was traveling. Then Musa Bigiev said, "Don't be like a snail, carrying a bookcase! You have to remember all the contents of these books!"
http://www.islamiarastirmalar.com/magazine/tr-Izutsunun-ethIco-relIgIous-concepts-In-the-qur-an-adlI-kitabInIn-urduca-cevirisi-uzerine-151.html?page=archive
Indeed when Musa Bigiev asked Izutsu to get him a certain Arabic book, Izutsu found it to bring it to his Arabic teacher. Then, a week later, Musa Bigiev returned it to Izutsu. But Izutsu found that his teacher almost completely remembered contents of the 600-page book.
Even when Musa Bigiev was teaching contents of a certain classic Arabic grammar book, he remembered each word of the book without reading the 1000-page book, so that he could write and show its important sentences to Izutsu. Musa Bigiev really looked like keeping contents of all important books in his head.
Izutsu read classic books of ancient Greek, Hebrew, Persian, Arabic, Hindi, etc. in original ancient languages. Izutsu became not only a language expert but also a philosopher in this way.
Nonetheless there was also one Japanese whose support benefited Izutsu very much. It was Shumei Okawa who was arrested as an A-class war criminal by the American military which occupied Japan after WWII.
Shumei Okawa (1886 – 1957) was a Japanese nationalist, Pan-Asian writer and Islamic scholar. In the prewar period, he was known for his publications on Indian philosophy, philosophy of religion, Japanese history, and colonialism. He is frequently called a "right-wing" writer, although he described himself as anti-capitalist and rejected the label "right-wing".Shumei Okawa had once worked in the South Manchuria Railway Company, a Japanese national policy concern during and before WWII. Okawa purchased some precious Arabic and Islamic books using a company budget. But as the books were too difficult nobody read them. So, Okawa invited Izutsu to come to the office of South Manchuria Railway to study these books. It helped Izutsu greatly advance his knowledge in Arabic and Islam.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%ABmei_%C5%8Ckawa
Anyway, only unique Japanese learn Arabic and Islam even today like before WWII. But Japanese study on Arabic and Islam owes much to the Japanese genius in language Toshihiko Izutsu, the prodigious wandering Tartar scholar Musa Bigiev, and the politically unique Japanese Islamic scholar Shumei Okawa.
Japanese Islamic Scholar Toshihiko Izutsu in an International Conference in 1979
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Luk 11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.