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The Jesuits were one aspect of the fight back of the 'Church Triumphant', against the Reformation, which occurred in the mid-16th century. The Jesuit order, officially called the Society of Jesus, it was founded in 1534 by Ignatius Loyola. It is answerable directly to the pope.
Christianity arrived after the King of Portugal offered assistance to missionaries travelling to the eastern seas. One group, led by Francis Xavier (later canonised), set foot in Japan in 1549. Thereafter, proselytising in Japan was the monopoly of the Jesuits, and many prominent fathers came. When Spanish Franciscans arrived, the two orders quarrelled, until Christianity was banned, and all priests expelled. The Jesuits were disbanded in 1773, but re-instituted in 1814. In 1908 they returned to Japan and founded the Sophia Seminary (now Sophia University) in Tokyo in 1910 - still regarded as one of the nation's top seats of learning.