Inclusive Society / Muslim Residents in Japan Aim to Gain Understanding About Mosques, Burial Rules

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:00 JST, January 16, 2026

This is the sixth installment in a series of articles on coexistence with foreign residents and visitors.

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The increase in facilities for foreigners has led to some friction with Japanese people. Places of worship for Muslims, or mosques, are one example.

Last autumn, opposition to the construction of a nine-story building near Okachimachi Station in Tokyo’s bustling Taito Ward spread online under the slogan of “Oppose the construction of a giant mosque.” Fears were stirred up that “a large number of Muslims will move in” and the Tokyo metropolitan government and Taito Ward government received emails and phone calls opposing the construction.

The building project has been promoted for about five years by the Islamic religious corporation As-Salaam Foundation in Tokyo.

“It is not huge. There will also be a restaurant floor, and the mosque will only occupy three floors of the building,” said Mohamed Nazeer, a representative of the foundation. He said the current mosque nearby has become too small due to a rapid increase in Muslim tourists, prompting the relocation.

He said the foundation explained the plan to the neighborhood and received no opposition. Last month, the foundation posted an explanation in Japanese at the site. “We will continue our efforts to gain understanding,” Nazeer said.

Opposition to a nonexistent plan for a mosque in Shizuoka spread online. Japan Dahwa Foundation, named in the posts, said it was forced to issue a denial on its website in October that “There is absolutely no such plan.”

It appears that a fundraising campaign for the future reconstruction of a mosque that was opened six years ago was misunderstood as “building a new mosque.”

A foundation official said, “We were taken aback by this unexpected situation.”

When constructing the current mosque, they discussed with local residents for nearly two years, mutually confirming agreements such as “no broadcasting outside the building” and “no street parking.” Nuhman Nazeem, 34, a Sri Lankan office worker who uses the mosque, emphasized its importance. “It often teaches Japan’s rules to newcomers and serves as both a place of prayer and communication,” he said.

Cemeteries for foreign residents in Japan are also an issue. Islam prohibits cremation and requires interment.

Since 2019, the Honjo Kodama Cemetery in Honjo, Saitama Prefecture, has accepted burials for Muslims. To date, 179 foreigners have been buried there.

A 52-year-old man, who has worked in the prefecture for over 20 years, buried his oldest daughter there. She died at age nine in 2022 due to illness.

“My daughter was born and raised in Japan. I wanted to bury her in a familiar place,” he said. Every time he has a day off, he offers prayers for his daughter.

Interment is not prohibited under the Cemetery and Burial Law. However, some residents express concerns about environmental impacts, prompting the city to conduct annual water quality surveys of a nearby irrigation pond.

According to statistics from the Immigration Services Agency, the number of foreign residents aged 65 and over reached a record high of 235,817 as of the end of June 2025. However, there are only about ten cemeteries permitting burial.

“What happens to those who worked for Japanese society after they die?” said Sosuke Hayakawa, 78, the cemetery’s manager.

Hidenori Ukai, a Buddhist priest and journalist knowledgeable about funeral issues, said, “The government needs to address this from a human rights perspective as well.”

Issues surrounding burial grounds have come up elsewhere. In Hiji Town, Oita Prefecture, an Islamic religious group planned to purchase town-owned land to establish a burial ground. However, a candidate opposing the cemetery won the 2024 mayoral election, effectively halting the plan. Miyagi Prefecture, which had also considered establishing a burial ground, scrapped the plan in September.

Professor Emeritus Hirofumi Tanada of Waseda University, an expert on Muslims in Japan, emphasizes the importance of mutual exchange.

“It is necessary to create opportunities for local residents and Muslims to meet face-to-face to understand each other’s daily lives and make efforts to accept one another,” he said.