A Japanese town wrestles with identity after protests over its first mosque

What the report says

BBC World News reports that plans for Fujisawa’s first mosque have become a flashpoint in a wider Japanese debate over immigration, religion and local identity. The proposed Islamic site is planned for a grassy plot in the seaside city about an hour south of Tokyo, and has prompted reactions ranging from support and curiosity to anger and fear. Longtime resident Noriko Izumizawa told the BBC she worries about how the community may change, while also acknowledging she has not personally had a negative experience with a Muslim neighbour.

According to the BBC, protests against the mosque took place earlier this year near a local train station, with thousands objecting to the project. Some critics argued that a mosque larger than a nearby Shinto shrine would be inappropriate. The report also cites local media accounts of abusive calls and emails directed at mosques, misinformation and hate speech online, and counter-protests by anti-hate groups. Hiroki Suzuka, who runs a coffee shop near the planned site, urged residents to begin with learning and dialogue rather than fixed opposition.

The BBC places the Fujisawa dispute within Japan’s demographic pressures. The country’s population is ageing and shrinking, while employers increasingly depend on foreign workers. The report says Japan’s Muslim population, including foreign residents and Japanese converts, was estimated by Waseda University professor emeritus Hirofumi Tanada at about 420,000 at the end of 2024, up from 230,000 in 2019.

Muslim residents interviewed by the BBC described both efforts to integrate and growing hostility. Osaka-based businessman Mohamed Mohideen said Muslims have faced more abuse in recent years, while Shakeel Mohamed of a mosque in Saitama stressed the importance of following local rules and building trust with neighbours.